Chanticleer

Caruso the cockerel has been blipped before but the fact has to be faced that every day could be his last. Resplendent with his comb, wattles and earlobes all aglow and his shawl of neck feathers gleaming in the sun, he is in peak condition for the spring. Unfortunately he is also a prime target for the hungry foxes who are just in the middle of their breeding season. I have heard their harsh voices in the night as they seek their mates. Vixens are looking for dens and as soon as they have pupped the male foxes will need to keep them supplied with fresh food. The cockerel's 'clear song' carries way across the fields and must be a very attractive meal prospect for Reynard.

In the medieval story retold by Chaucer in the Nun's Priest's tale Chanticleer outwits his wily captor by appealing to his sense of pride, after the fox has tricked him into showing off his singing prowess and closing his eyes to crow. Sadly, several of Caruso's predecessors have failed to outwit Reynard in this way. A couple of others simply 'fell fowl' of the stenuous business of cockdom and dropped off the perch stone dead!