Go, you chicken fat, go away!

I woke up this morning and used the bathroom.  As soon as I finished and shut the door, I heard my door close downstairs.  That means my wife was waiting for me so she could take her turn.  As she went upstairs, she opened the front door since it was so nice out.  When I was getting dressed I heard the chickens.  I didn't think much of it at first because they often sound like that especially when they're laying eggs.  But then I thought, "It's not even 5:30am.  Surely they're still up in the tree."  So I went to the front door and looked out the side window.  There was a cat with a jeweled collar on its neck.  It was just staring at me.  Herbie was upstairs looking out the window, but he couldn't see it because it was below him.  I said, "Herbie, get that cat!"  He barked.  The cat still didn't move, so I opened the screen door.  It ran away.

I then decided I better go check on the chickens.  I went out the back door and Herbie followed me.  I was barefoot, but there was no time to lose.  I made my way to the tree and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, all present and accounted for.  Maria was sitting on her chair, too.  But then I saw a little sparrow sitting on the ground.  It wasn't moving, but it looked alive.  I mean, it wasn't laying on its side with its eyes rolled back.  I shined my light at it.  It wouldn't move.  I pointed it out to Herbie, but he didn't notice it.  Then one of the chickens jumped out of the tree almost landing on both me and the sparrow!  One by one they all did the same thing, but I couldn't do anything because of my bare feet!  One of them actually did land on the sparrow which is how I knew it was still alive. 

Finally Herbie noticed it and started to sniff it.  That's when it sadly tried to get away.  But it was too sick or injured.  Actually, I think it got into the poison that was placed in the traps for the mice.  Once Herbie got bored of it, Maria came around.  Oh...my...gosh!  She's a stone cold killer.  She pecked it to death!  I wanted to save it.  You know how I always try to save birds.  But I was not about to get in between Maria and her bloodlust.  So I did the next best thing.  I filmed it.

Well, that story had nothing to do with running.  After I got my shoes on, I went for a walk/jog.  Yesterday I called it a jog/walk, but there was more walking today than jogging, it seemed.  I took more pictures of birds while I was out there.  So I've got pictures of sparrows, chickens, quails, and ducks this morning.