On Bonding Birds and Badass Beetles.

Having done some shopping, washed the car, and given the lawn what I hope will be its last mow of the season, I spent half an hour outside in the sunshine with a cup of tea and a packet of biscuits. And while I did so I watched the jackdaws.

Over the past week or two they’ve taken to forming large flocks of maybe a hundred or so birds which fly hither and thither as a big, black mass with no apparent purpose. Occasionally two of them will break off and chase one another around, wheeling and diving as though they’re playing a game, which they probably are.

Is this an autumn thing, I wondered. Are they engaged in some sort of bonding exercise so they can huddle together through the winter in an attempt to stay warm and survive? I expect an ornithologist could probably tell me, but I don’t know any ornithologists so I’ll have to remain ignorant.

And last night I had a Devil’s Coach Horse beetle in my kitchen. It’s there again tonight, and although I generally like beetles, the Devil’s Coach Horse does encourage a minor fit of the creeps. Apart from being black – which many beetles are – they have long, sinuous bodies which waggle slightly when they walk. They’re notably aggressive creatures which prey ravenously on invertebrates such as earthworms and wood lice. When threatened – even by something as big as a human – they show their displeasure by opening their jaws, raising their abdomen in the manner of a scorpion, and emitting a foul smell from glands in their abdomen. And if you get too close, they can give you a painful bite.

The Wiki article pointed me in the direction of the omens associated with them, but I looked the other way. I have stresses and bad dreams aplenty already, so I don’t need any more. The last time I saw one was in August 2019, which was just about the time Covid was entering the world.