Photo by Richard Sacredo on Unsplash
On the way home from a week at our cabin in Knox County OH, we bought our breakfast at the drive-through window at Burger King and then found a spot in the parking lot. My husband was so charmed by our close encounter with a red-winged blackbird that he wrote this story.
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We paid for our breakfast croissant sandwiches and parked to enjoy them. I put down the car window and started opening my sandwich. A bird is trying to fly into our car! What is happening? I start rolling the window back up. The bird is fluttering, suspended just outside the driver's side window, squawking. It's a redwing blackbird, its red (patch) brilliant in the morning light.
We get the message right away. He's earned a bit of my sandwich. I toss it out and it's quickly gone.
Wait. There are more of them. A whole family is on the pavement outside the car door. I toss out another crumb. An apparently young bird shyly pecks at it. Its siblings look on, but do not challenge him. They are taking turns!
Several more crumbs, and it's my turn. I settle to enjoy my croissant sandwich. But there he is again. The brilliant father is perched on my side mirror only inches away, looking me square in the face, squawking--resplendent in the prime of his life. How can I deny him?
These birds seem very orderly and know exactly what they are doing. So if you're heading east from Coshocton on Ohio's Route 36 and are stopping for breakfast at the Burger King, buy a little extra.
In a way, it's sad, like bears who rummage through garbage left by campers. Not implying, of course, that Burger King sells garbage, but fast food definitely is not in any bird's natural diet. It did bring back memories for me. My Mom used to feed bread to the birds outside our New York City apartment and the sparrows and pigeons chowed down while I watched, fascinated.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they are fledglings whose parents have only just left. Or maybe they are becoming aggressive, like gulls, though I hate to believe that of red wing blackbirds.
ReplyDeleteIt's like feeding the squirrels in a park. They get belligerent and expect their share.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty and unusual.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story and experience.
ReplyDeleteI am jealous and would love this to happen to me, also, i would have gone n and bought something to share with them so i could have mine all to myself. love this
ReplyDeleteDry nice
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely encounter.
ReplyDeleteI like croissant. Hubby and I had burger at Burger king
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
Thank you for sharing this lovely story. Birds are more like people than we think! I really believe that. Charming and it shows your love for all creatures great and small.
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