Checking out the Backyard

Yesterday morning, a backyard drama - a sharp-shinned hawk flew into the copse of trees around our one feeder. Sitting on a pole on our backporch, about 10 feet away, was a nuthatch eating peanut butter. The nuthatch froze into position, not one blink, not one feather moved. This lasted about 5 minutes or so. The hawk walked out on the branch and sat there looking around. I watched from inside, hating the thought of the hawk catching that nuthatch in front of my eyes. I know they need to eat too! Some line from a book ran through my mind, no one dies today. So I went to the back door and moved my hand around in the window to make the hawk more cautious. He walked backwards back into the tree. I cautiously opened the backdoor, thinking too sudden of a move might spook the nuthatch as well. The hawk went around behind the trunk of the middle tree and disappeared from view. Then I saw him fly out of the tree to the east, while the nuthatch continued to sit frozen, in a westerly direction. Within about 5 seconds, birds began flocking into the feeder and water system. The nuthatch took off. Crisis averted. The hawk will find a meal somewhere else.