My First Dead [19.02.24]
Since I finally have a house, and a garden, and the ability to take part in a hobby like vulture culture, I've finally gotten the chance to start on my first project!
A bit over a week ago, a dead juvenile seagull turned up next to a road in my neighbourhood. He was beautifully intact, I assume fresh, just lying there in the grass verge. I saw him on my way into work, admired him for a moment and then was a little sad because I assumed he'd be gone by the time I got back. He wasn't though. He actually stayed there for almost a week, completely untouched. Really weird, I think perhaps because there are a lot of dogs in the neighbourhood, no foxes came to get him, and for some reason no-one else decided to clean him up. So, after a little thought, I decided I'd have him. Attempting not to look like a fucking weirdo to the nice families of the neighbourhood, difficult since I'm already a gay punk, I went down and collected him in the night.
The gull as I found him.
I've gotta admit I kind of went into this without properly preparing much because I wanted to grab the gull before he disappeared, so the events went as follows:
- I collected the gull into a plastic bag
- I realise I haven't prepared anywhere to bury him, so he's left on the deck still wrapped in his bag
- I stab a few holes into a plastic box I don't need, then dig a hole in the back garden to place it in
- I put some soil into the box, place the gull into it, then bury him over with the rest of the dirt
Seeing him up close, he had a compound fracture to his right wing, which I suppose might be part of what killed him. Maybe he was hit by a car. I was a bit worried he might have died from Bird Flu, which might be why nothing had touched him, so I was very careful while handling him, but I think possibly he was just hit.
I buried the gull on 15.02.24, and I figure at this point, I just leave him to rot down. I have no idea how long that takes, and I can't find many websites that talk much about methods and timeframes, so I guess we'll just wing it. Right now, I'm thinking that leaving him for 3-6months should do it, and that gives me plenty more time for research. I'm still not sure what I want to do with his bones, either - whether I want to try articulating his skeleton, or just keeping select bones like his skull - so I'll ponder on that while I wait.
Rest well, little dude. Can't wait to see your bones.