Trending
It started with a growing flock of crows. They began amassing in the trees behind our house. Hundreds of crows flew onto the trees before briefly landing on our roof.
It was only for a brief moment as my angry spouse went out and frightened them off.
That only discouraged their roosting on the roof as they then gathered in the wide expanse of empty fields in front of our place.
Their dark feathers against the dried out grass looked like someone dropped lumps of coal throughout the pasture.
Later they moved on to a neighbor's property and then they were gone. I'm not sure why the birds chose to pay us a visit that resembled a frame out of Hitchock's famed movie "The Birds." That was one movie of my youth that terrified me and remained with me for a long time.
Black crows are said to symbolize change, freedom, prophecy and transformation. Personally, I don't find anything spiritual about their visit.
That wasn't the end of a spooky association with the feathered species. It's not unusual for us to see small numbers of back vultures circling the property or hanging out in the trees.
However when one very large alpha male vulture perched on a nearby utility pole, it brought chills down my spine.
The vulture sat there for a long time, occasionally spreading its huge wings as if to say don't mess with me.
One of these black vultures is disturbing enough but imagine the next scene. As we drove from our home, scores of black vultures had gathered in the trees lining the road.
Their sizable bodies caused some of the limbs to sag under those heavy feathers. Again the idea of a scary movie playing out in front of me came to mind.
So I did some research and learned from a nearby farmer that black vultures most often feed on dead animals.
However, they also can wreak havoc on young livestock such as newborn calves. We can attest that a vulture will take down an innocent live chicken with little mercy.
I won't go into details as you may be reading this over your breakfast meal.
According to my online research, a flock of vultures is called a kettle.
When a flock of these creatures are feeding on a carcass, it's called a wake. Imagine that. In the Bible, vultures are seen as a symbol of God's judgment.
I'm not sure what all these bird visits indicate but you can rest assured I'm keeping an eye to the sky.
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.