Life and Death

A few days ago I went grocery shopping and parked in front of a row of carts outside the store.

When I returned with the groceries, I noticed two House Sparrows hopping around under the carts (you can see one of them above the cart wheels in the left side of the image above).

On earlier visits Susann and I had noticed these little guys and occasionally had tossed them some bread crumbs. Given the droppings, they seem to live under the carts. It's probably a good life.

As I sat in the car, I thought, "I'll get a bit of food for them."

And - just as that thought appeared - an American Kestrel stooped out of the sky and landed on top of the shopping carts! The sparrows got very small while the falcon fluttered around the top of the carts, trying to flush them out. Grocery shopping, indeed.

Oh!

Right there in front of me - the dance of life and death!

This dance lasted for at least ten seconds - until someone walked by with a bag of groceries. The falcon flew off (startling the person with the bag) and perched alertly on a nearby telephone wire.

Just another reminder that death is always at hand. Biding its time. Waiting for us.

Photos taken immediately after the attack.

For more information on the House Sparrow, click here.

For more information on the America Kestrel (formerly known as the Sparrow Haw), click here.

Comments

[Paul Lynch]

Hey Barry,

I see that you have attained paying attention and your insight is such a wonderful example at just how much most of us miss in our lives. Thanks for sharing your trip to the grocery store and how much we can learn by getting out of our heads and 'just seeing.' A wonderful example to all of us on the path.

love
Paul

[Suzanne]

Hi Barry, what a terrific photo op!

The dance of life and death came into my life a couple of weeks ago, I was vacuuming, and narrowly missed sucking up my son's pet hamster who had escaped (unbeknownst to me) and was cowering under a low shelf.

Death can happen...any time.

[John Small]

Oh the bird world. Tiny flying dinosaurs. If you take a good look at that world, you'll see it's brutal, even if the bird songs are pretty and the beautiful plumage nice to look at.

Hmmm, could this be a metaphor for something?

[Lauren Thompson]

Oh yes. Brings back memories of following my young son around the playground, enjoying the squirrels leaf-scampering under the trees, when in swoops a red-tailed hawk with a raw, writhing squirrel in its beak. The hawk feasted while the kids played on. (My son was fascinated. Ew! with a big smile.)

Lauren Thompson

[mama p]

amazing how you think you're watching one thing, while quite another thing entirely is going on. wow! that would be quite something, to see that hawk on the carts "shopping". love it!

[Genju]

our farm is a haven for deer because there's no hunting allowed. Of course, the coyotes have decided this is a great place to get dinner on the hoof. From what I've seen at the bird feeders, I've learned to never be fooled by plummage... >:-]

[Barry Briggs]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments and stories.

As Genju says, never get fooled by plumage.

[Justin Choo]

Hi Barry,

The humble unassuming little sparrow brings a message.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Message-from-a-sparrow