It was a beautiful tranquil morning, the sun already shining, patio doors wide open with the faint hint of a breeze wafting in. I'd just seen daughter off to school so I settled down with a fresh cup of tea and began what precious moments of Open University study I can snatch.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the garden, lots of movement and what sounded like a frantic flapping of wings. Sparrowhawk, I thought! Fleeing into the garden, there I saw a cat gripping a woodpigeon by its wing. I'd been watching the woodpigeon pecking peacefully for bits of grain earlier on. Waving my Open University unit wildly and spluttering expletives, the cat darted off and Woody flew to safety.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the garden, lots of movement and what sounded like a frantic flapping of wings. Sparrowhawk, I thought! Fleeing into the garden, there I saw a cat gripping a woodpigeon by its wing. I'd been watching the woodpigeon pecking peacefully for bits of grain earlier on. Waving my Open University unit wildly and spluttering expletives, the cat darted off and Woody flew to safety.
During the encounter the woodpigeon left behind quite a few feathers..... some large wing feathers and lots of little downy ones. I wanted to immediately clear away the visible signs of the violent scene..... but I needed a cup of tea first! Sitting with my cuppa I felt glad that Woody had had a lucky escape and hoped that he would recover well . Looking out at the garden I saw that the sparrows were taking advantage of the incident...... there they were flying off with beakfulls of fluffy feathers to refurbish their nests! Just as well I didn't dispose of them.
What a lovely spot in your garden for such a close call for Woody. Very pretty flowers and your fairy looked completely unawares of the tragedy that almsot took place.
ReplyDeleteI hope Woody will be alright and I hope that cat has learned a lesson care of your open university book. :)
I have three cats, they do not go oustside as my garden is like a bird sanctuary, where many birds come to feed on the seeds and nectar of my flowers; I also have possums, sugar gliders and small lizards and want to keep them safe.
My cats don't suffer, they have plenty of space to exercise and play. xoxo ♥
Hi Dianne. :) I love cats but, like you, I feed the wild birds so I have to protect them as much as I'm able to. I haven't seen Woody since, but it's usually the mornings when he visits the garden so I'm hoping to see him again tomorrow. Your garden sounds wonderful with all the wildlife you have there.
ReplyDeleteLucky escape. My dear old cat didn't seem to like catching birds much although if she found one that was already dead she would guard it with growls. She did like mice though and would sit for hours waiting for one to appear if we let her but in her later years she would forget what she was waiting for and fall asleep:-)
ReplyDeleteLol, bless her. :O) I can imagine the mice running to and fro with Lizzy snoring peacefully. :)
ReplyDeleteIn no way do I blame cats though Helen, nor dislike them for their tendencies. It must go back to before they became domesticated and had to hunt to survive. The instinct will remain forever.
What a great book! (Of course, I know nothing about it, but it saved Woody's life!)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 12 (?) we became foster parents to three baby birds whose mother had been killed. When they got old enough to learn to fly, Mama tied long strings to their legs and then a tree trunk and let them fly in circles for a few days before releasing them. My cat, PooCat, believe it or not, actually sat close by the tree, as if protecting them! He NEVER made a move on them!
Lol Ethelmae, it certainly came in handy at the right moment. :D
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful how you and your family managed to rear the baby birds successfully..... and PooCat was a star!
It's so nice reading you blog again, Lesley. Just like you, my mornings are now spent in my garden, with my cup of tea. Life is so good.
ReplyDeleteHi Ss :) And it's great to hear from you again. A nice cup of tea in the garden is hard to beat. :O)
ReplyDeleteWe put bells on top of bells on our cats to try to give the birds a fighting chance!
ReplyDeleteLol Debbie, I always thought about how infuriating that must be for the puddy cat. :O)
ReplyDeleteThats why I like dogs....lol Great garden pic I bet it's so nice to be outside there!
ReplyDeleteHi Greg. We have three large dogs and they can get into a fair bit of mischief too. :O)
ReplyDelete