Flattened feathery mats are a common sight on this bridge, and to console my wife, I told her it happens all the time, but I am the one that can't keep this clip from playing in my head. It has had me pondering my own species' overriding presence on this planet, and how we make things so difficult for the other species. We force them into circumstances they wouldn't otherwise be found, and we push them to the edge, only to redefine the edge. Some species have learned to live with us, and some have even thrived, but these are the proportionately minuscule exceptions. The gulls on the bridge, and there are many, must have determined that the benefits here outweigh the risks of possibly encountering any one of the 100,000 vehicles that cross the bridge each day. Those less careful birds that do lose their lives are perhaps helping Mr. Darwin prove a point.
(Just a reminder that my Winter Walk-Off challenge is open until 3/19 at midnight. I am fairly certain that the entries will be less somber than this one.)
Those images stay for a long time. Peace, Les.
ReplyDeleteIt is a challenge to see any living thing in fear, or suffering. We would rescue them all from such a fate if possible. I am taught that animals don't carry our fear of death but that raises the question, "Why do they run like hell when a predator pursues?" We fear death because we have an unconquerable attachment to ourselves. Animals don't.
ReplyDeleteYou remind me of something that happened a year or so ago when I spied a large snapping turtle walking across route 64 here in the mountains. He was a big fellow, probably quite old. There was nowhere for him to go as a steep rock embankment was the only thing ahead of him. Then an 18- wheeler came flying around the bend. I always try to rescue turtles but there was nothing I could even attempt to do in this case. My only hope was that his death was swift. I think about it often when I pass that curve in the road. I still wish I could have helped.
ReplyDeleteA reminder, a small bit of a much more disturbing picture. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think about this frequently, too. On my home from one of my master naturalist sessions, I came within inches of hitting a deer. Man, that would have been a bummer. I realize it happens and it would have been a total accident, but I was so relieved I didn't hit it. Sorry you had to witness such a tough scene.
ReplyDeleteI think I can relate to your feelings, Les. In my garden, I watched a rat dying. Cute furry creature. I felt bad, because I thought it died after eating some poison that people left. I know that rats can be dangerous, but at that moment I just saw a live creature making its last breath. All the best to you.
ReplyDeleteHorrid thing to see, not surprised it has stuck with you.
ReplyDeleteWe once stopped so I could rescue a tortoise from the road - and between stopping and me getting out of the car - a bakkie came flying along and I was too late for that tortoise.
ReplyDeleteThere are ALWAYS gull bodies on the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge. And we see a lot of brown pelicans who have collided with cars and trucks on the bridge between the mainland and Galveston Island in Texas. The bridges must attract a lot of fish to make them so inviting. But it's hard to see animals die.
ReplyDeleteTraveling at night, decades ago, with my band, we hit a farm cat. Sadly, no way to avoid it. We went back to check it out. Still alive and suffering terribly. Had to put it down. That was '78. It still pops up every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteSad story. I'm sure it couldn't be helped.
ReplyDeleteOoh sorry. I hate it when that kind of thing happens here. I should do the winter walkoff. I had some surgery on my mouth this week though, and I'm rather tired. It frustrates me because the weather is so great, perfect for clearing out more of the garden. Ah well. Such is life. ~~Dee
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. Even if roadkill is common, it is horrible to witness. Don't blame yourself.
ReplyDeleteSad to see the ending of another life, one of the reasons I no longer eat other animals. On the other hand, was this death more or less merciful than being torn apart alive by a natural predator?
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