Feeding The Birds

When you feed the birds, you feed ALL the birds!

I was startled the other day by a loud THUMP! against the wall of my house.  I immediately recognized it as the sound of a bird hitting (I thought) the kitchen window.  Some of the new crop of woodpecker babies are having trouble figuring out how to land on the nut feeder, and frequently thump into the window, although not hard enough to do any damage.  But this thump was LOUD!  

When I looked outside I saw this Cooper's Hawk feeding on a dove that he had apparently caught when it took off from our patio.  It must have been close enough that predator and prey hit the wall of the house.  Of course, I ran for the camera, and proceeded to photograph the hawk plucking the dove through my kitchen window.  I won't tell you how many photos I took.  Let's just say "Thank God for digital".  

I know there are some who would be distressed by this situation.  However, the hawk needs to eat just as does the dove, and this is Mother Nature's way of keeping the species strong.