A good number of blackbirds, starlings and cowbirds were feasting on the
"road kill" migrating painted lady butterflies along hwy 95 as I
traveled between Spokane and Riggins, Idaho over the weekend. A few of
these scavenger birds themselves became road kills and were, in turn,
scavenged by the magpies. Yes, one fledgling magpie was also a victim
of the carnage caused by our automobiles. And so the food chain
continues whether naturally or not. It seems that except for the yellow
fatty splash on the windshields, not much else was wasted as even the
house sparrows were cleaning off the automobile grills at the service
station. It was reassuring to watch the continuing stream of painted
lady butterflies pass through my backyard upon my return. At least a
few made it this far. I wish I could say the same for the birds who
were weekend highway fatalities.
Gary Kuiper
Spokane, WA