The Hawk and the Crow

An image of a hawk in flight with a crow just above it showed up in my feed on a popular social media site yesterday. The text below it said,

“The crow is the only bird that dares to peck at the hawk, he sits on the hawk's back and bites it on its neck, but the hawk does not respond, nor does it fight the crow nor waste time on the crow. He just opens his wings and starts to rise high in the sky, the higher the flight, the harder it is to breathe up [sic] and then the crows fall due to lack of oxygen! Stop wasting your time with crows, just go to the heights yourself and they will disappear like that!!”

The post is supposed to be motivational. But it demonizes the crow. As well, all I could think of is how the crow was defending its nest against the hawk’s predation. There’s no other reason the crow would bother a hawk. If the crow were not there, we’d see the hawk with a baby crow in its talons.

The message I get is that if you go around causing trouble and making people’s lives difficult, you can escape retribution and get away guilt-free.

Image attribution:

Husky Mom on Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/raven-in-2025--443745369554885955/

Moon Matters

When you know it’s there, you have a better chance of finding it. That’s how it is with the moon.

For many years I thought that Sun ruled the day; Moon ruled the night. But there were times when I’d see the moon during the day. I’d just shrug it off and tell myself, “Huh, that’s odd.” And I’d wonder why it’s not in the news or at least on the weather.

Sometimes my wife and I would notice the moon phases that are printed on some of our calendars. So we’d look for the Full Moon after dark. And we’d put out our collection of crystals so they could soak up the moon energy and get recharged.

I learned the terminology “waxing” and “waning”. I came across the idea that you could ride the energy of the waxing moon; I would plan dinner meetings so they’d take place when the moon was nearly full. It seemed that folks were more likely to register for the event during the First Quarter Moon than at other times. Conversely, when the moon was waning you would withdraw, reflect and release.

I paid attention to the times of moonrise and moonset with the “Phases of the Moon” app. I made sure my bedroom shades were down during the waxing moon so as to avoid getting roused by the gibbous moon at two or three am. (As I write this, it’s 5:19am; the waxing gibbous moon is lighting up low in the western sky.) And I was richly rewarded one pre-dawn morning when I knew that the waning crescent had risen; sure enough I saw it in the East as I swayed my head back and forth to find a break through the trees.

It’s exciting to know that the New Moon rises at dawn and is in the sky during the day. Solar Eclipses occur during a New Moon, when the moon passes between Sun and Earth. And Lunar Eclipses occur during a Full Moon, when the moon and sun are on opposite sides of Earth.

The moon cycle lasts about 28.5 days. On day one, the New Moon rises at dawn (roughly) and sets at twilight. Each day it rises and sets about an hour later. So the next few nights afterward, look for the waxing crescent moon in the West just after sunset. Then, about one week after the New Moon, look for the First Quarter moon just before sunset to see the moon during the day.

I hope you’ll learn more and start to look for the moon at various times during its cycle. Enjoy!

Martha's Begonias

I just wanted to take a moment and revel in Martha Stewart's collection of begonias, which she has on display here on her blog:
https://www.themarthablog.com/2020/02/the-blooming-begonias-in-my-greenhouse.html

Houseplants -- Outdoor Begonia and Geranium

Begonia and Geranium are classified as annuals by nurseries and garden centers.  However, they make excellent houseplants if given enough light.

As you can see below, I like to keep my flowering begonias and geraniums outside in bright sunlight when temperatures are well above freezing.  Then I bring them indoors during Winter and keep them in front of a South-facing window.

These plants are nearly like weeds.  They're easy to propagate by taking stem cuttings, and I've even managed to root leaf cuttings.  Geraniums tolerate neglect very well; some begonias, not so much.

Nurseries tend to heavily discount annuals in the Fall.  No normal person wants them at that time of year.  But SquarePegs are not normal -- we're happy to "adopt" a plant for a 90% discount.

Geranium in background; Begonia in foreground.  I've have this geranium for many years. The Begonia ("Bada Boom Mix") is new for this year.

Geranium from an old hanging plant, which most people would throw out in the Fall.

A Begonia that started out as a tiny, after-season discard. This is "Dragon Wing Red"

Moon Phase and Its Effect on Sleep

The article Evidence that the Lunar Cycle Influences Human Sleep was published six years ago, but I only just became aware of it today.  Nevertheless, I suspected as much.

