All we need to complete this circus is a BIG TOP and an elephant or two.
I got up this morning before the sun, before Joe and even before the birds. It's a crisp day so I hurried as I filled the bird feeder. The only sounds I could hear in the gray twilight yard is wind whistling through the trees and the water falls.
Assuming my position at the dining table armed with a cup of coffee and a Jeffery Deaver novel I semi-read and semi-watch the yard come to life. I noted that Joe was not on station. Wondering if she was under the bridge I went out to take a quick look.
As I stood hunched over trying to see under the bridge, out of the corner of my eye I see two dark things falling from the sky. I looked up to see Mama Mallard and Daddy Duck coming almost straight down with wings spread. They plopped with a decent splash into the bridge pond... literally dropping in it seemed. I retreated to my station, the dining table.
The ducks swam around for a few minutes and then crawled out and inspected the yard. They wound up at Joe's Station. The male started a subtle quacking and the female answered. He would quack a few times. She would answer. He would quack. She answered (are you get'n my drift here?). Then both took off at the same instant headed south east for points unknown. It was like Daddy Duck was saying, "Let's get out of here... go over to Johns." Mama Mallard would answer, "OK with me... you ready?" He says, "Yep, on the count of three. One... Two..." She says, "Three!" And they're off.
In the mean-time Joe appears at Humpty Dumpty Falls. As she sits on high looking over Joe's Station she can't help but notice the birds are all over the place except at Humpty Dumpty Falls. It didn't take long for her to dive off the falls and swim to Joe's Station. Of course the birds see her eyes pop out of the water and leave. Undaunted she takes up the watch.
There were a few enticing approaches by sparrows but no one stayed around long enough for Joe to act (pounce). Then a Who-Who Birdie (Mourning Dove if you haven't been following the blog) approached. I watched closely as she neared the water. I wondered if Joe would give such a big bird a try.
Joe must have been hungry because she flew out of the water landing on the flat stone, mouth wide, hitting her target... well, kinda. The bird of course jumped and tried to fly away. Joe had only caught her by her left wing. Joe held on and it looked like the bird fell onto it's back. Then the bird righted itself and pulled Joe across the rock, but only a short distance, before pulling it's wing out of Joe's mouth thus freeing itself from Joe's grasp. As soon as the bird was free it was out of here. Joe, slowly and with dignity, crawled back into the pond. WOW... intense.
It wasn't but 15 minutes or so later that a sparrow approached the very same rock. As the sparrow got close to the water Joe, again, sprang from the water with mouth wide. The bird was too fast and escaped. Joe did a belly flop on the flat stone and then bounced a little. If I had been closer I'm sure I would have heard a "Oof" as well as a "Splat". Once again Joe, slowly and with dignity, crawled back into the pond.
I watched for a while longer and then gave it up. An hour or so later I saw Joe, on station, moving around in an unusual manner. I went out to look at her and sure enough, feathers were sticking out of her mouth. There were puddles on the flat stones at Joe's Station. The third time was the charm for Joe. Thus the title of todays post.
Oh the drama. It makes you tired. I can't stop watching.
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