2004-06-21
Rescuing Robins
Well, I�ve done my wildlife rescue for the day. Unlike dangerspouse (there, you�re up top again heheh) I don�t suck robins into my carburetor � instead, I save them from curious Labradors.As I was upstairs getting ready for work this morning, FloofyQ, who stays inside, was barking her fluffy head off, because D-Dog (who stays outside during the day) was barking HIS fool head off. I assumed it was just kids cutting through the yard or maybe a stray cat.
Well, as I was locking the back door, laden with purse and a bag to take with me, I noticed from where I could see a bit of the fence, that D-Dog was barking at the ground. It was a cross between his �let�s play� bark and his �ack it�s something new� bark. Then I heard it.
�peep peep peep peep peep peep peep!�
*sigh*
He wasn�t hurting it, just nosing it and occasionally, when he could, mouthing it. But I didn�t want him toying with it all day, so �
I put my stuff in the car and went to rescue whatever it was. In order to get to where he was, because of the layout of our yard and fence, I had t o go all the way around the house, under Partner�s hammock, and through the gate into the fenced dog run area, then across that land mine (tall grass � lots of poop � you get the picture) to where D-Dog had the vicious baby bird cornered by the air conditioning unit.
Finally, there was D-Dog, looking up at me as if to say �see? Aren�t I great? I subdued it! Ummm what IS it?� And a baby robin. It had some wing feathers, and red breast feathers, but still had striping on its head, so I presume it had been learning to fly and just sort of fluttered into hell there. I mean, D-Dog has a big nose, but when you�re the size of this baby robin, it was monstrous.
Anyway, I picked up the li�l guy and got him all settled in my hand, and made sure he wasn�t hurt (he wasn�t). Then I came to a sudden realization.
I had a baby bird in my hand. I only have two hands, so this left one hand. %*(#$.
Ok let me explain.
I walk with two canes. So, with two canes and two hands, that leaves exactly zero hands for a baby bird. Since a baby bird was now IN one hand, that left only one hand for a cane. And I need two. At least, I need two to do anything more than hobble. And I had the whole land mine infested dog run, open and shut the gate, and across the front yard to go to get baby bird to somewhere reasonably safe.
Like I said, !@#$%.
Hobble I did, with D-Dog right there with me in case I happened to drop the bird. I�m not sure if he thought it was a toy, because he wasn�t trying to get it away from me, he just seemed to want to know what the hell it was. I made it through the dog yard without activating any land mines (and thereby necessitating a change of shoes before work), and got through the gate. Lock the gate, go under the hammock � yeah cool, almost there. I just managed to reach the sidewalk before my knee gave out and I fell (luckily it was the sidewalk and not the mud, which would have meant a change of clothes, too).
Since I�ve been walking with canes or crutches since I was almost two years old, over the years I�ve learned various useful and entertaining ways to fall. When I was little, I had the metal crutches with those arm pieces that flipped up. I learned early to ditch the crutches when I fell so I didn�t break an arm or clonk myself with a crutch. So with a flick of my wrist I would fling the crutches aside and drop to the ground when I fell. Of course, to any observer, it looked like I�d suffered quite the splat, as metal crutches make a lot of noise when they go flying. But hey, it was better than breaking an arm in the damn things. I also learned early on to tell people �no, really, I�m ok � thanks, I�m ok � really� *sigh*
Back to the bird in hand.
I successfully manipulated the fall so I fell on my relatively well padded butt, my hand frozen in its protective position around the bird, arm in the air, so that the li�l guy probably never noticed more than a gently swaying. (I�ve fallen with a glass of water and not spilled any before). I sat there a moment and had to snicker, because if anyone had been watching they�d have seen an old lady with a cane fall on her sidewalk on her butt, legs flying up in the air, then gently set something on the grass and roll over, butt now in the air, to climb back to her feet. Which I did. Laughing.
Anyway, bird gently in hand once more, I got to the side of the house where most the bushes and no dogs were. We have a wren, robins and starlings all nesting near that corner, and robins were flying around the yard, so I figured they�d find the nestling there and hopefully keep feeding it until it learns to fly better. I have no idea which nest is his, so I didn�t want to put him in the wrong one. Hopefully, he�ll be ok. I�ll check on him when I get home.
I know I�m going to get notes saying the parents won�t come back if I�d held the bird � but that is an old wives� tale. Birds can�t smell, for one, except for the vulture clan. And every wildlife rescue place I know will tell you the best thing you can do for a baby bird its just put it somewhere safe and usually the parents will take care of it. So, that�s why I don�t have a baby robin here on my desk. That and the fact that they�re listed as songbirds, and songbirds are protected. Just about every bird is protected these days except chickens.
So, that was my exciting wildlife rescue for the day, which made me half an hour late for work. Luckily, it�s summer and everyone is a lot more laid back and lenient this time of year. And they know how I am about wildlife. Heheh.
That�s all for now ... perhaps I�ll have an update tonight when I see how things worked out.
Mitakuye Oyasin
Walk in Balance (especially while carrying a baby bird)
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