This morning I was standing at a window watching a few cardinals and
goldfinches in the birch tree behind our yard pond when suddenly all of the
birds flew left out of view. Meanwhile, other birds were coming into view
from the right where the feeders were, which were just out of sight. I saw a
Blue Jay dive into the foliage of the Birch Tree. Almost instantly an
immature Sharp-shinned dived into the tree behind it. I saw the Sharpie grab
the Blue Jay , then turn and glide toward the woods carrying the unlucky
bird. It happened so quickly I had just enough time make sense of what was
happening. Within a couple of seconds the drama had played out, and all that
was left was the quiet yard and pond with a few feathers floating silently
to the ground.
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
