THE THUMP, THE FLIGHT & THE SNATCH... (Birds flying into my windows this week...)

 The Thump, The Flight & The Snatch…

Against two separate panes of glass,

One second apart the two birds thumped

And dropped, shaken, stunned and shocked upon the ground.

The nearer, a chiffchaff, one wing opened, seemed more alert

Than the blackcap, which appeared to be more distressed.

I waited for a suitable recovery time to pass,

Then stepped outside and the nearer chiffchaff jumped

And flew into the conifers which surround

The garden but the blackcap was clearly hurt,

Surely mortally wounded, as well as stressed.

My approach to the bird failed to produce a response,

Wedged in a crevice, where it leaned somewhat awry.

I picked it up, stroked its neck, my fingers light and tense

But my instinct was that it was certainly waiting to die.

I hid the ailing blackcap in a large plant pot, touched its bill

With drops of water, then left it for a moment alone

But to my dismay and shock, a magpie swooped for the kill

Took its prey and in a second the birds had flown…   

Pete Ray

26th April 2023

 

This incident has really upset me.

The magpie had surely been watching the helplessness of the male blackcap and as soon as my back was turned to go into the house, its swoop caught my eye and I was horrified to see it scoop up the small bird and steal away with it…

Never liked magpies. 

I still don’t.

I really don’t…