I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in 2006.  But lately I feel there's more to my sleep disturbances than just cessation of breath.  Some days I wake up after a mere four hours unable to get back to sleep.  Other nights I'll sleep for six hours.

So I think it's ridiculous that health insurance companies will limit coverage for a sleep study to a single one-night study over the member's lifetime.  How can a single study capture all the variations in someone's sleep patterns?

Maybe this study and others like it will motivate The National Sleep Foundation to advocate for policy change.

Virtual Walk Through Muir Woods

Check out this virtual walk through the woods to "tap into a deeper sense of purpose and well-being with the first VR meditation of its kind—A 360 guided mindfulness practice through Muir Woods National Monument."

Quotes From "The Raven's Gift"

Ravens may drop walnuts on your head, storms may batter your canoe, blizzards may scatter your reindeer, but lighten up; nature is "'playing' with you and that is all.  It is not to be taken seriously." (page 210)

I wonder, does nature make traffic lights turn red just as you get to them?

The Koryak Creation Story

When the cosmos was new, there were no people, so Etinvin, our God, made people and placed them on the earth.  He started off first by making the Northern People.  He gave them the best, richest, and most wonderful place on the planet, right here near Vyvenka and above.  He put salmon in the rivers, seals in the bays, and reindeer on the tundra.

When Etinvin finished, there were many places left on the earth with no people.  But he ran out of genuine parts to make people with.  He asked Kutcha [the Raven God] what he should do and Kutcha suggested that they carve some people out of wood.  So Etinvin carved people out of wood.  These people became the Europeans.  They are stupid because they are made of wood and not genuine parts.  They fight too much and they don't think about the future of the earth.  They build too many machines that destroy the earth.

When all the people were finished, Etinvin looked down and saw a woman on the tundra.  She was giving birth and crying in great pain.  Her husband didn't know what to do, so he tried to cut the baby out of the woman's stomach with a large knife.  But that made the women and the baby dead.

Etinvin was sad and called Kutcha: "These people are new and they don't know how to live.  You must fly down from the heavens and teach the people how to live."

So Kutcha gathered the people, and explained: "Women must go to the tundra.  Watch the birds and see how they give birth."

The women walked out to the tundra and watched the birds laying eggs.  And then they understood.  They had many healthy babies and their numbers grew.  But still the people didn't know how to live very well.  So Etinvin called Kutcha again and told him to go back down to earth and tell the people out to live.

And Kutcha gave the following advice:

"Ocean water is full of salt and is not good to drink.  Drink water from the mountains.  That is the sweetest water.

"When the sun is setting, your children must not cry.  They must sit near you and you must tell them stories.  After the stories, the children must sleep.

"You must wake up early in the morning, especially in the spring, when the earth is waking after the winter night.

"If a child falls down, you the must say, 'Stand up.  Don't cry.'

"When fish swim up the river, you must have silence near the river.  The fish will have babies, so you must be quiet to respect the children.

"If you have a headache or stomachache or other pain, you must call Kutcha and say, 'Help me.'  And Kutcha will put on his raven coat and fly down from the heavens.  He will spit on the place that makes the pain.  Then you must push the pain through the body with one finger.  Pick up the pain on the other side of the body, grab it in your hand, and say, 'Go to your mother.  She lives in the darkest place in the North.'  Then you must go outside and throw the pain into the wind." (pages 194 - 195)

From "The Raven's Gift," by Jon Turk

Collecting Found Objects

Yet another quirk I have is that I maintain a collection of unusual natural items, which includes small things such as cat whiskers and claws, feathers, nut shells (hickory and pistachio are my favorites) as well as larger items such as tree branches and rocks.

I imagine that the objects have a certain energy in them and that I'm a shaman who's able to tap into these energies, combine them and create Objects of Power with them.

At the very least, these objects can be used to adorn a wreath, picture frame or some other craft item.  Cat whiskers also have the very practical value of making good applicators of liquid adhesive or paint when a very fine bead is needed.  I can imagine creating a Cat Mask that uses actual cat whiskers.

Here's a photo of the smallest of my collections.   My daughter keeps the fur in her own collection in her room.  Larger items such as turkey feathers and sheets of bark are in a different collection.  The tree limb is all by itself on the porch.

Do you like to collect anything?  What do you collect and why?

