Buzzard (Burung Pemakan Bangkai)

Three Winters Ago

Me: Mr. Wood, I finally took a picture of one of those eagles? 

J.B.: Eagle? Are you sure? 

Me: Look at this. (Showing Mr. Wood previews of a couple of pictures I’d just taken in my friend Masrizal’s Canon.)

J.B.: Well, I gotta tell you something. This is what we call buzzard. 

Me: Buzzard? What is that? 

J.B.: Well, these are the local scavengers. 

Me: Wow, you just ruined my victory. 

J.B.: Well, I’m sorry, buddy. 

Me: Are you sure this is not an eagle. I know this is not the bald eagle. But it looks just like an eagle. 

J.B.: If it makes you happy, let’s just call them Arkansan Eagle. 

Me: …? 

This Year

Me: (Aiming a rifle to the sky, at a buzzard.) Len, do you think I can shoot him.

Len: Sure you can, but you’re not allowed to. 

Me: Why not? (I know I won’t shoot a bird.) 

Len: They’re a protected species. 

Me: But we see a lot of them. They’re not rare species, I believe. 

Len: They’re not rare, but look who will take care of the road kills if they’re not around? 

Me: Hmm… Yeah, right. They’re scavengers. Make sense now, yesterday around Huntsville I saw a lot of them on the road side. I guess they were doing their job.