Tri-colored Blackbird

Friday May 17, 2013

Tri-colored Blackbird- present day Sacramento Valley, California

Female, 42 g

I flew back to the grain field where my colony nested. It was a long, hot summer, and my chicks were bound to be hungry. In the colony, there were many tri-colored blackbirds, although I rarely saw any other colonies. We would have preferred the marshes to raise our young, but lately, those were disappearing fast. I think those strange creatures with flat-faces had something to do with it. But the grain fields were good, also. They were sufficient. Plenty of food, and plenty of space. Never mind the flat-faces being so close. They rarely did anything. They never really bothered us. I could only hear their shouts from a distance, as usual. It was a perfectly normal day. Little did I know that that was not to be. 

I felt satisfied as I brought back food for my children. Small insects, a few grasshoppers, and two caterpillars.  With that and the grain, there must be more than enough. Some of the insects in my mouth, much grain in my stomach for regurgitation. Nobody would go hungry tonight, not even me. Usually, when food was scarce, I gave all of it to my chicks. Tonight, though, I would be able to eat myself. It was strange- I felt a prick of happiness as I flew above the vast grain field back to our home. Once I saw my colony in sight, I knew that I was home. I quickly found my nest. 1...2...3...4. Good. All of my chicks were there. None were stolen or caught when I was gone. They did not understand my concern, however. They just opened up their mouths for food. I quickly fed them most of what I scavenged. I also gave them the seeds and grain that I found in our field. After gulping that down, they were content.

It was getting dark. One by one, my chicks began to fall asleep. I stayed awake, watching them, protecting them. Even though this seemed to be a normal night, I could not let down my guard. I suppose I was remembering The Incident, which happened when I was a young chick. The Incident drove out my whole colony. I still remember it, and what holes are there have been filled by those alive and aware when it happened. The flat-faces came and started destroying our marsh. Our life force. By the end, there was nothing left. The plants? Trampled. The animals? Either fled or were killed by the monsters that made the ground tremble. The bright, clear sky? Turned dark with stuff that made you cough and choke. I saw this with my own eyes. It changed me forever. With no choice, my colony flew to this field. It turned out to have the things necessary, other than the flat-faces being so near. We didn’t all starve, like I thought we would. 

We haven’t had another Incident since that one, and I am still hoping that it will stay that way. I do not want my chicks to experience the horrors that I did.  

Slowly, I drifted off to sleep, despite my determination to stay awake. I must have been more exhausted, even though it had been a very good day.

And that was the biggest mistake of my life.

I woke to a roaring that was close. Too close. When I opened my eyes, I saw grain flying through the air. Grain seeds scattered everywhere. Through the haze, a monster came roaring through it all. The monster was cutting the grain. Our home. Gone. 

I had to get my chicks out somehow, but I could only save one at a time. They were learning to fly, slowly, but I did not think they would be able to. I pushed on and urged one to fly. He wobbled, and was able to fly a short distance, landing on a small patch of grass. Many chicks were already there, chirping with fear. I turned and flew back, where the monster was almost there. Locating the nest was hard, because there were so many. I pushed another one, having her fly, wobbling, to the same patch of grass, dropping her next to my first chick. I turned back again. The monster had reached our colony. My nest was one of the side nests, and I was afraid that it would be gone. Frantically, I flew back. I flew to the place where my nest would have been. Nothing was left. The nest was crushed, my chicks were gone, and I did not think they were alive anymore. They had died horrifying deaths. I failed in shielding them from the world like a mother was supposed to do. I had lost two of them. Two of the ones that I had raised up, from their births. And now, their deaths. How could I go on without them? I felt like a failure. What is a mother who can’t even protect her own chicks? 

Once again, we were driven out of our home. Twice in my lifetime, and I wasn’t even near old yet. What more would happen to us? Where would we go? 

I went back to the two chicks I had saved on the patch of grass. I was relieved to see that they were still there- that they weren’t gone also. They were all I had left.

The colony was in shock. But who wouldn’t be? The young ones were the ones I felt most sorry for.

They had not gone through such things before, but I was sure that there would be more to come in their lifetimes. This was my second time being driven out. Was twice not enough? I just wanted to live in peace, but the flat-faces ruined everything. They barged in and took whatever they wanted. They had no consideration for nature, for animals. The definition of cruelty came from them. And at this point, I hated them more than I knew I was ever capable of hating. Hating them for taking everything away from me.