Another sad-but-interesting addition to my frozen menagerie - a Redwing that had died after flying into a window.
Before I put it in the freezer (for later study - not eating), I stretched out its wings and wondered about
the night-time journey on which the same feathers, muscles and bones carried it across the North Sea
where did it make landfall? Scotland? Yorkshire? Suffolk?
where it hatched last year - Sweden or Russia, perhaps?
and saw how it still had fragments of soil stuck to its toes.
I suppose it must have been foraging amongst the leaf litter until a few minutes before it died. It's really quite sad.
photo taken with Canon EOS 30D
An interesting post.
ReplyDeleteWe find sadness in death, yet it is a part of life, like being born...
Great to read about a birder/nature lover with feelings for the very creatures they observe. Can't cope with the ones who fall into the 'indifference' category.
ReplyDeleteA good post with a story in its own right Katie.
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI also feel horrible whenever I find a dead bird.
I think it is just very sad that so many people think they need to be "rational" about these things to not appear emotional and "unscientific" in their approach to birding. You can only be a good scientist/birder if you are passionate, and you can only develop passion if you love.
Did you check if the thrush was of the Icelandic subspecies?