This morning my husband calls me from his car and says that there is a black bird behind my car in the driveway that is acting strangely.

So, I go outside, barefooted, and notice the little fella right under my bumper. He hadn't been there ten minutes earlier when I got home from taking Pookie to school, so it wasn't me that could have hit it, but he looked like he had broken his neck.

I called Animal Control and voiced my concern for the bird, saying that it might have the West Nile virus (it certainly had the symptoms), or it could have broken it's neck. The officer couldn't come in until 10am, so my neighbor and I sat out on the sidewalk in our patio chairs and kept an eye on the poor bird.

I love animals, even birds, so it is upsetting to think of the pain and suffering it was experiencing. It couldn't even walk straight; all it did was wobble it's head around and hop in circles. It stayed on it's feet the whole time with it's head sagged back on it's back. It was a Grackle, according to the animal control officer. Beautiful black plumage with blue irridescence. Gorgeous bird with yellow eyes.

So, now the poor thing is off to the animal welfare to be put to sleep. The control officer said that since West Nile has been confirmed in our area, they don't even test them for that anymore. That doesn't make me feel very safe. Poor bird.