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A family of Cooper’s Hawks have a nest in a tree across the alley from our house. I first saw an adult three weeks ago and have heard the food cries of the chicks for about a week. This morning, one of the adults flew over our pool with its casual flap-flap-glide while I was  getting ready for my morning swim.

Meanwhile, the magnolia tree in our front yard hosts a family of mockingbirds. As the hawk neared the front of my yard, a mockingbird erupted from the magnolia tree. It darted at the hawk, wheeling, climbing and diving to strike from every angle while rasping out its angry challenge. The hawk veered  but the mockingbird was undeterred until the predator had fled well beyond the nesting area.