In my semi-rural Midwestern area, ground nesting birds such as Meadowlarks and Bobwhites have disappeared gradually within the last 50 years. As housing developments replaced farms, the open field habitats those species prefer are mostly gone. Dogs and cats let loose have also decimated them.
Even ring neck pheasants are fewer, and that is greatly attributed to increasing coyote numbers. We once provided shelled corn for pheasants on the ground below our bird feeders, and it was fun to see them materialize cautiously from the tall grass, a male with his harem. After a while, that happened only in wintertime (and never in hunting season).
Our neighbor’s wide-roaming flock of guinea fowl, humorous regular visitors to our feeders, disappeared one summer, the suspected cause being coyotes or dog packs. He had to enclose his remaining chickens and peacocks within fences soon after.
Rabbits are fewer, too, culled apparently by coyotes that hunt even in the housing subdivisions at night. And so unattended pet dogs and cats also take their chances these days. Even foxes must be cautious.
I suppose coyotes have their useful place in certain ecosystems out West, but they have certainly changed the character of certain ecosystems farther East.
(Yes, I realize the coyote and bird above are only cartoons in a cartoon setting.)
One of the most common Native American Coyote stories deals with Coyote’s wish to be able to fly (part of a larger genre of Coyote, not being content with being himself, tries to do things other animals can do). In one variant, a flock of birds (crows?) each lend him one feather; it of course hurts to have them pushed in, but it works: soon Coyote is flying among the treetops and clouds. But since Coyote is Coyote, soon he’s doing loops and barrel rolls and singing about how he’s the best flier of all time. So the birds, in mid-flight, each take back a borrowed feather and Coyote crashes to the ground and dies. He’s brought back to life (he always is), but he learns nothing from his experience (he never does).
Anyway, this is a long way of saying that I don’t think Winslow is hunting the bird; he wants to play with it. Winslow would rather get some nachos and a Big Gulp from the Seven-11 than hunt for food.
cageywayne about 3 years ago
Who gets to set the rules?
danketaz Premium Member about 3 years ago
Next time try roadrunner.
kaffekup about 3 years ago
Winslow, you’ve got fangs and claws, all he has is wings. It’s fair.
Kurtass Premium Member about 3 years ago
Get a rocket from the ACME company. It always worked for Wile E.
pepwine about 3 years ago
That feature helps them survive predators. Without it we would call them extinct.
PraiseofFolly about 3 years ago
In my semi-rural Midwestern area, ground nesting birds such as Meadowlarks and Bobwhites have disappeared gradually within the last 50 years. As housing developments replaced farms, the open field habitats those species prefer are mostly gone. Dogs and cats let loose have also decimated them.
Even ring neck pheasants are fewer, and that is greatly attributed to increasing coyote numbers. We once provided shelled corn for pheasants on the ground below our bird feeders, and it was fun to see them materialize cautiously from the tall grass, a male with his harem. After a while, that happened only in wintertime (and never in hunting season).
Our neighbor’s wide-roaming flock of guinea fowl, humorous regular visitors to our feeders, disappeared one summer, the suspected cause being coyotes or dog packs. He had to enclose his remaining chickens and peacocks within fences soon after.
Rabbits are fewer, too, culled apparently by coyotes that hunt even in the housing subdivisions at night. And so unattended pet dogs and cats also take their chances these days. Even foxes must be cautious.
I suppose coyotes have their useful place in certain ecosystems out West, but they have certainly changed the character of certain ecosystems farther East.
(Yes, I realize the coyote and bird above are only cartoons in a cartoon setting.)
Kip Williams about 3 years ago
The last-panel POV is a nice touch.
fritzoid Premium Member about 3 years ago
One of the most common Native American Coyote stories deals with Coyote’s wish to be able to fly (part of a larger genre of Coyote, not being content with being himself, tries to do things other animals can do). In one variant, a flock of birds (crows?) each lend him one feather; it of course hurts to have them pushed in, but it works: soon Coyote is flying among the treetops and clouds. But since Coyote is Coyote, soon he’s doing loops and barrel rolls and singing about how he’s the best flier of all time. So the birds, in mid-flight, each take back a borrowed feather and Coyote crashes to the ground and dies. He’s brought back to life (he always is), but he learns nothing from his experience (he never does).
Anyway, this is a long way of saying that I don’t think Winslow is hunting the bird; he wants to play with it. Winslow would rather get some nachos and a Big Gulp from the Seven-11 than hunt for food.
Kip Williams about 3 years ago
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
librarian4hire about 3 years ago
Meep! Meep!
ChristopherBacon about 3 years ago
And now we know the real reason he wants to fly