I think my curiosity killed a bird today :(
Or at least hastened it's death. Okay, I'll start at the beginning.
My family and I went to Snow City Cafe for breakfast today. Parking sucked as usual, so we had to walk about a block. My daughter noticed a magpie 'fighting over some food' with a waxwing. We had seen huge flocks of waxwings in the neighborhood, flying in formation from berry-tree to tree. I had my cam, so snapped a few shots of the two birds standing in a parking lot. I walked a bit closer and the magpie took off. The waxwing did not. I got closer. Still no flight. Finally, I hunkered down a couple feet from it and took some closeups of the waxwing. It still didn't budge. I noticed that it's left wing looked, if not broken, at least injured. The magpie wasn't fighting it for food. It was pecking at it because it was injured!
Now I'll admit that this was a mistake, but I reached out and gently petted it a couple times. Then, with a half-formed idea about the bird rescue center in my head, reached to carefully cup it in my hand an pick it up. I had it an inch off the ground and it took flight. Huh, I thought. Not so injured after all. While I was pondering this, my daughter was watching the waxwing. Following it's path. "Dad! It just bounced off that building's window and fell!"
The window was 100yds away, and the building had an underground garage that formed a mote or pit, below the 1st story windows. My daughter pointed at a smudge on the mirrored glass. "See!". My gaze drifted downward. I could see the waxwing splayed on the concrete below. In the nook next to a big green electric transformer. It was not moving. Two magpies had just landed nearby in the garage. We went to breakfast.
On the way back to the car, we peeked back into the pit. The waxwing and magpies were gone. The only evidence was a few small gray feathers and some scuff marks in the snow.
I'm trying to console myself that bludgeoning was a more merciful death for the waxwing than being pecked alive by a magpie. But I certainly didn't choose the best option.
My family and I went to Snow City Cafe for breakfast today. Parking sucked as usual, so we had to walk about a block. My daughter noticed a magpie 'fighting over some food' with a waxwing. We had seen huge flocks of waxwings in the neighborhood, flying in formation from berry-tree to tree. I had my cam, so snapped a few shots of the two birds standing in a parking lot. I walked a bit closer and the magpie took off. The waxwing did not. I got closer. Still no flight. Finally, I hunkered down a couple feet from it and took some closeups of the waxwing. It still didn't budge. I noticed that it's left wing looked, if not broken, at least injured. The magpie wasn't fighting it for food. It was pecking at it because it was injured!
Now I'll admit that this was a mistake, but I reached out and gently petted it a couple times. Then, with a half-formed idea about the bird rescue center in my head, reached to carefully cup it in my hand an pick it up. I had it an inch off the ground and it took flight. Huh, I thought. Not so injured after all. While I was pondering this, my daughter was watching the waxwing. Following it's path. "Dad! It just bounced off that building's window and fell!"
The window was 100yds away, and the building had an underground garage that formed a mote or pit, below the 1st story windows. My daughter pointed at a smudge on the mirrored glass. "See!". My gaze drifted downward. I could see the waxwing splayed on the concrete below. In the nook next to a big green electric transformer. It was not moving. Two magpies had just landed nearby in the garage. We went to breakfast.
On the way back to the car, we peeked back into the pit. The waxwing and magpies were gone. The only evidence was a few small gray feathers and some scuff marks in the snow.
I'm trying to console myself that bludgeoning was a more merciful death for the waxwing than being pecked alive by a magpie. But I certainly didn't choose the best option.
posted by Eyak Woman at 11:42 PM
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