Links in the Food Chain

 Br-r-r-r.  It is finally getting cold here along the Ohio River in western West Virginia. Okay, I admit, it is only thirty degrees, but compared to the fifty degree days it feels pretty cool.  No more trips out to the feeder in my bare feet.  Yesterday I actually wore my slippers out and across the light snow covered grass.

I did very little else yesterday. There wasn't time to do much since I didn't feel well and didn't get out of bed until noon.  I didn't even write for this blog though I did spend a few hours writing for my "real" job.

While I was hunkered down over my computer yesterday the window darkened as two crows flew in landing below one of the feeders.

That meant it was time for a break to check out my front yard. What would be out there? 

The crows had settled in, picking bits and pieces out of the grass. . .

 . . . and generally striking fear into rapidly beating hearts of smaller birds . . .

 . . .who fled into the tree to wait out the crows. The crows on the ground were accompanied by the watch crow sitting on the roof of my house.  As it turned out, the crows may have saved one of these little birds, making each more wary of its surroundings.  While I was watching the activity around the feeder, I noticed another danger.

Skulking high in an oak across the road was a hawk. I think it was probably the red-shoulderd hawk that has frequented our feeders before. This one never had the chance to dine at the feeder today. I checked several times over the next hour. The hawk stayed at the same spot, moving only its head in search of a meal.

My emotions are torn as I feel good for the tiny tiny feeder birds while still worrying if the hawk eventually found its meal.   I want the hawk to survive the winter but most of what it eats I call, "cute." I know, though, that  that is the way of nature so I will do nothing else but go on feeding the chickadees, titmice, finches, cardinals . . .

. . .and the occasional hawk.