Jodi Webb, Morning kill (ANIMAL 2023)

We made a daring trip from Australia to the US in Jan 2022 despite some nervousness around COVID. I was out for a morning walk along the pier at Pismo Beach, California, when I noticed this Peregrine Falcon dining out on a seagull it had apparently just killed. I took progressive photos from far to as close as I could without disturbing the meal. The ownership the falcon displayed over it's kill was evident in the stance and I find the image with the wings spread captivating as the seagull seems to be looking back at me hopefully.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.