we take a certain awkward pride in being the kind of household where dead birds sit on the corner of my desk waiting to be photographed. and stag beetles lie frozen in tupperware in the freezer next to the chocolate chip ice cream. and hornets bouncing against the patio screen door get shepherded back outside to self-actualize, and fulfill their hornet destinies. in such a household, it should come as no surprise that a cedar waxwing lying crumpled on the shoulder of a north-south twin cities highway should have been spied, and later collected, after two u-turns and a conspicuous mid-lane park job, to make its sad and exquisite appearance in this morning’s post. thanks to my hubby for risking his life and our only reliable car in the service of art and beauty.
cedar waxwing
highway 61, saint paul, minnesota
Exquisit photo of this poor little creature. They are at the top of my bird loves list. As an aside, I once had Screech owl in my freezer.
Thank you for sharing these glimpses into your family’s life. I appreciate them as a nature lover, as someone who is always reminding herself to simplify and as a teacher of young children who hopes to pass on an appreciation and awareness of the beauty around us. Your house is very much like mine, and my classroom- with dried animal skulls, random sparkling tree resin and more shells than you can count(though we do!). Thank you each day!
Unfortunate circumstances. I spied a dead one in the grill of a car in a hospital parking lot last fall. Yep, I plucked beautiful feathers from him before leaving.