Eating or Eaten

The desk at which I work in my home office sits under a window which looks out on the neighborhood and gives a clear view down the street where I live.  Yesterday, as I worked I observed dozens of sparrows as they raided the feeder that hangs outside the window.  It seemed to me as though they were in the same urgent mode of provisioning as the people whom I observed earlier in the morning as they raided the hardware store for bags of salt and snow shovels; and the grocery store as they loaded up with food.  Birds appear to have a sense of impending weather changes while people must rely upon the media outlets.  But both make preparation.

Suddenly, as I was watching, I was startled by an object that was hurtling toward my window.  The sparrows scattered and with a dull thud the object hit the window right in front of my face and dropped out of my sight.  A moment later a hawk flew up from the ground and sat in the tree not more than 15 feet away.  There were a few feathers stuck to the screen on the window at the point of impact.  The hawk was apparently somewhat dazed because it sat on the limb while I took pictures.  When I got too close though … it flew off.  It was almost 30 minutes before the sparrows came out of hiding and resumed their frantic eating.  They must have realized, as did I, that one of them might have easily become that which was eaten instead of that which was eating!