Invasive Plants

As a weekend gardener, I've long lamented how the most prized plants are those that are most difficult to grow and maintain.   And weeds, which grow prolifically, are considered a blight on the landscape.  I've wondered why this is so.  Perhaps there's a Great Conspiracy -- a conglomerate of companies that specialize in fertilizer, weed killer, pest control, fungicide and plant sourcing have joined forces to brainwash people into thinking that the easiest growing plants need to be eradicated to ensure brisk business.

It reminds me of the fashion industry.  Get people to despise their wide ties and bell bottom jeans in favor of straight-leg jeans and narrow ties.  After sales start to dwindle and people have gotten rid of their old clothes, reverse the trend and get everyone to buy the formerly despised products and ditch their newly out-of-favor clothes.  The only difference is that no one can thoroughly get rid of weeds -- they continue to spread or sow themselves year after year.


Recently I assessed the flora on our property and concluded that weeds are not our best-growing plants.  Did I celebrate?  No, because our best-growing plants now are actually "Invasive Plants."  These are plants that government agencies are actively trying to eradicate. There are laws in place to prohibit the spread of this class of plant.  No, I won't get fined or jailed for having the plants on our property.  But it is illegal to traffic and transport such plants.

The term "invasive" is applied to a non-native plant when it out-competes many other native plants and has no natural growth inhibitors.  Some plants actaully release a chemical that prohibits other plants from growing nearby.  You can find a really good description and explanation of the issue on the United States National Arboretum Invasive Plants page, so I won't try to repeat it here.


I believe there is a silver lining to this problem.  Scientists are starting to realize that some plants are actually edible and nutritious.  We might even discover new medicines from these plants.  Once we realize just how inexpensive it is to add invasive plants into our diets, the problem may dissolve and lead to the growth of new industry that specializes in harvesting wild-growing plants. And perhaps we can end world hunger, too.

The Wisteria Pod

Our first wisteria vine was already well established when we bought our home nearly 20 years ago.  It never flowered until two years ago when we got one cluster of flowers.

This summer we saw a few flower clusters.

Today, unexpectedly, I saw what appeared to be a pod.  So I looked it up.  Sure enough, the wisteria produces seeds in a pod, which explodes to disperse the seed.  Considering the way it spreads, you'd think it wouldn't bother with seeds.

Anyway, here's a picture of our pod:

Jack-o-Lanterns in the Labyrinth

The Low Down on Cooling Down

We've experienced record high temperatures in some parts of the world.  That coupled with wide-spread power outages have forced many to experience dangerously high temperatures.  So lately I've been thinking of how to stay cool.

Our bodies cool off by evaporating sweat.  When temperatures are high, both low humidity and air circulation can keep us cool.  Low humidity means that the moisture content of the air is low and that the air can absorb more water vapor than more humid air.  And circulating air disperses a cocoon of air made humid from your sweat.

When you need to cool down, your body should perspire all by itself.  You can encourage sweating by eating spicy foods.  My personal favorite for this is Thai cuisine -- I enjoy it often in the summer.

But sweating in front of a fan is nothing compared to soaking in cool water or seeking shelter in an air-conditioned building.  I can attest to the latter -- I feel so cold in my office at work that I wear a hoodie.  But how can you keep cool without electricity?  Great question.

Amazing Quotes From "Zoobiquity"

Some animal intestines perform an amazing trick. They expand and contract like accordions. This may not sound all that impressive, but its effect on weight can be profound. It allows the body to absorb varying quantities of calories from the same food, depending on the task at hand.

The mechanism is simple: a ribbon of muscle running the length of the intestine allows it contract and expand. When guts are clenched, they’re shorter, tighter and smaller. When relaxed, they’re elongated.

When intestines are in the longer, stretched-out mode, they expose more surface area to the food passing over them. This allows the cells to extract more nutrients and, therefore, energy. When the intestines shrink back to their shortened state, some of the food passes by essentially unused.

Could a similar accordion-like lengthening and shortening in human intestines underlie some unexplained weight gain in our species? ...there are intriguing clues. Our intestines are also lined with smooth muscle. And we know from autopsies that human intestines are some 50 percent longer after death, when smooth muscle control is no longer exerted. Perhaps, during life, dynamic muscle activity allows the human intestine to vary its calorie-absorbing length in response to medications, hormones, and even stress -- factors frequently pointed to when weight inexplicably increases even when a patient isn’t eating more. Many common drugs cause undesired weight gain through unclear mechanisms. It’s intriguing to consider whether smooth muscle effects of these drugs contribute to ... intestinal stretch leading to greater calorie absorption and weight gain.

