This is the dramatic moment an American bald eagle dropped a Prairie dog it caught for dinner before pulling off a daring nose-dive to retrieve it again.
The stunning images show how the large bird became embroiled in an aerial battle with a fellow eagle over the unlucky dog.
One eagle then appears to win the fight and prepares to fly off with its prized catch to eat for dinner.
Pictures show the eagle attempting to fly off with its prey, left, before a fellow bird comes in, right, to try and snatch the prairie dog
During the tussle the dog falls from one of the bird’s claws and begins to plummet back down to earth
But the dog falls from the bird’s grip and begins to plummet towards the ground.
However, at the last minute, the eagle makes a desperate bid to retrieve its prey and manages to pull up the dog with just 25 feet to spare.
The dramatic pictures were taken by 47-year-old photographer Tony Hake from Thornton, Colorado, which is close to Denver.
He explained: ‘It was almost like a military dogfight with the birds looping and rolling in a battle to get the food.
Rather than allowing its prey to fall, the eagle begins to chase after the dog as he desperately wants it for dinner
Eventually he performs a mid-air nose dive and holds his claws out in a bid to catch the falling prey
‘I was out driving in an area where Bald Eagles frequent during the winter when I saw a flurry of activity.
‘Two Bald Eagles were fighting over food about 200 ft off the ground and the younger one even managed to knock the Prairie dog from the first eagle’s grasp.
‘What happened next was amazing – the Prairie dog plummeted to the ground and look lost but the adult Bald Eagle was not to be kept from its meal.
The with just 25 feet to spare, the eagle manages to grab the dog by the neck just before it hits the ground
After claiming back its prey, the eagle then flew off into the distance to enjoy its meal, which it had tucked under his wings
‘It tucked its wings back and dove straight down at an incredible speed towards the ground and the now-falling rodent.
‘As the ground rushed toward them, the eagle extended its talons and once again latched onto its prey before pulling up with only 25 feet or so to spare.
‘It then flew off to enjoy its meal in peace.’
Bald Eagles are the national bird of the United States and are renowned as opportunistic feeders with a diet that largely consists of fish – which they swoop down to snatch from the water with their talons.