A Lurking Hawk

Rooted in our neigh -bour's yard, with its over- hanging branches spreading over mine; this old, tall Pine provides both sanctuary and shelter for many small birds. For the Sharp-shinned Hawk it provides secrecy and opportunism, for I have seen it there, hidden amongst the Pine's branches; its stealthy presence lurking in wait of prey. It seemed to be around for a large portion of the day yesterday and at one point left the secluded shadows of the Pine and perched in the open, upon a bare branch of our High Bush Cranberry. There were few birds about yesterday and the hawk was not successful in its wait, at least not while I watched. I have not refilled our feeders these past few days in hopes of discouraging small birds, so as not to have them become unsuspecting prey. Also it was a day of rain and ice and wind; not a nice day to be out and about. At one point I made a short video clip of the wind moving the icy branches, while the hawk sat upon its perch in the background.