Bye Bye Birdy

The day began and ended on a bird note.  It isn't unusual to see a small group of intrepid sparrows or blackbirds drive off a thieving crow in the sky, the crow yelling, "It wasn't me!  I didn't do it!"  That's what I thought I was seeing at first as I glanced up while walking out of the goat pen yesterday.  One sparrow, one crow - and a hawk.  There was no fighting going on.  All three birds were on aerial maneuvers, seemingly for the fun of it.  Soaring and swirling on the thermals, taking turns making occasional dives at one another like fighter planes, practicing for the real thing.  The sparrow didn't have the stamina of the others or perhaps had more pressing business, as it finally broke ranks and went home.  The juvenile red tail hawk (pale tail) and the crow continued the game, rising at times so high they looked like specks in the sky, then dropping to tree-top level.  I lost track of time as I stood and watched these avian acrobats.

In the afternoon, I heard a rustling in the leaves on the deck just outside the open door.  I went to get the camera to catch whatever might be so brave as to come so close.  Caught in the act, this turkey hen made a dash for a quick getaway.  Once again proving that turkeys are not the brightest bulbs in the carton, she turned left instead of right and tried repeatedly to force her way through the uprights on the rail.  Finally having one of those Aha! moments, she backed up, made a leap, and flew off over the top.  Bye bye, birdy.