Yearn to Wander

Sharp-shinned Hawk Surveying the Yard

During the summer, many songbirds call Gabriola home. That is, until the Sharp-shinned Hawks appear.

We watched two Violet-green Swallows fledge, and a couple Robins, too. Chestnut-backed Chickadees have several young around. So do the Spotted Towhees. A Western Tanager hopped through the towering cedars; an occasional Cedar Waxwing stops by; Bared Owls wake us at night; Rufous Hummingbirds flit about daily. Like the chickadees, they frequently wonder if I'm a flower. But all this activity slows when the Sharp-shinned Hawks appear. Their whistles pierce the quiet putting the songbirds on edge. Robins scream and glare at them -- always at a distance -- to keep them away from their nests and fledglings. They're much bolder fighting the Barred Owls: they dive-bomb them so the owls eventually fly away. The hawks continue their harassment as they fly among the tops of the canopy, and survey the landscape, only to dive to the ground, where they spotted a fledgling for their next meal. That's the food chain in action: nature's way.