Nothing like the thrill of a spotting, and in your backyard at that. Its hard to tell what bird it is because of the winter molt, but I would bet a Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned. They are masters of hunting bird feeders. Red-Shouldereds will exhibit similar behavior but prefer rodents and small reptiles.
Some good news from Langenheim today. I spotted an adult roosting in the trees over by Joe Creek this afternoon. After about 10 minutes the bird flew over to the Spirit Bank building, site of last years nest, hovered a few seconds and then soared out over the neighborhoods to the east. Not sure if the mate was on the nest or if it was just a visual check for more building materials.
