Seed Greed

 

   

   A squirrel hogged the access to my friend's bird feeder.

   The creature nibbled on seeds and kept away the competition. Birds including cardinals, bluejays, and sparrows waited in trees. Once a large bird (seen in the photo) flew near. It tried frightening the squirrel. Unfazed, the squirrel kept on feeding. The bird backed down.
   I photographed the scene through a window. For a moment I looked away. When I looked again, the squirrel had vanished. What happened to it?
   My friend surmised that a hawk had snatched the squirrel. She said other squirrels had recently been taken by this hawk. The predator's strategy was smart. It waited for squirrels to become complacent in their greediness, then swooped down and snared them in its talons.
   Greed distracts us from things that matter.