Dark Eyed Junco
I was so excited to see my birds return to the feeders in my backyard after the cold weather set in. I had my usual slate-colored Junco sitting on one of my nyjer feeder trays eating away. I had more house finches and sparrows than I could count, vying for a space at the window feeder, and more Northern Flickers than I’ve ever seen at one time. Then it happened……I looked out at a large bird sitting on the back fence. After focusing my binoculars on him I knew that the reason the yard had gone silent was because a sharp-shinned hawk had returned to the yard to dine on an unsuspecting songbird. It’s not an easy thing to see, but raptors need to eat as well as our songbirds. I’ve got most of my feeders in cages so that squirrels and blackbirds can’t empty them out, but the cages also serve as a bit of protection from raptors that might be scouting out a feeder that is full of small songbirds. By the time I had left for work today, the sharp-shinned hawk had moved on to other hunting grounds and the house sparrows were lining up at the window feeder once again. I hope that the hawk is well fed and happy and that my songbirds will trust enough to return tomorrow and dine with me again.
