The snowy white heads of two downy chicks are barely visible as a red-tailed hawk prepares their first meal of the day.

As the hawk tears the small rodent into bite size chunks for her ten day old offspring, she occasionally gulps down a morsel for herself.

After several minutes, the entire prey is consumed, and she then carefully enters the nest, settling in to shelter the babies.

It is a chilly morning with temperatures in the low 40's, but as the sun warms the nest the chicks begin to stir from beneath their mother's breast feathers.

It has been half an hour since they last ate, and they are already voicing their desire for another meal, so she lifts off in search of prey.

Both the male and female red-tailed hunt for the young, but the female does most of the feeding.

The next item on the menu is a small rattlesnake, and as the raptor enters the nest it maintains a firm grip just behind what's left of the serpent's head.

At first the little ones don't seem inclined to dine on the proffered viper, but one of them finally takes a bite.

The button rattles gleam in the sunlight next to where the hawk is ripping pieces from the snake.

 This is one rattlesnake that will not grow up to bite anyone.

The little rascals seem to have developed quite a taste for rattler, and one even tries to grab a bite on its own.

It will be a month before these fuzzy chicks fledge, and many more weeks before they are ready to take on a rattlesnake on their own.

Within ten minutes the slender snake has been devoured, and then the final morning course is served.

There is very little opportunity for the parents to rest, and now it is time to take flight for the afternoon hunt.