A Scary Moment in Black and White

In Greek mythology, the Harpy was a death spirit, a “snatcher”.

Phineas, a king of Thrace, had the gift of prophecy. Zeus, angry that Phineas revealed too much, punished him by putting him on an island with a buffet of food which he could never eat. The harpies always arrived and stole the food out of his hands right before he could satisfy his hunger, and befouled the remains of his food.

I was busy taking pictures of crows last night, eventually using the best in this week’s “Friday’s Feathers”. Hearing an unexpected squawk, I looked around, almost into the lowering sun and I saw the silhouettes of three creatures who were making a dreadful din.

A shudder of primitive fear ran through my veins.

Then I realised they were not evil spirits from my European ancestry but Pink and Grey Galahs settling in to complain at the crows I was photographing.