I will preface by saying I am new to Tweeters, so don't have
necessarily have my finger on the "pulse" of this listserve.

But I have to say, respectfully, I couldn't disagree more, Joel.
Watching birds behave is why I came to love birds, and make my living
studying them. Hawks prey on other birds, and all manner of living
things. I didn't find the post all that graphic at all. The only
details given were the disappearance of the bird.
As much as I love chickadees, this is the life they live. I am
reminded of Aldo Leopold's essay in Sand County Almanac where he
describes finding one of his favorite chickadee's bands in a
screech-owl pellet. This was an incredible find to him, and me!
Observing such predation events is rare, exciting, and provide great
information on the natural history of species. Furthermore I feel they
are a great thing to share with others as it reminds us all of why the
additional anthropogenic sources of mortality can be of great concern.

Anyhow, I understand such things can be hard to stomach, but in my
opinion, I think such observations are entirely appropriate for a
birding listserve.

Good birding,

Chris Tonra