Stories that I May Regret Telling #1: The Sparrow Hen

[rain_gryphon]

This happened to me back this summer. There's a gas station that I frequent. It's situated on the corner of a five lane and a three lane road, both quite busy, so there's always lots of traffic noise there. It was mid-afternoon, and hot, and I'd just returned from the zoo. I'd filled my car, and suddenly decided that I wanted a bottle of water. No-one was waiting to use the pumps (there were IIRC only a few cars there at that time of day) so I just left my car sitting at the pump as I went inside and bought my water.

Now, I'm fascinated more than most people by birds, and I'm usually conscious of what the birds around me are up to. I had also been reading a book the night before about birds as messengers from the dead, which I'd been pondering off and on all day. When you leave the front door of this gas station, you're standing on a raised curb, and the corner of the building is maybe eight feet away to your left. You cannot see through the gas station windows to the side - it's a blind corner.

Just as I went to step off the curb to cross the lot to my car, a House Sparrow hen came flying down from my left. She was hustling - descending at a 45 degree angle, flapping hard the entire time. A few yards short of me she flared her wings and tail, and braked in mid-air, dropping down just beside my left foot. She had my full attention. While I was looking down at her, open-mouthed, she tilted her head to the side, and made eye contact. Then she flew a tight, tight little semi-circle around my shins, almost brushing me with her wing tips, and landed directly alongside my right foot. She made eye contact again. While I was staring stupidly at the little hen, some asshole came blasting around the corner of the building close to 30 mph. I'd not have heard him for the traffic, and if I hadn't been frozen in place watching the bird, he'd most assuredly have taken me out. The bird took off, climbing steeply, and continuing on the path she'd been on when I first saw her.

So, nothing conclusive, but quite suggestive. I'm putting up House Sparrow boxes over Thanksgiving, so they can have a warming box for the winter, and nest boxes come the spring.

Comments

[moonhare]

What a sweet bird! Your gift back is wondrous :o)

I've believed in animals as portents for many years now and have had copious instances where they have seemingly intervened for me. I suppose this is why I always stop to talk to them, particularly the rabbits and deer, and the birds as well. Some I see as lares (mostly in plush form!).

[rain_gryphon]

The older I get, the less certainty I feel about the nature of reality. I used to always talk to the birds, and at some point I quit that. I should start that again.

I never really considered my toy animals as Lares of the House, but really that's how I've been treating them for some years now. Findra's bunny Hazel, and my goose Denise LeGeese watch over me when I sleep, and mind the house when I'm gone.

[moonhare]

I've always felt an affinity with animals, and though I don't embrace therianthropy I lean more towards that end of the furry scale.

It's nice that you have Hazel with you.

My 'top bun' is my first furry rescue- a Gund Rabbit. My totem varies, but is generally imagined in deer form: Faunus, my Lares Rurales. I don't try to understand any of this; I just accept it :o)

Maybe this is a story I'll regret telling...

[rain_gryphon]

I tend to be analytical by nature and training, so it's taken me some effort to learn to just accept some things without worrying why they work.

[allaboutweather.livejournal.com]

That's pretty cool! Perhaps you could be a bird trainer. ;)

[xolo.livejournal.com]

I've always done well with animals, horses and cats in particular.

[allaboutweather.livejournal.com]

In my case it's dogs. They're almost always friendly. :)