How precious is any life

[Cassandra]

I found a beautiful tiny bird in the wood last evening, clearly dying. In fact as I picked it up it's tiny eyes looked at me, the last thing they beheld and then closed forever.

I bought it's warm little body inside, in a vain hope of revival, but to no avail.

I buried him in a tiny wooden casket and it's strange how this briefest of events has effected me. I didn't turn up for the normal Wednesday night session in the local bar and accordingly Annie rung up round 9pm to check I was OK?

She arrived about 20 minutes later and identified him as a 'Chickadee', highly populous at this time of year. She was clearly moved over the way the incident had disturbed me. She sat over the kitchen table, tears in her eyes as I poured the coffee. The dogs are upset too, they always mirror my mood.

Strange, but as my life enters it's final stages, how precious all living things seem? Especially the myriad of wild creatures I now live within?

[automatically pruned due to age]

[zoony]

Such a small life but a tragedy none the less. Perhaps your feelings are not so surprising Cass. We become so much more reflective as our mortality becomes a reality I'm sure. Last year seemed to be my last at one point for a while and even though that reality has receded (happily) as I've recovered the acceptance has stayed.. I kinda like the peace it brings..

[Scrumpy]

It is so sad to see an end of life in any living thing..
I rescue anything I can.. The insect struggling in a web.. the Daddy Long Legs trying to get out of a closed window even the fly..
Every thing comes to an end.. however, the longer it enjoys living the better.

[Cassandra]

I agree with you both. As a child I tried to repair limbs with balsa wood splints and many children brought birds and hedgehogs, tiny tortoises etc to me.  Our family GP, my uncle gave me ether allowing me to apply these cures without the risk of being bitten by my tiny patients, as I grew in confidence to apply sutures. To see the little hedgehog leave after recovering in one of the garden shed 'wards' fitted out with donated Budgie breeding cages and part avaries was an experience I can recall in perfection today. In fact he never left our garden afterwards

In spring always lots of tiny birds orphaned or abandoned, mice, frogs, voles everything! Sitting up all night with my mother and best friend Richard, feeding all sorts of young infants every two hours from pen fillers! The 'Children's Newspaper' came to feature our endeavours and the RSPCA were brilliant in supporting my efforts. Fortunately woke bigots were not around then like today, who would likely have curtailed my efforts.

[zoony]

Tell me old thing, did you do much work for the Office of the Public Defender? It sounds similar.. 

[Flying Bomb]

It is so sad to see an end of life in any living thing..
I rescue anything I can.. The insect struggling in a web..

By doing that you have deprived a spider of his meal and maybe
killed it. 

[Scrumpy]

Perhaps so.. But Incy Wincy Spider will find many other suckers who stray too close to the web..
I have just saved one tiny life..

[Michael Rolls]

save who and what you can - the predator, large or small, always gets another chance
Cassandra - what a pretty little bird. I remember saving, as I thought, a sparrow from one of our cats, but as I reached up to put it safely out of feline reach, the poor thing died in my hand - quite upsetting
Mike

[Alex]

Sad story.  I'm a wimp, I can't pick up anything injured but I'm quick at finding help for creatures.

[Scrumpy]

Nor can I .. Nor anything dead.. My neighbour comes to the rescue..
I have just ordered some toy snakes to put in the garden.. The cats do not like them..

[Cassandra]

Tell me old thing, did you do much work for the Office of the Public Defender? It sounds similar.. 

Actually no, not as an advocate but heard a few cases on the bench. I took many briefs for the RSPCA and animal trusts. Other occasions I prosecuted for 'The League against Cruel Sports', all 'pro bono', much to the chagrin of my chambers clerk I should add. Who said it "cheapened my image" - god bless him!

[Cassandra]

Nor can I .. Nor anything dead.. My neighbour comes to the rescue..
I have just ordered some toy snakes to put in the garden.. The cats do not like them..

We've got real ones out here, but fortunately not venomous, apart from the odd rattler, but they're up in the mountains I've only seen a water snake, who fled for the lake as soon as he heard us. They're very shy creatures and many species are listed as endangered.

[zoony]

Nor can I .. Nor anything dead.. My neighbour comes to the rescue..
I have just ordered some toy snakes to put in the garden.. The cats do not like them..

It seems to be instinctive.. We had a new kitten at one point and I remember sitting in the garden admiring the new patio we'd laid while the kitten explored the garden. The hose-pipe was lying in the
grass and she was being carefully curious about it. As she stretched her neck to sniff it I gave it a twist which made it flip over in the grass. Well, that little cat took off like a bottle-rocket. Straight up! The legs were moving before she landed and she shot off into the house like a cat outa hell!   So I think it's instinctive. 

[Cassandra]

I remember watching a programme on NatGeo where tiny orphan Chimpanzees were trained to avoid snakes by setting up dummy ones (like Scrumpy mentions) that sprung out at them. Once their latent instinct was aroused they were very quick to scream out their alarm call!

[Alex]

I've got two toy snakes on my front garden as the local cats thought the stones a big litter tray !    it seems to be working - fingers crossed.