Rook

I was out for a walk with a friend recently and came across 4 dead rooks. Poisoned I suspect.  I mean, how often would you find that many in one place without a mark on them?  They nest high up in a group of pine trees along the edge of a recreation ground; I love the sound of their chattering. Why anyone would want to poison them I can’t imagine, although another walker suggested maybe strychnine had been put down for moles, which she assuredly told us were destroying lawns all over the village (yawn). Strychnine poisoning is a hideous way to die, but she didn’t seem at all bothered and said that there were “too many crows anyway”.  I was speechless.  Still, one rook’s demise is another woman’s opportunity, and obviously I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pick one up on my way back from our walk.  I left the poor thing in a carrier bag in the garden and forgot about it for almost a week.  I came across it again today hidden away outside the kitchen door.

It’s still looking pretty good even if it is a bit rank now. The sun was shining so I sat outside and did a couple of sketches; I wasn’t that pleased with my efforts, but I did keep this one.  He’s now safely back in the bag until next time.  I’m going to keep him for a while and hope that he’ll decay enough that I can keep the skeleton.  Sorry, am I putting you off your dinner?!  Next time I do some drawings I’ll just show you them without all the rabbiting on!