Normally I don’t concern myself with the business of dead things. Whatever source of meat they’d found, it wasn’t going away.
With that in mind, after some weeks of seeing my new carrion birds enjoying their bountiful feast, I will confess that I began to worry. But under the wrong circumstances, they can send a man to his grave with one swipe of their paw… And I’d rather not meet one if I can help it. They’re skittish creatures who scare easily, and I know they’d rather run than fight. I know better than to blame the bear for what happened. Shortly afterward, I had new neighbors and their first order of business was to put up a taller fence. A number of years ago, I had a neighbor who came across a bear in his backyard. But others, scavengers might not be quite so friendly. When you live out in the country like I do, you’re likely to run afoul of wildlife. Of course, a grand feast for them may not quite be the best thing for me… Dead animals attract all sorts of unpleasant things. Judging by the blood on them, they must have been having a feast indeed. Some prefer meat and some are happy to eat whatever is already dead. I suspected there must be a carcass nearby they were feeding on. But lately it’s been all over their feathers. I had thought I saw specks of red on them before, but they were never quite close enough for me to be sure. I noticed the blood on their feathers a few weeks back. They’re nice, fat birds, gorging on something. How curious… I know that they must eat something, though. Closely enough to notice that unlike the other birds, they never go to the feeder. I’ve been watching them for almost a month. Such strange birds they are… Strange and lovely birds. I’ve looked through the books, but I couldn’t find any birds that matched. An old woman should do what makes her happy, shouldn’t she? Although of course… The new birds I’ve seen recently… What strange things they are… Their bodies are a beautiful shade of greyish blue. I’ve kept the squirrels away from it and while the birds eat, I watch them.
I’ve taken to setting up a nice little bird feeder for them to enjoy. I’ve documented the ones that I’ve seen over the years, taken care to learn a little bit about them such as what they like to eat. There’s something peaceful about watching them, something that sets my heart at ease. They’re lovely creatures with beautiful songs. I’ve been watching the birds near my house for almost thirty years now.
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