Hungry Thief

For the first time ever, a Cardinal's nest lay cleverly hidden in a juncture of two branches of the red rose climber on the south wall of our garage. Over the years, we'd watched with pleasure as House Finches, Eastern Phoebe, Bluebirds, and Wrens nested in flowerpots, birdhouses, spruce trees, and on porch walls. Purple Martins snootily passed us by in spite of elaborate housing provided. Once, a Rufous-sided Towhee deposited her eggs on the ground, underneath a large cedar tree near the driveway. We mowed around them, shooed turtles toward distant woods, and watched eggs hatch, babies fly into the future. Cardinal babes were a new and welcome experience. Almost daily, we peeked. But grief came quickly with eagle eye, hooked talon, and razor-edged beak. A Cooper's Hawk left a shattered nest, a mother's heart ripped apart, and us, feeling her pain to the marrow of our bones.