And then I wrote...

.. .that I am convinced the world would be a much less interesting place if we did not share it with animals and birds, and there is evidence lots of people agree with that.
There is a video that made the rounds recently which should be shown to all grade school children being taught all that psychobabble about bullying. It shows the direct approach which many of us elders were taught about bullying... confront it forcefully.
The video shows a youngster, described by his mother as somewhat autistic, riding his tricycle when he is subjected to a sneak attack from the rear by a large dog. The dog grabs him and gives one shake, when from stage right a cat comes barreling into the dog, which, typical of bullies, runs away. The cat makes a quick turn to check on the boy, then chases the dog, exit left. The cat then comes back onto stage from the right, and a woman is helping the boy. The boy’s mother says the cat came to check on the boy, then took up a position facing toward the direction the dog’s flight had taken it, as if to fend off any new attack.
Hero cat!

Not only is this a dog eat dog world but also a bird eat bird world sometimes.
I watched a Blue Jay registering its anger at a Crow. The Crow was perched atop a light pole, and the Jay would attack from right, then left, from below, then above. The Crow all but yawned its indifference.
But a squadron (four) of Blackbirds I noticed intercepted a Crow in flight, and the Crow, another bully, flew away at top speed, dodging one attacker after another.
Crows love to eat birds’ eggs, but really prefer those little recently born, featherless young birds.
But Crows will eat almost anything.

I saw a Squirrel carrying something light colored, about the color and size of a peanut, and a Crow also saw it. The Squirrel went up a tree, but the Crow was right behind it. The Squirrel came down and sat with its back as close to the trunk as it could get. The Crow dared some frontal attacks. It was bigger than the Squirrel, and the Squirrel panicked and dropped the object, which the Crow promptly picked up. The Squirrel summoned some courage and charged the Crow, surprising it, and the object was dropped. Both went after it, and the Crow got it, and flew about 30 feet before landing. The Squirrel made a half-hearted run of about ten feet toward the Crow, then said “to hell with it” and went back to the tree.
For the third year in a row, I can’t leave my garage door open. Like many folks, I enter the house through the attached garage more than any other way. But again this year, a hen Robin starts making a nest if the door is open for more than a few minutes. Same bird? How old do Robins get? One morning, when I rolled up the door to get the morning papers, she flew in right past me, then got scared and flew right back out. Another morning, same thing, except she seemed to fly right at me before reversing course.
Hmm! Wonder if I could hire a Crow?

My neighbor has had Pine Grosbeaks at his sunflower feeder this spring. Another resident of a distant part of Waukon told me she has them too. Beautiful birds. Well, the male, anyway. Until last year, I fed birds from feeders every year for half a century, and only once in all those years did I attract a Grosbeak. So I am jealous.