Clues

After going out before anyone else was up...except Becky who goes to work before four....I was hanging around the house, keeping an ear on Peggy for Liz. Liz came in and I peeked out the window to see if anything interesting was on the feeders.

I hadn't filled them yet, so there were few birds around except one little White-throated Sparrow that was huddled against the wall of the shelf feeder the boss built me, picking disconsolately at leftover seeds.

Every time I went back to the window he was still there. This is not normal behavior so I finally went outside, figuring he was sick or injured. Nope, as soon as I came in sight he was gone like a rocket, along with another one that had been hiding on the ground...in plain sight pretty much..they have great camo.

Since I was out anyhow I wandered down to the heifer barn and paused to try to get a photo of some approaching Canada Geese. Suddenly, out of the heifer barn haymow window, burst a big Cooper's Hawk! It had to turn on the diagonal to even get out the window! 

Wow! I still wasn't quick enough to get a photo, but now we know the rest of the story about why the sparrows were acting so oddly.

On a side note I was able to get all the way up behind the barn for the first time this year. Yay! I would have gone right up to the upper fields, but I need to be inside to listen for Peggy while Liz does chores. Soon.....