I walked onto our deck this morning just in time to see nature at work. Some sort of commotion was taking place in the trees in front of me. Before I could blink I saw one bird flying terrified out of the woods with a much bigger bird in pursuit. As I stood dumbfounded, the bird of prey sank its talons into the smaller bird, sending a shower of feathers raining to the ground. In an instant it was all over.
Yeah, I thought as the reality sunk in. Its true that bird just became breakfast, but what a spectacular way to go out.
The balance of nature. The circle of life.
Moments later I saw the victor return: a Great Horned Owl that settled onto a branch in my neighbor’s yard. He looked around casually as a juvenile hawk nearby complained loudly about the invasion of his territory. I’d heard the owl one night this past summer but this was my first look. There’s no recession for this bird: he obviously is eating well.
No wonder I’ve not seen as many birds at our feeder as I used to.