Someone once said to me “you have a lot of bird stuff in your house, haven’t you?” This came as quite a surprise, but I did a quick inventory and confirmed that, yes, between feathers, pictures, photos, wooden wall hangings, ornaments and fabrics I do seem to have a thing about birds!
After my wonderful geese, rescuing Merlina the wounded crow was one of the most satisfying animal experiences I have ever had. I didn’t think I would be able to repeat this, especially as my next rescue bird happened to be a “street pigeon” with a wonky wing. After Merlina’s antics and staggering intelligence Picchio the pigeon seemed a bit – well – boring really.
I got him a companion from the agricultural supplies shop, the rather large Suki, who was presumably saved from being the contents of someone’s pie. Little and Large, they sat together in the aviary and watched the world go by in their laid back way. I gradually accustomed myself to their calmer energy and quite enjoyed the fact they flew over to see me if I called them, unlike Merlina who would give me the avian equivalent of two fingers if I tried to coax her near.
Freedom – Part One
Spurred on by my sister’s pleas for their freedom, I decided one day to let them go. Picchio flew straight off never to return, while Suki kind of nose dived onto the grass. Great. So now I had a healthy pigeon who couldn’t fly, bought as a companion to a “wounded” pigeon who could fly, and I was back to square one. I had to get the companion a companion.
Back I went to the shop and obtained the lovely Lulu, sleek, white and bright as a button. She too would have been destined for the pot eventually I think.
As time went on the pigeons started to build a nest and lay some eggs. The nest was made from a basket balanced precariously on top of their house – an adapted mini greenhouse for raising plants in the cold – which they had filled with straw. They took turns to sit on it, but as they were both supposed to be female, nothing happened.
One Sunday morning a couple of months ago I went in to find Suki bleeding from the nose and mouth staggering around and breathing roughly. I was horrified. Clearly she was in a bad way and I knew what I ought to do, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I even thought about putting her in a bag and reversing the car over it, but of course I didn’t do that either. Instead I kept her warm and fed her water from a dropper.
Over the next couple of days she rallied and is now, to my tremendous surprise, absolutely fine. I dread to think of what life she would have missed had the vet been open that day.
Freedom – Part Two
Last Sunday I decided that I was going to let them go. I was fed up seeing them pace up and down the aviary as other birds wheeled and cried overhead. But this time I had a cunning plan. I created a small fenced enclosure in the alpaca paddock, in a quiet corner under some pine trees. I shfted all their gear in their (little house, feeding bowls, twig climbing thingy, strange table made from tree trunk) and finally the poor petrified birds themselves. This took me the WHOLE day in over 35 degree heat!
Lulu was sitting on the nest (still!) so I had to face her puffing herself up and flapping her wings at me as she tried to defend herself. I put both stressed out birds in their new roofless enclosure and then moved the basket and nest there too.
Once they had recovered it was wonderful to see how they reacted. The nest was rediscovered and branches that led up and up and up, and grass. And so’ having made sure the enclosure was fox proof, I left them to their first night as free birds.
The next day I was fully prepared for them to have either been eaten or flown away but no, Lulu was on the nest and Suki was on a high branch and came hopping and fluttering down (she still can’t fly properly) when she heard my voice.
You have no idea how much pleasure this has given me. Seeing animals which are free to escape if they want to choosing to stay is immensely moving. Watching them discover trees and being able to fly and sit on the nearby cemetery roof or flit from one tree to the next is quite magical.
Even if it doesn’t last, for whatever reason, I am so glad I let them go. They are having the time of their lives!