Fauna

Sonny the Cat is adjusting to his new neighborhood.  It's harder for him than the other cats, because he has the whole of the outdoors to contend with.  Currently, he's keen on doing his duty in my plant pots (which could explain the growth and blooming of these plants), and bird hunting.  I don't recall Sonny taking much interest in the birds in Soulard, but he did much of his catting farther afield; he tends to stick within a yard or two of the house at the new place. 

He's a hell of a birder, too.  He takes a particular interest in a bird I'm going to refer to as a "sperling" simply because no one can tell me exactly what these birds are.  Some people, when I describe them, insist they are starlings.  Some insist that no, they are, in fact, sparrows.  Others, yet, think they are swallows.  I, myself, the great ornithologist that I am, thought they were finches.  So, from now on I will call them sperlings.

The sperlings have lost several of their brethren to Sonny's boredom.  Last week, he caught one, brought it into the back yard, where two other sperlings followed, and began to play with it to death.  The sperlings were alarmed and one of them did its very best trying to distract Sonny, by going so far as to land on the ground near Sonny and flap his wings.  Sonny remained oblivious.

The captured sperling still lived and managed to show a little spirit, while the sperlings were joined by a few more sperlings, all of whom tweeted and screeched..

A blackbird showed up and was joined by a second blackbird.  All of the birds, by now, had amassed either on the fence or the electric wire above.  More blackbirds, more sperlings arrived, making reconnaissance passes over the yard. 

And then, the robins arrived.  At this point, I said to Sonny, who by now seemed a little concern with what was going on above, his quarry forgotten, "I think they're gunning for you, Dude."  Birds continued to arrive.  I'd never seen anything like it.

Neither had Sonny.  He skulked off to the safety of the porch.  The captured sperling, however, died.

I've not seen any more dead birds since last week.

Possum told me that he had a record number of hummingbirds this year (and we are talking flocks and flocks of hummingbirds).  He started to tell me what I could do to attract hummingbirds to my house.  I declined.

It'd be like attracting them to the house solely for the purpose of sending them to their deaths.

I may be a lot of things, but I'm not into avecide.

Posted by: Book on 6/30/2008 3:42:35 PM , 1 comments