In the Courtyard... Owl Down! Owl Down!

Previously: In a recent "all staff" e-mail, one employee asked for volunteers to consider bringing in "Owl statues, or something similar" to be "placed in the courtyard to scare away the crows" were snatching up and eating newly hatched ducklings. A second employee, here glossed "Duckpond Darwin," responded to this request by sarcastically defending the crows right to "naturally select" ducklings for dinner.

Now on with the story...


Pictured above is the North West area in the courtyard, where you can see both the artificial pond and (in the upper right hand corner) the greenhouse. This picture was taken out my classroom window. I had noticed the other day that somehow had honored the initial request to bring a plastic owl in to ward off any hungry crows. When I first looked out the window, I did not see the artificial owl (nor did I see any ducklings or crows) protecting the inhabitants of the artificial pond.

I did not see the plastic owl, that is, until my gaze shifted slightly to the right and I noticed a small brownish pile on the ground beside the bench...


AND THERE HE WAS! Laying face down beside the bench, a likely victim of the recent rash of windy rainstorms whcih blew through this morning, was the guardian of the ducklings, Mr. Plastic Owl!