Sunday, March 20, 2011

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

There’s a tiny enclave of houses just west of Ellis Avenue, where a few lucky homeowners get to wake every morning downtown to their own little piece of a postcard-perfect pond: the last of the winter ice edged with water, a pair of swans white against a background of faded reeds, and a middle-aged man in a bright yellow jacket beating them off with a stick, protecting the smaller swan he’s found them attacking, the poor thing sodden with filth, desperately trying to mount the low concrete bank that protects this paradise, its wings too wet to catch the wind.

I hadn’t known much about swans when I’d set out on my walk and certainly hadn’t anticipated spending a couple of hours that afternoon keeping one company at the fag end of that fetid pond while we waited together for Animal Services to arrive. Until then I would have never hit a bird nor wished one harm, but I ended my vigil hating the relentless pair that had tormented my new friend, feeling for the immature outsider who hadn’t known better than to wander into their territory, at first unable and finally unwilling to leave him alone to be found.

Photo by Paul Friel. Some rights reserved.

15 comments:

  1. when animals attack eh? yikes...guess we are not much different some days...glad your new friend came to the rescue...and got help...

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  2. honestly..i have high respect of swans and try not to come too close...and hubs is always laughing at me...saying..look over there...some killer swans...but after reading your story...smiles

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  3. Nicely done! I can so clearly see the swans and the little one huddling and trying to scramble up the bank.

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  4. Roy, you are such a crafter of prose. This puts me right there, wanting to defend them. Swans are so beautiful but they can be mean. I could never hurt them either. We had one here on the water hazard (golf course) outside our place that was killed by a golf ball a couple of years ago. It was so sad. Thanks for sharing this.

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  5. Added to ABC Wednesday as "P is for a Postcard-Perfect Pond."

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  6. It is sad when a smaller animal is attacked like that. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

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  7. you are the PROTECTOR!
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  8. Poor baby! Good thing you came by. Sure would like to use your first sentence/paragraph as an example for my writing students!

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  9. Ah, yes the animal kingdom ~ You are a gem as was that man trying to save the youngling ~ Wonderful post ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

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  10. Wow, this gave me chills reading it.
    Great story and post.

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