Birds - not knitting related

As I may have mentioned early on, I am an amateur birder. Recently, my daughter and I have had some of the loveliest birding experiences. Our sunflowers are ripening which brings many goldfinches to our yarn. When the sunflower heads are ripe, I cut them and place them at the top of our chainlink fence, drawing goldfinches to an spot where we can sit in the yard and watch them feed with our morning coffee. It's the most delightful time of our day. We have gladioas growing in the same area, which apparently was enough to lure ruby-throated hummingbirds to our backyard. I set out a hummingbird feeder among the flowers that she checks each day. We have been rewarded multiple times with her tiny enchanting presence. Once she came and buzzed the side of my head. I think she was thanking me. We usually have sparrows, chickadees, grackles, starlings, mourning doves, cardinals and the occasional nuthatch in the yard. Seeing the hummingbird was a real treat.
Yesterday on a drive back from the movies, we saw a large hawk sitting at the side of the road with it's freshly-caught prey. What a beautiful bird! We often see hawks in our area, despite our suburban location. They frequently hunt in our backyard. We have an abundance of squirrels around here - too many for my liking. They bother our gardens, flowerbeds, birdfeeders to the point I often wish for a gun - or at very least a very large supersoaker water gun to be rid of them.
These morning coffee in the backyard times are a great pleasure that I will miss greatly upon returning to work next week. Vacations are just too short.