Day 38
Persephone joins the ship overnight. Initially named Percy, it is discovered by an ornithologist, also a passenger, that he is in fact a female bird. Persephone is a young peregrine falcon who has accidently found herself on board after we left Madeira.
Feelings for Persephone change over her time on board from the initial excitement that a land bird is now travelling on a ship to utter disgust that she is catching and eating all the young sea birds who come to rest on the masts.
I must admit it is a little disconcerting to find feathers and carcass remains on the deck during our morning walk.
As predicted by ‘The Bird Lady’, as our travelling ornithologist is now named, Persephone is no longer with us when we approach the Caribbean. A soon as she saw land she obviously flew off to a new home on the other side of the Atlantic. Falcons are not sea birds, so she has done well.
Her presence has however, made us all more aware of the bird life around us and it is not long before ‘The Bird Lady’ is asked to give some talks. To her surprise the theatre is full for each talk. Before each port of call, we learn about the bird life to expect to see. Having not been particularly interested in birds, I am surprised to find myself enjoying being able to identify different ones.