We were going out yesterday evening (about 7) and running late (as per usual for us). As I stepped out the front door I noticed a couple of teenage boys (about 17 so not young) staring from the road. As we walked to the car, they called out to Neil because he almost stepped on a baby bird on the path! It was a little baby crow and the mummy bird (I assume it was mummy!) was making a racket sitting on top of our porch.
I stood there for ages trying to work out what to do. Neil was moaning that we were already late and I didn't know what to do for the best for the baby bird. In the end I left it where it was and we sat in the car for a couple of moments as we watched the teenage boys pick it up and place it under a bush to the side of the path and walk around the corner. Then we drove off.
At this point, I felt really bad. I had been insistent that these boys were going to cause trouble. I kept saying to Neil they were going to hurt the baby bird (and also made a point of double locking the front door
). I felt awful and Neil made me feel like I was judgemental - because they were teenagers I assumed they were up to no good and I'm not like that at all but I felt really bad.
I was relieved the baby bird was in the bush though.
We were only gone about 20 minutes. We got home and the baby bird was on the grass outside the front of our house, battered and now headless.
I have no doubts it was the two boys I saw hanging about - they placed it in the bush beside my house and nobody would have happened across it unless they knew it was there. I have never seen any cats around - and if a cat had got it, I would have expected a few feathers to be around but it wasn't like that at all; it looked like it had been stamped on or thrown against something very hard.
I felt so bad. I knew something was wrong when we left in the car, I should have trusted my instincts - Neil made me feel awful, but I know I normally see the best in people and am normally too trusting. I feel so guilty for the poor baby bird. I haven't seen mummy bird since either. I think the nest was either in the hedge by our house or in our guttering - I hope they are all still okay. I don't want to go looking in case I disturb them further. Poor baby bird, I'm sorry.
