The Pigeon and the Hawk
So - yesterday was one of THOSE days.
Among our other roles, Mr. Spoon and I are volunteer transporters for a bird and turtle rehab facility which is about four hours away. We generally go pick a bird up from the rescuer and relay it down to another transporter so that we aren't doing the full 8 hour trip ourselves.
So I got a call yesterday that there was an injured raptor about an hour south of us. Mr. Spoon was gone for the day, so I started packing up the supplies to take the old beater. At that point, Mr. Spoon called and said he was tagged about a bird on Facebook, so before I headed out, I tried to find out what the tag was all about. He called back and said it was the same bird. So, okay, no worries - off I went. Our regular next leg wasn't available, so the plan was that I would bring the bird home and then assess from there.
The raptor was (my best guess) a little juvenile sharp shinned hawk. I didn't have a good feeling as soon as I saw him . . . the injuries looked significant. So I called to check in with the rehab, and with their permission, I begged our personal local vet for an assist. And drove back to our town, knowing the outlook was not good.
The vet confirmed my suspicions - both of the hawk's wings were badly broken. Knowing it was the only humane option, he gently euthanized the handsome little bird.
And I came home and cried. It isn't that I am a sap - it's that I am a sap. And I called my mom, and I felt very low.
And then I looked at Facebook a couple hours later, and had a message that made it clear we HAD been talking two different birds. I was able to catch Mr. Spoon in the town still where the bird was (providence) and so he came home with a fledgling pigeon.
The rehab doesn't discriminate - it takes any bird - even what some might call "trash" species. I admire their philosophy. I admit, a little pigeon is not nearly as handsome as a hawk. But it reminded me of a song posted to the rehabbers' Facebook just a couple days ago:
Celtic Thunder: All God's Creatures
So, after consulting last night and this morning, little pigeon is only a few days from being independent. Given that no other injuries exist, I'll be fostering it until we can release.
It may not be the prettiest bird in the choir, but boy, it has a personality!
- 6
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