01 September 2016

Singular Death of a Meadowlark in Cherry County

A meadowlark was killed by a car driving along a highway in Cherry county on Tuesday, August 30th. Its demise occurred as a public legislator drove from a ranch place in the southwest part of the county to Valentine to attend the county commissioners meeting. Somewhere along the road’s way, there was a collision between a Volkswagen and this bird’s flight. It was alive among the land and then stricken dead in a moment. The result was graphic on the front of the vehicle. Multiple flies along Main Street were appreciative of the carcass for a time. They fed on the grisly remains on the front of an automobile as a legislator attended the late August county commissioner meeting to “share” his political perspective and to ask about what is occurring locally, based upon the derived and personal perspective of the three elected county advocates. Mr. legislator was an agenda item.

Mr. legislator stayed in town long enough to allow a strenuous ride to and fro to get a camera needed to capture images of the death of a formerly wild bird. Subtle yellow marks among the feathers of a once vibrant bird were indicative of this bit of prairie life that met a nearly immediate death by vehicle.

There was no bird spokesman available to convey any details of the birds’ legacy or offspring. There would be no burial ceremony, nor place of burial. It was impossible to determine its legacy, though feather feathers obvious on the splattered carcass were indicative. No obituary notice was given on the radio.

The bird carcass was probably removed and discarded with indifference. Would there have been some disgust involved because of having to deal with the remains?

The western meadowlark is the state bird of Nebraska. How ironic that a state legislator driving along the byways would be a cause for death.