Mirror, mirror on the...waaaahh

February 2, 2017 5:48 AM

A kestrel takes a shine to a Highways England CCTV camera at Junction 11a of the M5 in Gloucestershire. First spotted by traffic officers in October 2016, the kestrel is seen on separate occasions checking its reflection in the camera, struggling against high winds and being assailed by a magpie and a raven
posted by moody cow (23 comments total)

That is a good birb who looks like he is trying to pass on an urgent message. I wonder if it is similar in content to whatever woke baby was trying to tell us.
posted by a fiendish thingy at 6:01 AM on February 2, 2017 [13 favorites]

Who's a pretty kestrel? YOU are!
posted by rtha at 6:27 AM on February 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

that magpie should nope the fuck out of there
posted by lalochezia at 6:46 AM on February 2, 2017

Magpies are a law unto themselves. There's no reasoning with them.
posted by orrnyereg at 6:50 AM on February 2, 2017 [6 favorites]

kestrel would reason its guts out
posted by lalochezia at 7:01 AM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

This post was great enough, but then the link to woke baby in the very first link?

HUGE FAN.
posted by joyceanmachine at 7:19 AM on February 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

I think I prefer the news in this timeline.

• Goat runs amok in Carrickfergus
• Deer skips across Poole harbour at sunrise
• New Zealand cows' owner tells of earthquake rescue

posted by Celsius1414 at 7:44 AM on February 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Aww, who's a cute witto death-bringer-from-above? YOU IS! YOU IS!
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:58 AM on February 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

That deer is the definition of nonchalance. Clackity-prance all day, motherfuckers.
posted by Diablevert at 8:02 AM on February 2, 2017 [12 favorites]

Okay, that deer video? It has popped up here on the Blue before, and someone procured a word for that deer's boing boing boingy gait. Can someone help me out with that word?
posted by workerant at 9:41 AM on February 2, 2017

Pronking or Stotting.
posted by Major Clanger at 9:46 AM on February 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

The corvids are the best part. "Yaha! Tweak! Haha!"
posted by not_the_water at 9:50 AM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Reminds me of an old classic headline...
posted by kersplunk at 9:52 AM on February 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

In fact, checking the route I'm driving tomorrow (Birmingham to near Swindon) I'll be leaving the M5 at J11a. I'll have a look out for narcissistic raptors.
posted by Major Clanger at 10:00 AM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

That Kestrel has such an innocent and hopeful look on its face for something which has bathed in the living blood of its fellow creatures thousands of times.
posted by jamjam at 10:05 AM on February 2, 2017 [7 favorites]

My grandmother's all-purpose answer to things like this was, "Well, he must be sick!" The best application of which was when we put a plastic crow in a pear tree in the backyard and told her it wouldn't move, no matter how close she got.
posted by lagomorphius at 10:16 AM on February 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

The ending is a special kind of bird awkward -- "ok ok oh no I'm gonna fall o...f....f........."
posted by PandaMomentum at 10:37 AM on February 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

It feels like this has significance as to the current state of of the faerie realm.
posted by Artw at 11:00 AM on February 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

Sure the kestral is cute now but just you wait. A couple more videos and it will have youtube voice and being doing product unboxings and endorsements while begging for thumbs ups and subscriptions.
posted by srboisvert at 11:46 AM on February 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

being assailed by a magpie and a raven

Same.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:34 PM on February 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Probably intentionally redundant for emphasis. Like those old-timey insults, such as "Thou'rt a scoundrel and a rogue!"

(Both of which applies to magpies.)
posted by darkstar at 1:07 PM on February 2, 2017

'birb' is my new favorite word.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:24 AM on February 3, 2017

Sure enough, I saw a kestrel at that junction. No idea if it's the same one though; they're pretty common around British motorways due to the ready supply of roadkill snacks.
posted by Major Clanger at 2:00 PM on February 3, 2017 [2 favorites]