Tragedy Under the Bird Feeder

It was a quiet, winter morning. The sun shone on juncos, bluejays, chickadees, cardinals, and finches pecking at sunflower seeds in and under the bird feeder that hung from the crepe myrtle bush. Nothing about the scene hinted that a tragedy was in the making.

A blur of brown swooped into my field of vision and dropped onto the ground among the quietly feeding birds. The small birds all scattered–all except one hapless bluejay. A red-tailed hawk sat on the ground and under his talons lay the jay. 

No! This wasn’t right. I was the one who had scattered the seeds, inviting the birds to breakfast. I had certainly meant no harm to any of them, but harm had come without warning, dipping from the sky and grabbing one of the hungry jays who had no chance to escape.

For a second, I was stunned. I like hawks. I admire their tenacity, their beauty, the way they look in tall trees in the middle of winter, scanning the ground for a possible meal, but I like bluejays too. Hawks have to eat, I told myself. It’s a law of nature. But, I didn’t have to witness it. I ran to the door, intending to shoo the morning marauder away.

I did just that. The hawk flew off, back up into that cold, cloudless sky; but, as he left, he took the poor bluejay with him. A small happening, surely, and one that takes place over and over as wild animals and birds fight to survive. It was simply a law of nature, enacted before my eyes. Sometimes, nature can be harsh.