Ferruginous Hawk eating snake

As I noted in a post yesterday, I watched a Ferruginous Hawk near Lamar catch and eat a snake. The upper photo shows the hawk perched on a power pole, looking down just before it flew down to grab the snake.

After grabbing the snake, the hawk flew with it only about 40 feet into the field. At one point the snake must have struck at it as the hawk jumped/flew a few feet back and into the air. Then it started eating it as is shown in the lower photo.

Ferruginous Hawks are a Colorado Division of Wildlife species of special concern. Colorado Partners In Flight considers Ferruginous Hawks to have a "high conservation need locally and throughout its range." Read more about conservation efforts here
SeEtta