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The Further Adventures of our feathered friend Jack
Yes I named him. And yes I did it in the most fangirly way possible. He is Captain Jack Hawkness. For the benefit of any TW people reading let me explain my reasoning:
1. He is very pretty, and knows it
2. He had no problem taking over an area that wasn’t his to start with and made it his own. It is now his yard, his scooter, his shed etc…etc…etc…
3. He has this habit of getting to the roof of the highest building he can (our shed) and looking over the edge
Oh yeah, he’s a Captain Jack for sure (of course I say this, but I still don’t know for sure the bird is a he). And yes I know that naming animals you know you can’t keep is a dumb idea, I just can’t stop myself. Even though I know that bringing him in was the best thing to do, I’m gonna miss the feathery little guy. You see, today Anthony was finally able to get in touch with someone from the Raptor House. They were much more helpful than the person we talked to at the other place. They suggested we take the bird to the veterinarian’s office in Benton City. That is who they use to first check birds out and treat if necessary. From there they would take the bird in for rehab and hopeful release back into the wild. If something is wrong that would keep the bird from being able to survive in the wild they will continue to care for them and use them at the center for educating people about the birds. Win-Win I’m thinking.
So we borrowed a jumbo sized dog crate (seriously jumbo, I could probably have fit inside. Well maybe not quite, but close!), Anthony put on his long motorcycle gloves and went out into the yard. At this point I was imagining all sorts of ways this capture was going to go and none of them very smoothly. I was honestly surprised they didn’t want to come get it themselves or send someone, but they said to just throw a towel over the bird and pick it up. Well he didn’t even need the towel! He just picked the bird up and in the crate it went. I have never been able to get a single cat or dog into a crate that easily. While feeling a bit cheated on the excitement side, I was relieved that no one got hurt in the transfer. Well no one other than Jack’s pride that is.
Once we had the crate loaded in the car I had a dumb idea. I figured that since you are supposed to cover the cages of normal birds to keep them calm that we should throw something over part of the crate. Perfectly calm and happy Jack turned to scrambling trying to claw his way out Jack. So now I know, he doesn’t like not being able to see at all (in my defense I was later told that my assumption wasn’t necessarily dumb, just didn’t apply to all birds as a rule). I ripped it off as quickly as possible and then he went back to watching from between the seats calm as can be.
The only time he scrambled a little was on the entrance and exit ramps for the freeway and he couldn’t get a good grip on the bottom.
The best part of the ride was getting to watch him. I never thought I’d get the chance to see such a beautiful bird up close that like, it was totally awesome. Even weird things like LOOK AT HIS FEET! Totally huge, and now I’m even gladder that he seemed to like us! He could probably have done some serious damage if he wanted to!
So his slight loss of dignity aside, we had a rather uneventful trip to the vet’s office. When we got there they were already expecting us and one of the vets was ready with gloves to take him to the back. After people got a good look at him that is, showing off didn’t seem to bother him at all.
When she came back to the front of the office to get our information the woman was very helpful and was able to tell us a lot. I just wish I could remember her name….memory fail there….Martha? Marsha? Something like that. I’ll probably remember when I least expect it….ANYHOW – After we told her how we found the bird and all that good stuff she told us what was going to happen. They would be giving it fluids like an IV, but through his mouth. Once he’s well hydrated they would make sure he got something to eat. She said he wasn’t starved BUT they normally eat A LOT and he did seem to be underfed. Depending on how well it goes it would be somewhere between couple days to a week before they will contact the Raptor House in Selah and transport him there. Then they will be the ones that do whatever rehab needs to be done and eventually set him free. She asked if we wanted to stay updated, and of course we do, so she took down our phone number.
We also found out that Jack was the second Red Tailed Hawk to be brought in today. To all of you in
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birdlovers that were able to figure that out what kind of bird it was so quickly – way to go!! One of the people in the waiting area had thought it was a white tail, but the vet confirmed you were right. If only I had thought to ask if Jack was a boy or girl. Must remember to ask when they call. Apparently this has become a common problem with the Red Tailed Hawks. She told us that the eggs are laid days apart the baby birds are actually all different ages. The parents will often judge which baby has the best chance of thriving and push the other(s) out of the nest to give it the best chance at life *insert gasp for poor baby runt bird jack here!* Just so you know, I’m now convinced that mamma bird and daddy bird are a-holes. While I realize this is the way nature works, I’m not so much a fan.So that is basically all that I know right now. Since she has promised to keep us informed I’m sure I’ll have at least one more update for you. Thanks again for all the comments and emails, have I mentioned how much I love how helpful everyone has been?
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no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 12:39 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-06-19 10:20 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-06-20 04:09 am (UTC)From:The slight loss of dignity sounds more like Ianto than Jack. Though the showing off bit is definitely Jack,
I'm glad that Jack is getting the help that he needs and that you will get updated as well.
I hope he comes back to see you when he is released!
no subject
Date: 2009-06-20 02:24 pm (UTC)From:They *do* try to release the birds near the area they came from (which is why they also took our address). People have tried to cheer me up with the image of him coming back and tapping his beak on my window LOL
no subject
Date: 2009-06-22 05:40 am (UTC)From:As for the tapping on the window it could happen!!! Birds are crazy creatures. We had a crow in our backyard and we named him Frank. He would come when you called him and he would fly over me when I walked to and from school. He randomly disappeared one day and I am pretty sure he is dead by now but it was funny while it lasted. So Captain Jack Hawkness tapping on your window isn't that improbable.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-20 03:31 pm (UTC)From:I want to know more, thanks to share with us !
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Date: 2009-06-20 09:12 pm (UTC)From:And that makes you a hero, but only if you don't judge me clapping when Jack killed the robin....maybe your save cancelled out his kill?
I'll hopefully have more to update next week, thanks for reading :)
no subject
Date: 2009-06-20 09:47 pm (UTC)From:Your Jack is soooo cute, he can do what he wants !!!
Yes I wait for more !!!;)
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Date: 2009-06-26 05:09 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 05:02 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 05:09 am (UTC)From: