A little birdie told me

Quinn was asleep in the car seat after an an excursion to the Midwifery Group Picnic (how many obstetricians do that?). We decided to hang out on the front deck until he awoke. As I was sitting there reading I saw a little birdie hop up the curb and across the sidewalk onto our lawn. He had a little tuft of fur or something on his head. He seemed to be peeping at me, although it was quite faint. He was kinda cute so I pointed him out to Bec.

Her immediate comment was that he looked quite young and probably shouldn't be out of the nest. After a few seconds to digest that thought, I thought "well I'll go look and see if I can do anything for it", while at the same time being completely unsure what that might consist of. He had hopped into our front garden but I couldn't see any sign of him. I resumed my appointed place on the front deck.

The next thing, we hear a commotion of bird chirping and see an enormous crow with a young bird, presumably the same one, in its beak with two other little birds flitting around nervously and helplessly around it. The crow dropped the young bird on the street, picked it up and dropped it again. Bec implored me to do something. I had no idea what that might be as I thought it was already too late for that little bird.

She eventually walked out onto the street with me following, and the crow retreated to the lowest powerline with what must have been the madly chirping parents on the highest powerline. The little bird was still breathing, a heavy distressed breathing, but otherwise it was not moving. Bec sent me into the house to get a rag and a shoebox and I corralled it into the shoebox. There was a brief phone consultation with Ma & Pa Simpson. The crow finally determined he was out of luck and moved on. Then as I sat with Quinn on the front deck, Rebecca provided a merciful end for the young bird by drowning it.

A life doesn't necessarily have to last very long to have a profound impact. I watched the distraught parent birds. I looked at my own young son. I thought of our friends whose newborn baby is in distress. I thought of our unborn child that didn't make it. I thought of my wife inside by herself doing the difficult thing but the right thing. I went inside with Quinn and we had a big hug. Then we all played together for an hour.

Life is precious. Crows happen. Enjoy life to its fullest. A little birdie told me.