Wild Kingdom in Metropolis
Ugh... Something utterly horrible happened just outside my window as I had my coffee this morning... I had just settled down to read messages and over the hour I was doing so I heard unusual noises...
First, I heard a thump which I figured must be the last of the large icicles falling from the eaves of the second floor to the awning over our front door on the first floor.
Then, later, I heard a bird chirping up a storm...for about 10 minutes. It sounded like Spring noises - The chattering they all do when they are nesting and squabbling. Only... It's winter. So I thought that was a bit odd. But it didn't occur to me to get up and go over to the window and investigate.
So, later, when I'd finished messages and coffee and was heading to the kitchen for a refill, I looked out the window over the front door (I'm on the second floor) to see if, indeed, the icicle had fallen. Only to be faced with an appalling sight...
Straight up over the front door awning, up next to the roof eaves, there are massive power wires that attach to the building from the power pole across the street. This is a regular spot for squirrels to try and chew through the eaves (due to the "rodent bridge") and someone has patched a past breach with a board. The board has been working itself loose in recent years (more squirrels pulling, I guess) to the tune of a couple centimeter's gap. Sticking out of the gap - wedged into an awkward, inescapable position - was a dead bird.
Picture (Using a link so that the sensitive don't have to see): http://pics.livejournal.com/agentxpndble/pic/001sw968
Augh.
Poor thing must have tried to crawl in from the cold, gotten horribly stuck, and freakin DIED. Horribly. It must have been it's horrified, desperate, lengthy death screeches I heard earlier. My stomach turns thinking about it. I suppose it's a blessing I didn't see it when it was shrieking - I mean, what could I have done? And it would have made me frantic stressing about what could be done for the poor thing.
It's terrible to look at - I'll call the landlord but I'm not convinced he'll be able to reach it to remove it from my view... It's very, very high up and no way to get to it from the attic.
Poor thing. :-(
First, I heard a thump which I figured must be the last of the large icicles falling from the eaves of the second floor to the awning over our front door on the first floor.
Then, later, I heard a bird chirping up a storm...for about 10 minutes. It sounded like Spring noises - The chattering they all do when they are nesting and squabbling. Only... It's winter. So I thought that was a bit odd. But it didn't occur to me to get up and go over to the window and investigate.
So, later, when I'd finished messages and coffee and was heading to the kitchen for a refill, I looked out the window over the front door (I'm on the second floor) to see if, indeed, the icicle had fallen. Only to be faced with an appalling sight...
Straight up over the front door awning, up next to the roof eaves, there are massive power wires that attach to the building from the power pole across the street. This is a regular spot for squirrels to try and chew through the eaves (due to the "rodent bridge") and someone has patched a past breach with a board. The board has been working itself loose in recent years (more squirrels pulling, I guess) to the tune of a couple centimeter's gap. Sticking out of the gap - wedged into an awkward, inescapable position - was a dead bird.
Picture (Using a link so that the sensitive don't have to see): http://pics.livejournal.com/agentxpndble/pic/001sw968
Augh.
Poor thing must have tried to crawl in from the cold, gotten horribly stuck, and freakin DIED. Horribly. It must have been it's horrified, desperate, lengthy death screeches I heard earlier. My stomach turns thinking about it. I suppose it's a blessing I didn't see it when it was shrieking - I mean, what could I have done? And it would have made me frantic stressing about what could be done for the poor thing.
It's terrible to look at - I'll call the landlord but I'm not convinced he'll be able to reach it to remove it from my view... It's very, very high up and no way to get to it from the attic.
Poor thing. :-(