No Free Lunch

Cooper's Hawk+Northern Cardinal=lunch

At the lunch table this afternoon I was joined by Mr. Cooper. He’s becoming a regular tablemate these days. I was enjoying a hearty bowl of soup, while he opted to bring carry-out—in this case a Northern Cardinal. We chose not to share tastes as some of my luncheon regulars do.
I find it interesting, people who enjoy watching film of Bald Eagles plunging to catch a fish, or Cheetahs whacking a Springbok, get all squeamish when looking at or talking about birds eating birds, especially at the bird feeder. Hey, why do you think it’s called a feeding station?
Anyway, while Mr. C and I were enjoying our meals of choice, one of our not-so-bright squirrels decided he wanted to get in on Mr. Cooper’s catch. We both watched as this guy slowly climbed the tree—as if no one could see him. Mr. Cooper paid less attention than I and continued to work on the packaging surrounding his lunch.

At least his packaging is biodegradable

When the squirrel got within about three feet of the hawk, tails flared. The hawk flared his wings as well and said something in animalese that gave the squirrel pause. I used my magic decoder wristwatch to interpret what he said. Here it is, verbatim: “If you want a free lunch, become a politician.”

This story ends with Mr. C flying off to a nearby fir tree, me catching my breath, and the squirrel checking MapQuest to see how long it will take to get to New Hampshire.