It's been cold here in northern Florida, well, much colder than what
we're used to, anyway. I've haven't spent much time doing things, but
I have been watching the pond. Problem is, when it gets this cold,
there isn't much moving around the pond. So one night I get out this
bird identification book that I have and get this brilliant idea to
put out a bird feeder and then I'll have birds to watch. To make a
long story shorter the next day I'm out pounding a pole in the ground
and setting up this bird feeder between the pond and the window of my
cabin, pretty much out in the open by itself.

Previously I had looked up many times to see birds lazily circling
above the pond. I hadn't given them much thought, but had just
assumed they were vultures, we have a *lot* of vultures. Turns out
these birds are hawks, big hawks, and a lot of them circle the pond
from time to time. I went on to read that among the things that they
hunt are little birds.

This didn't begin to really dawn on me until I began to wonder why I
didn't attract many birds and the few that would come would scatter
whenever a shadow passed overhead. It's one of those things I just
didn't think through (although in my defense, it's not quite as
obvious as chaining a cat to a bird feeder or something like that).
The thing is, anywhere I move the bird feeder into cover, I can't see
it, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of the bird feeder (it's
for my entertainment, not the bird's sustenance, I'll bet they do OK
without me).
..