One morning as I sat working on my laptop, suddenly there was a loud thud from the kitchen.
I know that unfortunate sound by now, it’s a small bird hitting the window. House Sparrows seem unable to detect the glass and fly into it. Sometimes they recover, sometimes they break their necks and die.
I went over and peered over the sink, out of the kitchen window. I was looking to see if a bird was lying there somewhere or whether it had flown away, unhurt.
On our glass table under the window a Sparrow lay on its back, twitching slightly, it’s scaly legs extended. Damn, I thought, now I have to deal with it.
At the same time, I sensed something.
I looked over and met the black eyes of a Magpie, that had just flown down from above, peering in my direction whilst perched on a fence behind our crabapple tree. The head turned a few times, then it let out a sound. Suddenly it flew over across the grass, landing on the table in front of me. The Magpie opened its beak and grabbed the little bird by the neck, and then flew off over the fence.
I stood there for a few seconds, and went back to sit down in front of my laptop.