Ich bin ein [Texas-Born] Berliner

This morning, about 24 hours after my first targeting by homicidal Siberian parent crows temporarily in Berlin and single-mindedly determined to protect a fledgling fallen out of the nest, Maxe the Dauntless Dachshund and I, moved by a mixture of defiance and morbid curiosity, bravely returned to yesterday’s combat zone.  It may not surprise any crow mavens reading this to learn that we didn’t get very far.

This time I had my ears prudently cocked, and, sure enough, as we drew closer a definitely minatory crow, this time in a different tree and completely visible, stared balefully down at us as we approached, cawing its fool head off and fluttering its wings as if ready to dive if we came one step closer.  I froze in my tracks and scrutinized the area, but I could see neither hair nor hide of that seriously endangered chick.

Cogitating for only a second or two on the desirability of the better part of valor, Maxe and I yet once again threw in the figurative towel and headed for home and my slightly delayed breakfast: my egocentric mutt had naturally long since inhaled his….

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F L A S H ! A midday updater: Maxe and I have just returned from satisfying our curiosity as to whether the Schoerlerpark coast has meanwhile become clear. Far from it: now those two homicidal adult crows, presumably the endangered grounded chick’s parents, have taken up clearly visible station in a tree right at the little park’s entrance, and when they saw us they immediately cawed out an unmistakable CONDITION RED! Life-loving Maxe and I naturally turned back at once and made precautionary tracks for home. I’ve asked neighbors to pay attention to whether we fail to return from any of our four constitutionals, by twelve-year tradition into what yesterday became a combat zone,in which case I’ve asked them to report us to Berlin’s splendid Polizei as missing.

I can barely believe what this episode has brought to my attention about present-day life in 100% metropolitan Berlin. Another neighbor I told about our murderous crows swears to me that in the little garden colony just beyond the foot of my own little garden (Germans calls such colonies Schreber-Gärten, with a definite relation to Freud’s famous “Schreber Case”, which I can explain to anyone interested) she not only saw but actually photographed a fox – presumably the reason for the mass concert by crows yet another neighbor reported as having happened yesterday. How often do the variegated charms of nature come your metropolitan way…?