19 May, 2005
Don't feed the birds...
...at least not until you know what noise they'll make at 5am when there looking for you to provide breakfast!
One day, a few weeks ago, I notice a dumpy looking game bird, may be a Partridge, was cruising towards me while I was standing outside my front door. We are not too far from some farmers fields. Anyway, I decided to keep still and see what it did, and to my surprise it wasn't bothered by my presence and wondered around quite happily close by. Having some biscuits to hand I tossed it a few crumbs (as you do) and feeling at one with nature I went on my merry way.
(Cut to 5:15am this morning) I am dragged, reluctantly, from my warm slumber by the penetrating clicking noise being made something or someone using what could only be described as a badly designed and over-sized ratchet tool below our bedroom window.
After this went on sporadically for more than 15 minutes I began to realize that what ever they working on must have been either screwed down to somewhere deep in the Earth's crust or jacked up above the roof of my house. No, there had to be some other explanation. I cast my unforgiving gaze down into the front garden and what should I see?
That bird and it's mate. Standing right where I'd tossed some crumbs for it only a few weeks ago. Is there some unwritten law of the wild, written in the polarized light patterns of the sky that only wild fowl can see, which states that 'upon providing sustenance to a bird that bird (the feedee), and all it's dependents become the responsibility of the feeder and that the feedee should exercise it's right to be feed at a time that is most inconvenient to the feeder'?
So much for wanting to be at one with nature.
One day, a few weeks ago, I notice a dumpy looking game bird, may be a Partridge, was cruising towards me while I was standing outside my front door. We are not too far from some farmers fields. Anyway, I decided to keep still and see what it did, and to my surprise it wasn't bothered by my presence and wondered around quite happily close by. Having some biscuits to hand I tossed it a few crumbs (as you do) and feeling at one with nature I went on my merry way.
(Cut to 5:15am this morning) I am dragged, reluctantly, from my warm slumber by the penetrating clicking noise being made something or someone using what could only be described as a badly designed and over-sized ratchet tool below our bedroom window.
After this went on sporadically for more than 15 minutes I began to realize that what ever they working on must have been either screwed down to somewhere deep in the Earth's crust or jacked up above the roof of my house. No, there had to be some other explanation. I cast my unforgiving gaze down into the front garden and what should I see?
That bird and it's mate. Standing right where I'd tossed some crumbs for it only a few weeks ago. Is there some unwritten law of the wild, written in the polarized light patterns of the sky that only wild fowl can see, which states that 'upon providing sustenance to a bird that bird (the feedee), and all it's dependents become the responsibility of the feeder and that the feedee should exercise it's right to be feed at a time that is most inconvenient to the feeder'?
So much for wanting to be at one with nature.
