The world is a mask that hides the real world.
Thatâs what everybody suspects, though the world we see wonât let us dwell on it long.
The world has ways - more masks - of getting our attention.
The suspicion sneaks in now and again, between the cracks of everyday existenceâ¦the bird song dips, rises, dips, trails off into blue sky silence before the note that would reveal the shape of a melody that, somehow, would tie everything together, on the verge of unmasking the hidden armature that frames this sky, this tree, this bird, this quivering green leaf, jewels in a crown.â¦
As the song dies, the secret withdraws.
The tree is a mask.
The sky is a mask.
The quivering green leaf is a mask.
The song is a mask.
The singing bird is a mask.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
poisoned peregrine?
Endangered falcon feared poisoned , This is London, 14 May 2005
Wildlife campaigners working to protect one of Britain's most endangered birds of prey, the peregrine falcon, said they fear a female may have been poisoned after she disappeared during nesting.
The bird was last seen just days after laying eggs in a nest at the disused Hanson quarry in Clee Hill, near Ludlow, Shropshire.
At the same time last year, a male peregrine falcon was found dead at the top of the cliff. Tests showed the bird had ingested rat poison which had probably been set in a deliberate trap.
Dan Farber, from the RSPB, said they had been optimistic about this year's breeding programme because a new male had moved into the territory and paired with the resident female.
"This spring everything looked promising for the birds, the pair had mated and chosen a nest site, but this time the female bird suddenly disappeared. Sadly, the female peregrine has not been seen for days," he said.
John Hughes, a local peregrine enthusiast and RSPB volunteer, added: "Once a female peregrine has begun to nest, nothing would take her away. I am very worried that she may have been poisoned."
Peregrine falcons have nested successfully at Clee Hill for the last decade and the RSPB was planning to allow visitors to the site this summer to watch the transformation of young birds through telescopes and binoculars.
The birds, which feed on medium-sized birds such as pigeons, starlings and wading birds, are the fastest in the world, having been recorded at more than 160mph.
But egg collectors rob their nests and falconers steal their chicks. The birds are also trapped, shot and poisoned by gamekeepers and pigeon fanciers. In 2003, eight peregrines out of a total of 58 birds of prey were illegally poisoned.
Anyone found guilty of killing peregrines, which are protected by law, runs the risk of a fine of up to £5,000 and imprisonment for up to six months.