----------------------

Psychiatrists studying eating disorders note that bulimic binge eaters rarely overconsume protein or leafy greens.  ...they focus their eating sprees -- sometimes with obsessive intensity -- on sugars and simple carbohydrates.

In the Yale study [of grasshoppers exposed to predatory spiders], the insects’ food choices were driven by external factors beyond their control, in other words, the ecology of fear.  In the presence of a predatory threat, they chose foods that would accelerate a lifesaving escape.  These animals provide an underexplored possible context for a human binge eater’s food choices.  They suggest an evolutionary origin.  A stressed person’s decision to forgo the chicken breast and vegetables in his lunch box and consume candy bars instead can seem pointless, weak and even self-destructive.  But knowing that some nonhuman animals prefer high-sugar foods when they’re fearful could help a human stress eater better understand his own candy binge.  While he knows it’s unhealthy for his waistline, blood sugar, and molars, the impossible-to-resist impulse may spring from a hardwired response to threats that for eons has saved animals’ lives.

Cat Number Four

My Mother-in-Law had been feeding the cats in her backyard for several months. One of her customers took residence under her porch and produced two kittens. The little Tom was killed when he tried the cross the busy road. So my mother-in-law allowed the little Queen to live inside her enclosed porch. But the porch is unheated, and she couldn't keep the kitten in the main part of the house. So she implored her daughter and granddaughter to adopt her.

My wife drove the cat home three weeks ago. By now we have an established procedure for adopting a new cat. (You can't just let loose a new cat into a home with an established cat population. The existing cat will threaten and possibly attack the newcomer.) We placed the new cat in the laundry room with her own food and water bowls and litterbox. It's not a large area, but it turned out to have a few great spots for hiding. My wife repeatedly asked me to "find" the cat because she (my wife) worried that the cat disappeared. So twice I dragged the cat from remote corners of the laundry room.

Then my wife decided to let the cat into a more comfortable area -- the carpeted part of the basement. Overnight, the cat again "disappeared," but there was a clue as to where she went -- the broken overhead light diffuser indicated that she had gotten into the drop ceiling where she spent the entire next day.

When I got home that night, both my wife and daughter were peering into the drop ceiling trying to locate the cat. They finally lured it out into an open area of the ceiling, so that I was able to remove tiles one-by-one to try to catch it. Eventually the only remaining tile was the one she was sitting on, but she managed to scoot away. At least my daughter saw the direction that the cat took off in, and I located the hiding spot. Finally, I grabbed the cat and dragged it from its spot.

I was very impressed by the cat's good behavior. No, not the shyness and aversion to us moving, living, breathing animals. But it tolerated all my somewhat manly handling without much protest, even though it was clearly terrified.

The cat is now upstairs with us in the Master bedroom and hides under the bed or in the closet. But it does sleep on a small afghan on the floor when we're not around and even cavorts playfully after we go to bed. She will not go on the bed unless my wife picks her up and places her there. Then she will stay for as long as she's being petted or brushed, and then toddles off to her hiding spot.

I don't like to use the flash when photographing cats, but I did in this case. Here she is, peering out at me from under the bed, more fur than flesh:

More Power Outage Ruminations

I had been working outside when the power was restored. I heard a neighbor's generator shut off. Immediately I looked at my house and noticed that the lights were on. I dropped my bow saw and ran up the hill to the house, pulling off my work gloves as I ran.

My first priority was to plug in the well pump motor and then set the circuit breaker for the furnace. But when I got down into the basement, it was so much darker than the outdoors. I couldn't see where the pump's plug was. I turned on my small key-chain flashlight to help me locate the plug and outlet.

Then I opened the breaker panel door, located the furnace breaker and switched it on. I was disappointed that I did not hear the circulating pumps start up. The power was out for so long that the furnace clock reset to midnight, which is programed as a setback period of no heat and hot water. So I would have to open the manual to figure out how to set the time on that furnace.

It wasn't until then that I realized that I didn't need the silly flashlight. I could just turn on the darn light in that room! I had actually forgotten that I could flip a switch to get light! I set the clock on the furnace computer and felt relief that it fired up.

