odd occurrences.....

A few weeks ago I happened to notice a little bird just sitting in the middle of the road at the end of my driveway. That seemed a little odd, but not quite out of the ordinary. Thinking I could shoo it off a bit, as people race around the curve in front of my house, I stepped closer, albeit slowly so as not to startle the little swallow.... but got so close I could touch it. It never budged an inch. Now that was odd!

Still a little worried that the bird would become part of the pavement, I looked around for a stick and small platform of sorts, in order to transport it manually. Successful in my attempts for props, I walked back to the little guy and tried to prompt him onto the makeshift platform. I gently poked his butt a few times, and still the bird did not move. Perhaps a broken leg? After my third attempt, the bird finally managed to fly "torso level" onto a neighbors yard, where he proceeded to sit the afternoon away. Birds don't usually "sit" on lawns, but who am I to question their methods of kicking back? Feeling like I had done a good deed by getting him out of the street, I talked it over with hubby, who mentioned that he was glad I didn't touch it. West Nile Virus and the Bird Flu became a topic of discussion over dinner.... and then I forgot all about the incident.

Last week, while making inspections of the five birdbaths in my yard, I noticed a robin sitting in a front yard bath, shivering. I'm used to them frolicking about and flapping around, but never just sitting in the water of the birdbath. Once again, this bird would let me get very close (without budging), and this time I figured it relatively safe to leave her alone. Forgetting the events and going about my daily chores, I thought no more about this bird either.... until the next morning on my way out the door. Glancing over at the bath, I noticed the robin keeled over....no doubt this bird would never fly again. A little shaken, and sick to my stomach over the dead carcass, I made a phone call to hubby to tell him of a chore I had in store for him. (It is written somewhere in our marriage vows that he has total chore-domain over yard carcasses.... I made sure of it, and remind him everytime one surfaces.) Bringing out the shovel to ready his tools for the job of sending this poor little soul off to the backyard ivy graveyard, we once again discussed the odd happenings of critters in and around my yard.

I'd probably drop the whole subject all together except for the fact that I've been having some strange occurrences with birds lately. On one of my deliveries in a town north of me, I noticed an odd looking bird trying to cross the road on foot. Not being able to actually identify what type of bird it was.... only that it was big, black and had a funny neck; hubby thought it might be a buzzard. Well.... still not sure as it really didn't look like any buzzard I'd seen, it made a little sense.... but why was it crossing the road on foot? Don't they fly? Maybe it was a wild turkey, as we still do have some around here, but I passed it too quickly to get a detailed look at it's features. Again, I dropped the subject, until I backed out of my driveway this past weekend and there was a man walking his dog..... and a very large parrot the size of a Macaw. What is it with birds lately that they want to walk? Did they forget they are actual prey to all the cats who roam in search of easy fodder? Walking seems like they are making it a little too easy for the kitties who troll the neighborhood, doesn't it? Or am I just being paranoid myself?

Ever since Miss Kitty moved down to Florida the yard has been filled with critters that never dared show themselves, let alone walk around. She was the Queen of Hunters, and never allowed my yard to get so over-run with rodents, reptiles and fowl. Now finding a chipmunk burrowing the ground for food, or a stray snake in search of a mid-day jaunt, is not uncommon. Birds from all over flock to the filled feeders and baths in my yard. It's not unusual to see the squirrels squabble with the cardinals, doves, and black birds over the dropped seeds from the messy little eaters that pick over the seeds at the feeders..... dropping the leftovers to the ground. With a fresh coat of pine straw on the ground in areas where I don't bother to grow grass anymore, new pock marks appear, which means a new job for me to straighten it all up again. If Miss Kitty were around, the noise level, pock marks, random snakes, paranoid squirrels and chipmunks would think twice before their venture into the gardens.

As it is, we joke amongst ourselves everytime the feeders are filled, and announce to all critters that the "buffet is open", and step back as the animals peek through the ivy to see for themselves. I've found it's true.... the smell of food will turn anyone's nose in it's direction, and it doesn't take long for all creatures to figure it out either. Perhaps that's part of the problem. Maybe I feed them TOO much. You should see some of the super-sized critters that drop into the gardens. I've noticed this same phenomenon with dumpsters near McDonalds..... all critters who sanction them are well fed and robust. How can they not be with all that food available?

Somehow I can deal with all the squirrels and birds.... it's the reptiles and rodents that frighten the stuffing out of me. I hate snakes and rats.... it's no secret to anybody who knows me. I don't see a lot of them (which is a good thing), but occasionally run across one from time to time. It's the reason I will not go outside barefoot. One reptile was sighted by hubby this weekend, who promptly managed to smack it in the kisser with the edger, not realizing it was a snake at first; this called for another trip to the ivy graveyard. Snakes look so much like twigs, it's hard to tell them apart sometimes, so weeding sticks and twigs from the lawn is a careful operation. The rats and mice seem to thrive in the ivy.... also making good food for the snakes, I guess. The population is still at bay somewhat, as another kitty in the neighborhood makes a foray into the gardens from time to time.... let's face it, my gardens are kind of a "buffet" for her too.

It's the sick or injured birds that have me a little spooked. Granted, they could have been incapacitated by legitimate means... but all this talk of bird flu makes you wonder, doesn't it?