Danger in the Cherry Tree

My bird flock suddenly vanished.  My cats are dismayed.  They watched the birds from the cat run.  They watched them from the cat yard.  They watched the birds from the windows.  And now, suddenly---no birds!

But why?

Then I came home and saw a particularly large bird perched up in the bare Cherry tree.

Take a look....

A Cooper's Hawk!

Probably followed me home from the feed store after watching me buy bird seed.  Darn smart hawks!

A Cooper's Hawk will eat any small bird, but this one really wants a fat Mourning Dove.  The Doves are slow off the ground to boot, which only makes them easier for a hawk's dining pleasure.

I don't see the hawk this morning.  The Doves are staying clear, however.  Must have been a murderous scene already out there, involving the hawk and a dove, to spook them so badly.   I'm throwing seed for the little birds back into the brush where they can eat safely under cover.

Birds who kill birds.......