Next I flushed the two toilets. We were running low on water in the bath tub, so it was hard to get enough water in the bucket to do a proper job of flushing. The water in them was dingy, but at least we kept the solid waste down the drain.

Then I went into the kitchen to call my wife (she was on a bus trip to NYC) and then her mother to let them know that we got our power back. Fortunately, my mother-in-law's power was already restored, so she didn't have to make the trip over to our dirty house to shower and warm up.

I spent the next twenty minutes loading the dishwasher, cleaning the sink and cleaning the floor around the pet food dishes. We had put off all this cleaning in order to conserve water. Besides, we had no desire to handle a wet sponge in a cold house for cleaning.

After that, I went back outside to pick up my gloves and bow saw and then cleaned up the remaining loose branches before it got too dark.

I had already thrown out most of the food in the freezer. But there was this one container of bean soup that my wife had put in there just a few days before the outage. I decided to make that my supper, along with some spelt bread toast topped with ghee. I ate in front of the laptop, enjoying the Internet at leisure. I suddenly realized then that I would not be participating in NaBloPoMo this year. (Then again, it's taking place on Blogher. Phooie. I wonder if there's a BlogHim for all us male bloggers? Probably not -- we're too lazy to do something that cool.)

I scooped the cat's litter boxes and eventually took a hot shower after my wife got home.

Ruminations on the Northeast Power Outage

We were without power from 3:52pm on Saturday, 10/29 to 4:15pm Saturday of the next week -- seven full days. The power outage was due to a heavy snowfall that brought many tree limbs down on power lines. The snow collected on deciduous trees whose leaves had still not turned color and fallen. Since the trees were not accustomed to bearing that much weight, they broke. I have never seen such devastation up close in my entire 48 years.

Our home was not damaged. However the fixture atop the lamppost was partly smashed. But worse is that the nice wooded path I blazed many years ago is now blocked by dense tangle of heavy branches.

When we lose electricity, our furnace does not run, so we lose heat and hot water. Of course, we lose lighting, refrigeration and entertainment. Since we have well water, the electric pump would not run, so we also were limited to whatever water had collected in the tank just prior to the outage. We had to limit water use severely. Fortunately, I had prepared by filling the bath tub with water about halfway. This allowed us to fill buckets for flushing the toilets. I also did collect snow melt from a downspout for additional water for flushing. Initially, I hadn't planned to fill the bath tub until just before bedtime. But we lost power for a few minutes prior to the main outage, so I decided to do it earlier as a precaution.

Thank goodness for Chinese restaurants. The place that provided our supper on Sunday was able to cook with propane. We bought the food there and brought it over to the supermarket, which was powered with a generator. We lived like that for most of the remaining days. We were also fortunate that one of our daughter's close friends got power back early and invited us to shower and do laundry, as well as hang out and eat meals there.

This power outage was inevitable. New Englanders are proud and protective of their trees. Roads and power lines were after-thoughts in communities that were founded near Indian footpaths by early settlers. Couple this with a profit hungry power distribution company, and you have countless trees that overhang power lines that run parallel small roads. There are still broken limbs dangling above the restored lines (or lines that haven't been hit yet). Those limbs will come down during a wind storm or the next heavy snow fall.

In Spring, one of our trees broke from gusts of wind. The part that remained stood a few feet from the power lines in front of our house. I called the power company out to have a look at it. I was certain they'd be concerned that it could fall and take down the lines. The representative was tactful in that he himself did not laugh. Instead, he explained that if he were to call in a request to have it removed, they'd laugh at him. "There are a thousand other trees much worse than that one," he said.

But the limbs that fell appeared healthy. And there are dead limbs on our trees that are still intact. So even if the utility had made an effort to remove damaged trees, the power outage would have been just as widespread as it was.

Solstice Lunar Eclipse

The upcoming Winter Solstice will have a lunar eclipse associated with it.

Find out more at this NASA web page.

Feather Atlas

Have you ever come across an unusual feather on the ground and wondered what bird it came from? If so, you'll appreciate the Feather Atlas, a project of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Dog Wisdom

My dog and I communicate even if we don't exchange words.

This morning, he wanted to go outside a second time before I left for work. Sometimes he needs to poop twice in a short period of time. I'd rather spend a little time to indulge him when he asks politely, rather than have him uncomfortable all day or respond to a soiled floor.

