A note about how I might die

A while ago I said that if I died here, then I thought it would be at the hands of a cyclist, or the wheels of a cyclist would be more accurate. But I might have changed my mind, if I die here, it might be at the wings of an Egret. 

I’ve turned into a bit of a birdwatcher since being here. I don’t sit in a hide in a field with my binoculars at the ready. I have not become a trendy hipster doing the latest trendy hipster thing to do. No, I am more of an accidental twitcher. You see, every morning, as I walk around the Shinobazuno Pond in Ueno on my way to work, I enjoy the different species of our feathered friends that flock to the lake. There’s the lowly pigeon, the several species of duck, including the sinister tufted duck, the mallard and the coot, the tiny little birds that camouflage themselves in the grass, the newly arrived Mongolian gulls escaping the Siberian winter, the noisy crows plotting on taking over the earth, the beautiful egrets and my all-time favourite, the Greater Cormorant, the veritable king of of the pond. It really is a United Nations of birds.

For those of you who don’t know, the Shinobazuno Pond is right next to Ueno Zoo. I am not sure if the Egret is a zoo animal or a wild animal because it shares its time between captivity and the open waters of the lake. Maybe the Egret is a smuggler that brings in contraband into the zoo, like fresh fish, new twigs or drugs or maybe it laughs at the captive animals as it flies back and forth over the barbed wire fences. For me, it means that as well as seeing these magnificent birds standing by the size of the water looking for fish, you often see them flying gracefully between zoo and pond. It really is a sight to behold as they elegantly and precisely glide in to land on a tiny space. But despite my admiration, I think they have it in for me. For the last three days, I have been ‘buzzed’ from the air by a giant Egret. They are the king of the airwaves, no regard for those down below. If you are in their flight path, you better get out of the way, or risk being slapped by an arcing wing. First time, I dodged, second time, I swayed, third time, I was just too late and I felt the feathers tickle my face like an angry butterfly kiss; any closer and it would have knocked me over. It is a beautiful bird and I am grateful for the chance to get up close, but I wish it would leave me alone.