3 ms·

One of the docks I work on is frequented by a pigeon with a blowdart embedded in its neck. I have tried to catch it a few times, but I am not sure that removing

One of the docks I work on is frequented by a pigeon with a blowdart embedded in its neck. I have tried to catch it a few times, but I am not sure that removing it would not harm the pigeon even worse. One day I ran across two young men on the dock carrying blowguns. I remarked that I was wondering how the pigeon ended up with a blowdart in its neck. They claimed that neither of them were the ones who shot the pigeon, so it is apparently still a mystery which local asshole is putting darts in pigeons.

tetris11 3y ago
My mother used to throw stones at sparrows, sprint up to them as they were dazed, twist their necks, pull out their feathers, and then roast them for a light snack. She relishes telling this story every time she sees a small bird resting nearby. Her one saving grace in my mind is, "hey at least she ate it."
- klyrs 3y ago
  My grandpa would climb trees to raid bird nests for their eggs. I'm not sure which is worse to modern sensibilities -- that he was predating on song birds like a neighborhood cat, or that he ate the eggs raw.
  - riffraff 3y ago
    Is eating raw eggs controversial? Health-wise perhaps, but it's not uncommon to have a raw egg on a tartare steak for example.
    - klyrs 3y ago
      Sure, mix 'em into stuff and you've got a proper recipe. But just raw egg all on its own?
- bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
  Not really any different than eating chicken. At least the sparrow got to live a nice life in the meantime.
  - supriyo-biswas 3y ago
    People usually don’t get aroused by the thought of killing animals though.
    - 4gotunameagain 3y ago
      Which is idiotic imo, since swiftly murdering a pigeon is much better than eating a chicken that has been through a lifetime of suffering, which is the majority of chickens in post industrial societies.
- defen 3y ago
  I believe the story but I’m having trouble understanding how that would be worth the effort unless you were truly starving (which it seems like she wasn’t, since she called it a “light snack”) - what is there, a half ounce of meat on a sparrow?
  - barbs 3y ago
    I imagine the thrill of the hunt would make it worth it, not to mention a story you can tell every time you see a small bird hanging around.

tetris11 3y ago

My mother used to throw stones at sparrows, sprint up to them as they were dazed, twist their necks, pull out their feathers, and then roast them for a light snack. She relishes telling this story every time she sees a small bird resting nearby. Her one saving grace in my mind is, "hey at least she ate it."

klyrs 3y ago
My grandpa would climb trees to raid bird nests for their eggs. I'm not sure which is worse to modern sensibilities -- that he was predating on song birds like a neighborhood cat, or that he ate the eggs raw.
- riffraff 3y ago
  Is eating raw eggs controversial? Health-wise perhaps, but it's not uncommon to have a raw egg on a tartare steak for example.
  - klyrs 3y ago
    Sure, mix 'em into stuff and you've got a proper recipe. But just raw egg all on its own?
bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
Not really any different than eating chicken. At least the sparrow got to live a nice life in the meantime.
- supriyo-biswas 3y ago
  People usually don’t get aroused by the thought of killing animals though.
  - 4gotunameagain 3y ago
    Which is idiotic imo, since swiftly murdering a pigeon is much better than eating a chicken that has been through a lifetime of suffering, which is the majority of chickens in post industrial societies.
defen 3y ago
I believe the story but I’m having trouble understanding how that would be worth the effort unless you were truly starving (which it seems like she wasn’t, since she called it a “light snack”) - what is there, a half ounce of meat on a sparrow?
- barbs 3y ago
  I imagine the thrill of the hunt would make it worth it, not to mention a story you can tell every time you see a small bird hanging around.