First came the hairy woodpecker,  then the blue jay.   There was a little scuffle,  until they decided to share the peanuts.  I had been waiting for months for the blue jays to discover the peanuts,  so I was glad that they worked things out.

After a few minutes,  they flew off,  and in came a little downy.   When I first started birding,  I worried that I wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the hairy and downy,  but seeing them within minutes of each other,  the size difference is obvious.

The little downy was quite content,  pecking away,  till the crows started raising a raucous.   Even my attention was drawn by their cries.

I noticed that the downy was suddenly on alert,  hopping into the center of the peanut ring.    She looked up,  and froze in place.    All the other birds in the yard took off,  and the yard was unusually quiet,  so I knew something was up,  literally.

As I was snapping pictures,  I saw a large bird swoop up onto the rail of the deck.

It startled me and happened so quickly.   The hawk was so near,  that it was hard to get the camera in focus.

Before I could get a good shot,   he took off for the highest tree nearby.   (an immature Cooper’s I’m guessing -  I’m not very good at hawk identification)

The little downy was paralyzed for at least twenty minutes.   I stepped out on the deck just a few feet away,  and she didn’t seem to care,  with the greater threat looking down from above.