A few years ago there was a letter to the Editor of the Omaha World-Herald; a letter that came to mind last Sunday morning.

The letter to the Editor was a complaint, as most of them are. The lady writing the letter complained about the protection of peregrine falcons on one of the tall buildings of downtown Omaha. She stated that she had better never see one of those “nasty” hawks kill one of the birds at HER bird feeder.

All animals eat, which is one of the definitions of just what an animal is…they have to eat. She was paying to put out seed in order to feed a variety of birds…why not just one more species? It just so happens this species is a “secondary” feeder. The seed she puts out feeds the cardinal, which in turn feeds the peregrine. A simple food chain in her very own backyard. What could be cooler than that?

The reason my mind drifts back to the letter about a hawk and bird feeder is that I have my own hawk. My hawk isn’t a falcon. My hawk is a sharp-shinned hawk.

This young hawk has set up winter camp in our neighborhood. Each afternoon he (she?) is in the sycamore tree watching intently the small “dickie” birds on my feeders. Sunday morning I was walking by the widows that overlook my feeding station. I paused to watch a group of house sparrows and juncos that were crowding around one feeder. I am always amused when I see this, as there are other feeders. Maybe it is a “safety in numbers” kind of thing, or maybe just selfishness that brings them all to crowd and push for the seed from the same feeder.

As I watched, a streak of brown came flying around the corner of the house. My “sharpie” on the hunt. The small birds scattered. All but one. A junco was hit by the hawk. The small bird dropped to the ground and the hawk made a U-turn and headed back to it. The hurt bird tried to take wing again but it was too late. The “sharpie” grabbed its breakfast and flew up to the sycamore tree where it proceeded to pluck the feathers from its meal. The other birds slowly returned to the feeders. The loss of their companion quickly forgotten as they pushed and shoved to get at the food.

I think my “sharpie” roosts each night in the row of pines north of the house. I’ve seen it there late in the afternoon. During the day it’s favorite place is the sycamore tree. That tells me the bird that provided its breakfast Sunday morning was not the first meal the hawk has had at my feeder.

Some, like the lady in Omaha, view hawks and other predators as being “bad”. They are not. It’s easier to catch sick individuals, weak individuals, or, sadly, old individuals, so the hawk is actually essential in keeping the overall population of birds at my feeder, healthy. Besides, it is fun to watch the hawk attack and the birds scatter. Yes, I do feel sorry for the bird that gets eaten, but I feel even worse that the rest of the birds don’t even seem to miss their fallen comrade.