Dash cam, Part 2: Flying down the freeway

I kicked off my dash cam series with video footage of two sign-runners, with the intention of using the dash cam to call out local dangerous drivers.  But sometimes the things that transpire in the public right-of-way cause me to yell, "HOLY COW!!" for reasons that have nothing to do with motor vehicles.

Such was the case late yesterday afternoon when this behemoth buteo rose up startlingly in front of me:

Based on its distinctive underwing pattern, this appears to be a Swainson's hawk, possibly a migrant en route through Houston from Argentina, bound for a more northerly nesting site (if it's NOT a Swainson 's, someone please email Centerpointe.blog@gmail.com and edify me!!). 

From http://www.peregrinefund.org/explore_raptors/hawks/swainson.html

According to the URL above, "This hawk can be found in open grasslands, prairies, farmlands, and deserts that have some trees for nesting."  Well, that certainly describes the areas around Centerpointe: lots of open, mowed fields flanked with trees and awaiting commercial buyers. 

The Houston Audubon website also notes that small numbers of these hawks nest in the Houston area. 

What amazed me about this encounter was the degree to which this raptor appeared "at home" in this unlikely venue, having landed in the narrow swale between feeder and mainlanes.  I am accustomed to seeing red-tailed hawks in close proximity to humans (in fact, last month, I blogged about seeing them in the neighborhood), but it surprises me to see this rarer species right on the freakin' freeway with its deafening roar and hoardes of cars blasting by. 

You can see from the screengrab above that he had something in his talons, but the resolution of the dash cam wasn't good enough to reveal what.  Perhaps it was a snake similar to what this guy had:

From http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/Birds/ospreys/sh.cfm

So there you have it, another existential vignette from another day in suburban paradise (and you thought it was just sterile empty sprawl!!).  Keep your eyes peeled for this magnificent creature each day as you exit at League City Parkway after your hard day at the office, and always remember the immortal words of Ferris Bueller: 

"Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."