The Falcon

Have you ever been to a bird show...those where they show birds of prey and wear those special leather gloves so the claws don't cut their skin? Where the birds whiz over your head as they fly quickly to retrieve their little piece of meat for flying where they were supposed to go? Yeah, those bird shows.

When Jari and I were at the zoo last week, there was a bird of prey show. We went to watch. And we got more than we bargained for. They had owls and buzzards and falcons. Sometimes teh birds flew right to the glove, sometimes they flew to a post standing high in the room, and sometimes, well, once actually, they landed on someone's head. Yes, that someone was ME! The falcon dove down right onto the top of my head and sunk his claws in my scalp good. I watched him coming at me and then bent my head and covered my face as the crowd gasped in surprise. I think I probably let out a little squeal, too. It was quite a surprise.

Luckily, though I felt his claws and got a little tingly, I only had one small noticeable scratch. I was glad it was me and not Jari, or the baby sitting behind us. But, I don't know that I'll ever be able to attend another bird of prey show without feeling just a little fear as those birds swoop past me, wings spread wide...