Yes, I did write "when he asks politely." That's what he does. He gets up suddenly from his repose and walks up to me and gives me the Humble but Pleading Look, "I'm sorry, it makes me sad, but I need to go outside, please." Sometimes he will bring his plushie squeekie toy.

"Do you want to go Outside, Buddy? Outside? Okay." So we went outside, again.

I know what you're thinking, "That's not a conversation," and "All dogs do that, big deal." But the real conversation didn't start until after we got outside, and I wanted to go back in so I could leave for work.

After pooping, he again rolled around on the grass, rubbing his back and snout into the frost-tainted grass. This cool weather is his favorite time of year. So I wasn't too surprised when he said, "Give me a belly rub."

I nearly walked past him. But then I thought to myself, "Why not?" He's nine years old. We should enjoy each other while he's still healthy. "Besides," I said to myself, "I can get a good look at his tumor." He had a benign tumor removed from a broken tooth last month, a fibrous carcinoma of the tooth. But it needs to be looked at in case it grows back. I can get a good look at it when he's lying on his back.

So after about a minute of belly rubbing and saying "Silly dog," I stopped. "Okay, let's take a look at that tooth." It was definitely back. I could see it clearly from this angle -- a red, chickpea of gum tissue seeping out around the sliver of the upper tooth that remained.

"Oh Buddy, we have to do something about that. The doctor said he would remove the tooth this time. Or we could do radiation. Which one do you want?"

In reply, he said, "I'll show you what I need," and he ran over to the brush pile to fetch a stick. But he all he could find on the ground was a skinny little twig. I walked over. He watched expectantly while I broke off a 16" length of oak branch that was about as thick as a hotdog.

This time I didn't taunt him with it, offering it and then pulling it away just before he grabs it. No, I simply handed it to him. His cure. He took it, walked a short distance and lay down to chew it.

I watched, expecting to see blood ooze onto the splintered wood, but surprisingly there was none. I grew cold as I stood over him watching. Leaves blew around us and fell from trees while he crushed the stick with his jaws. But I let him have his chew. Either it would cure the problem, or at least he'd enjoy himself.

After he chewed a few inches off the end, I roused ourselves, and I hurried inside. He followed reluctantly and came inside about a minute later.

Maybe he knows what he needs to help his mouth. White oak bark can help with inflamed gums. Perhaps he'd do better with a birch branch, whose bark contains Betulin, which is effective against tumors. Or maybe willow would be a good choice. Willow bark contains salicylates, which can act like aspirin. Native Americans used willow bark to relieve toothaches and other pain. I suspect he somehow knows this. He used to always chew sticks. But ever since his tooth broke, I've kept the sticks away from him.

But I think the dog knows best.

Little Bird

I wished for a ladder.


I crossed the parking lot and approached the building, a Chinese restaurant. I was astounded to find one.

So while my daughter and wife browsed inside the nearby consignment shop, I acted. That was the deal I made with myself -- if there were a ladder, I'd help, because I decided that this was test. To not act was to fail -- it was inhumane. So I set the ladder in place and climbed carefully.


There was not one bird but two stuck in the runny tar, next to a large ventilation unit. But only one bird, the one that I saw flapping from afar, was still alive and struggling.

I had hoped that just its leg was caught. But I was dismayed to find that its right wing was also stuck. I pried it off carefully and climbed down the ladder. Then I tried to figure out a way to hold it without getting my hands sticky as well. But instead I dropped it, and it fell onto the soft grass rather than fly away as I hoped it would.

Now what? I decided to find a heavily shaded area to let the bird rest in. I had water with me, too. So I set the bird down in the vegetation and placed a leaf full of water in front. Perhaps it could gather its strength and survive.


Back at home, I started to have nagging questions about the affair. Was the other bird its mate? Shouldn't I have kept them together? Was there a nest that I couldn't see behind the ventilation unit? The bird I "saved" probably won't survive with its wing disabled with grease or tar -- shouldn't I have taken it to a nature center? Why was the ladder in that spot anyway -- does this happen regularly? Are birds attracted by the grease in that area -- do they often get stuck and then have to get rescued by the restaurant workers? Should I have tried to contact someone at the restaurant?

Then I prayed that the bird would not suffer.