June 17th, 2013
An impromptu trip out to Hart Park
Driving along at 45 quickly rising to 55mph, a squirrel
stops in my lane…looking left and right and left again, undecided which way to
run. I hit my brakes so as not to squash and it runs to the right, which was its
initial path.
Gaining speed again, a hawk flies above and descends in
front of me, so low as to almost fly into me but rises at the last moment and
soars upon the crosswinds.
Once in the park near, a displaced female peacock walks out
in the road and decides instead of crossing, to just meander down the middle of
the lanes towards me. I pass it just as a black cat walks out…it turns before
actually crossing in front of me.
Moments later, stepping from the parked car, I am
immediately distracted by a large chicken in nearby grassy area. Upon further
inspection, I realize it is not a chicken but a large bird wearing a red
helmet. Its head is grossly disproportionate to its bulky torso. Creeping
closer to snap a picture, I just miss it as it lofts heavily atop an electric
pole.
Snapping a few pictures, I turn to head back when I notice
the corpses…two of them. Approximately ten feet from each other are the
skeletal remains of a red helmeted tiny head but no obvious features or
extremities. Later, it would dawn me that these were probably two ravaged baby
buzzards and it was their Mama who sat between them and then lofted above us.
Perhaps they had fallen from a nest high above in the nearby trees.
Being an impromptu trip, I had not brought any nuts or
treats for my peacock friends so I intended to just walk and enjoy their
company but not collect any feathers as usual.
Upon arrival into park, I had noticed an abnormal amount of refuse in
Glass Pond, but it was all out in middle and unreachable. Just as I was wishing
I had a bag to contain trash I saw strewn about the Peacock Domain, I noticed
several plastic bags. My purpose had been dictated and I set about visiting my
feathered friends while policing their area.
Midway through my trek, I came upon a quiet corner and a
lone male peacock. I stood transfixed at the teal, umber and white vision that
blurred with sunlight through the trees like a Monet painting. He continued to strut and turn, all the while
keeping an eye upon me. He seemed to coax me nearer, but just as I hesitated to
move closer, he shrugged and retracted his plumage. Looking at me, he bowed his
head and the moment ended.
A pair of unmated socks, and two grocery bags filled, I
circled back to the car and noticed a staff leaning against a tree I had
earlier passed by when gawking at the mystery bird. Making my way around the other side of car, I
picked up the last bits of trash: a wadded paper shaped like a heart, two
fortunes which read: “you will do well to expand your horizons” and “Happiness
is around the next corner and wealth down the street”, a bright pink sock also
not related to the other pair, a Bible Trivia card, a green ribbon and a church
invitation. Grouping these items together, I snapped a picture and then sealed
up my bags. Smiling, I picked up my notebook and pen and jotted down the
curious adventure, then drove home uneventfully.