The Tale of the Jackdaw
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 8:17 PM It’s early in the morning, high on the moor, and three fellow dog walkers tell me they’ve heard a bird in distress.
We roam the heather and come upon a jackdaw, perched close to the edge of a cliff. It’s no longer making the strange noise they heard. But it’s acting oddly.
Unperturbed by our approach, it allows us to walk right up to it. A minute later, it takes off, flies in a small circle and lands back in the same spot. Again letting us - and our dogs - get incredibly close.
I take out my iPhone and the bird obligingly stages an impromptu photo shoot. He turns this way and that. Preens a bit. Stares straight into the camera.
Everyone has a theory about the noise they heard earlier. It was a lament for a mate gone missing. The bird is young and has been abandoned by its mother. Though showing no signs of injury, it’s perhaps frail and unwell.
Eventually - reluctantly - we leave and move on.
Later in the day, I return with a bag of sunflower seeds. A thank you gift. The jackdaw is no longer there but I scatter the seed anyway. In case it returns.
Reader Comments (1)
intriguing photos/story of that little jackdaw. and the ending...you leaving the sunflower seeds...well, it just makes me smile and feel good all over. how perfectly lovely of you...