(image: Tony Angell)
Along a four-mile stretch of Rainier Avenue today
I counted 26 crows' nests stuck up in the crooks
and branches of the deciduous trees that line
the arterial. Last year's nests: some clearly
wind-ripped, others still securely anchored.
I cannot imagine birthing a brood up above
the ever-present cacophony of urban traffic.
And when the emptied eggs are tipped from the nest,
they fall to no soft mossy bed, no delicate spring
grasses. Chicks fledge into a shriek of steel,
into auto exhaust and crushing rubber.
It's no wonder crows are so street-wise.
...had the weirdest crow event in the back yard yesterday- a crow, tho seemingly mature, was unable to get off the ground while being chased by the dog. the crow actually made itself into a compact, i'm dead looking blob while the dog freakishly sniffed it out. all this was cackled on by the loftier, branch bound crow relatives. eventually, the grounded bird stair-stepped its way to the peak of the fence and disappeared.
ReplyDeleteclearly, in order to fly, any of us and all of us gotta have wings.
on the health dept note...collect dead crows for hd testing for west nile between june and sept.
Me, I can't imagine birthing a brood anywhere.
ReplyDeleteAnon -- where does one store above-mentioned dead crows? In the freezer? In zip-loc bags?! I'll be on the lookout.
ReplyDeletethe crows are the main news in my patch of countryside these days
ReplyDelete