Calamity broke the peace.

This is one of those posts with a twist in its tail...

...as the scenes were very peaceful, with a Hadeda Ibis at the front, and some Guinea Fowls at the back.

Lovely to see that the Hadeda did not disturb the Guineafowls, as at this stage they were all eating together. Two totally different bird species, and we can certainly learn from the harmony between the birds. What I mean to say is, as humans we camp ourselves with those that like us, and we don't easily accept strangers. But come and see what happened here on this day.

What a peaceful sight as the birds gathered.

But then, the peace was totally wrecked.

So many times in life we experience unexpected setbacks, and some of them can be very dangerous. We feel just as helpless as what happened here, especially when we feel that we stand no chance against the odds, but somehow there is always an escape that becomes available. Guineafowls are frail critters and we as humans are also frail beings. So, all of this came to my mind when I watched what happened here.

A stray dog arrived at high speed.

And the dog headed FOR THE BIRDS.

During the chase, the guineafowls managed to run away from the dog's attack. But then, they saw that things were getting too close for comfort, as the dog was very fast.

So, finally, they all flew away squawking (swearing):)

It really broke my heart to see this, and I was too far away to scare the dog off, and so I could just stand and watch how the scenes unfolded. Many think that guineafowls can't fly, but that is a myth as you saw them fly here. In my eagerness to get them flying on the camera, the shot became slightly blurred, and I cannot blame the light as it was my own mistake. All that I can say is that I had only split seconds to take the shot.

I don't know if you saw the pun in the introduction about the twist in its tail, as it fits with the dog that has a tail. It really disturbs me to watch occasions like this, and I am only thankful that the dog did not manage to catch one of the fowls. So, after all things turned out well and I only worry if the birds would return but I think that they might be used to these escapes from danger.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

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