The Birds

I decided to do a series of endangered birds for my next artwork. These will be more engravings. I have started them.

Days later...

A strange thing happened! There were a lot of soft sounds like some small soft lumps tumbling down a chimney and landing behind a blocked off fireplace. After a while the sound of falling stopped but then there was another intermittent sound. A faint sound. An unfamiliar sound. Then there was a faint aroma like moist plaster. What could it be?

I thought that perhaps birds had just dislodged some old soot or something along those lines. Nothing to worry about. Nothing of note. Nothing going on here. Move along now.

Later in the day I was in the same room. Now the smell had gone but it sounded like something was scratching around. If I made a sound in the room the scratching stopped. Were the neighbours up to no good?

I decided to investigate and pulled away some dusty books. These had accumulated tiny bits of very old plaster or perhaps cement. Behind these was an air vent. Time to investigate.

I had to move piles of maps, piles of shelving, piles of files to get enough access to the vent. I screwdrivered it off and tried to see inside. Nothing but muck. I was about to put my hand inside when, in the vent opening, a scaly leg was plonked down within my field of view. A black bird perhaps. No, the leg is way too big and I can't imagine that a dainty song bird would need such talons! It must be a crow!

Anticipating mess, I had a black bin bag handy already so I put that against the vent opening. I thought the bird might see the big space and hop in to investigate. Instead, the draft sucked the bag flat against the hole. I need a glove or the crow will start eating me. I propped a book against the bag to keep it there but then the crow started pulling at it. I quickly pulled the bag out again and leant an even bigger book against the hole. I'm a bit worried that the crow will be strong enough to shove the book out of the way. Just imagine the clouds of mess a soot covered crow will make in your house if it gets a chance to flap about. The pale carpets! The white sheets. Nooooo. And then how would I catch it?

A quick move is needed. As luck would have it, my coat is in the same room & I have a thick glove in the pocket. One glove on I reach into the vent hole. The crow is not happy about this. I don't want to hurt it but know I need to be gentle as it might snap a wing or something if pulled too hard. I grab a leg but that's not much good. I grab something else, it's rear end! The crow finds a grip with those claws on the edge of the vent hole. I have to undo its talons but then another one reacquires the grip. I lever it away. One crow bottom & one crow leg out but now one wing looks to be a problem.

I turn the crow a little, one wing out, one flailing pecking occasionally cawing head and now I can remove and gently pull the whole angry bird out taking care not to catch the wing. It is out!

Now I'm trying to keep this livid creature pointing down as I open doors with one hand. It tried to flap about but I manage to not release it in the hall. As it sees the bright sunshine streaming through the house door windows it struggles to get free.

We get outside and I think the bird must think that it is pulling me along & wonders if it will be able to fly with me holding on. In case it has hurt a wing or something I release it over a foot square gate post so it has something to land on. No need, the crow is fine and free. It cawed a thank you (or an insult?).

Sorry, no photo of the actual bird but HERE is a crow I photographed on another occasion! 

I'll show you my engraved birds soon.