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The Feed
It was busy
Late one afternoon, I checked on the honeydew melons. Overnight temperatures recently dropped below freezing, and I hoped to squeeze a few last melons out of the season. I covered them nightly with towels and then removed them around 10 a.m. once the temperature topped 50 degrees. The last day for the vines quickly approached.
The spotting
Not far in the distance, vultures circled — a sign of a dead animal they would soon devour. Familiar with this sight, I paid little attention as I tucked the towels snugly around the melons.
Crows joined the vulture’s circle, adding their call to the gathering. Crows rarely fed with vultures, so they stole my attention from the honeydews. I walked toward the vultures, hoping to glimpse what caused their excitement. I zipped my jacket and pulled the collar tight to my neck.
So many vultures! I surmised they circled a large animal. Likely not a gopher or rabbit or raccoon. Something bigger. We have deer; maybe a coyote got one — although packs don’t often share their kills. I hadn’t heard the coyotes howl over a nighttime conquest the evening prior. I guessed the vultures could be organizing around a coyote itself.
Feeling tired, I felt a pull toward the vulture circle. My curiosity increased, but sorrow for the killed rose too. I reasoned…
