Holy Crow Part I

The crow in the backgaround is cawing to others.

“Did you know there was a murder in our community last night? In the back yard?” That is what Richard whispered when he poked his head in the door and called downstairs.

“What!"

"Didn’t Miranda tell you?”

“No ... I didn’t hear or thing, not even the police.”

"That is because it was a murder of crows. I have been waiting a long time to get a place for that joke."

Yes.

After Richard took the meat off of the deer he put the remains of the deer, including the rib cage on the soil in their raised garden.

Four in a a row -- ready to say the blessing?

When I went out in the morning to see why I could hear so many birds, there they were, gathered together having a feast.

 Crows and magpies together.

I ran for my camera, wanting to get the best pictures available.

I sat for a while on the edge of one of the garden beds and snapped pictures to my heart’s delight.

Then I wanted shots that were lower.

I tucked myself up and sat down between the beds, my back propped against one of them and my feet against the other.

When this picture is bigger, I can see the front crow tugging on a piece of meat

Too uncomfortable to take a picture now I tried to unfold which is when I realized I might have made a mistake getting into that position.

 Having recently watched an episode of Law and Order where one of the policewomen got herself out of a difficult situation, I wiggled and squirmed as she had and finally fell out onto the lawn.

Then I picked up my camera and start getting more snaps of the crows.

... old moose head observes eager magpie ...

One bird seemed to be the caller – making noise, and the rest, hard at work getting meat. There is just no doubt. I was fascinated. Having been a former bird watcher I couldn’t keep my eyes off of how they were pulling at the meat, feet planted on a rib, a beak pulling at some meat, wings working backwards, it seemed, giving them power to pull backwards.

Later in the day I tried to take more pictures. Not one crow would land. Some would do fly overs but all of them stayed in the air. I had to figure out what was different.

crows swoop overhead but are afraid to land
I am there with my camer
and wishing I didn't look like a scarecrow.

Ah.

I was sitting further away from the garden bed, and in a longer coat, but the wind was blowing now and my platinum hair was flying all over the place – in my eyes, in my mouth – a strong wind, maybe 40 miles an hour.

I can see that in another life, I am going to make a good scarecrow.

Arta