My husband is of the opinion that I am a kind of magnet for animals in need, but I'm pretty sure that I'm just a bit more observant regarding wildlife than is the average person. Take our Memorial Day weekend bike ride, for example.
Sunday evening the husband and I were biking home from the “Uptown” area of south Minneapolis. We were headed east on the Midtown Greenway, which is a pleasant, dedicated bike and walking path created in an old, sub-level railroad right-of-way. We were traveling fairly fast when out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something small and scraggly, standing forlornly by the bike path. I circled back to get a better look at the thing, and found myself confronted with the ugliest little creature you could imagine, standing there in a puzzled manner next to the trail while riders whizzed by on their bikes. I quickly came to the conclusion that the homely little thing was a partly fledged baby pigeon, which I was fairly certain was too young to be out on its own. There were 2 dead birds on the ground beside it and no adult bird in sight, so I could only surmise that either the nest had blown down from the concrete overpass or the parents were dead. Meanwhile, my husband had continued riding while I stood there, desperately trying to figure out how to carry the hatchling home. My my bike has no carrier or basket, and the plastic bag my husband carried might have suffocated the little bird. Finally I made a decision, tucked my windshirt into my waistpack belt, snatched the little guy up and stuffed him down the front of my shirt, then hopped back on my bike and carefully pedaled down the path. I caught up with my better half and apprised him of the situation with a perky exclamation of "I have a baby pigeon in my shirt!" Long suffering husband replied with a slight roll of the eyes and a weary "I believe you".
I rode the final mile and a half home with the ugly, precious little bundle securely nestled into my jacket sleeve, peeping quietly. We arrived home intact and I set the peeper up in a pet carrier for the night with some soft toweling, a bit of birdseed and plenty of water. The next morning I set off for the Wildlife rehab center and turned my homely baby over into the capable hands of the day shift veterinarian, who remarked that they all just love baby pigeons because they are quite sweet, docile and unafraid of humans. She confirmed my opinion that the little guy was too young to be on its own and needed some time in “rehab”. When I described for her how I carried the thing home on my bike she queried "Weren't you afraid of getting mites"?
Mites?!? I had completely forgotten about those!
I swear that I itched for the rest of the day…
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Comments: 38
[Interrupting my own train of thought to add: Yay, Greenway!]
Bleh, mites. Isn't it amazing how many creepy-crawlies love the wildlife? We've saved baby squirrels in the past (and yes, brought them to the WRC) and one was just covered with fleas, but the intake person was totally calm about it. In fact, she was obsessed with the heating pad we brought in with the little guy - we figured it was the least we could do to leave the pad too.
No mites so far! I'm pretty careful about always washing or bathing after handling wildlife, and my clothes go right into the laundry. Fleas, ticks, mites, ringworm, roundworms - they all just go with the territory when you deal with wild animals.
Julia, the funniest part was my husband's reaction to my declaration, which bordered on blase. It seems he's become pretty accustomed to my wildlife rescue antics. It was very kind of you to give the WRC your heating pad, BTW. You should see the mammal nursery - heating pads everywhere. We go through them really, really quickly, so that's one donation we are always happy to accept.
You'll have to show me the pigeon tomorrow night at the WRC, okay?
I have a thing for pigeons (rock doves). I think their iridescent plumage is lovely, and I like their body shapes - the elegant, smaller females and the big, burly males (especially when they puff out their chests to impress the babes). When I watch their heads bob I think "boop boop boop" - they ought to make that sound.
I've been feeding the city pigeons (and sparrows, mice, and rabbits) for many years at my parking lot. I started one cold winter when I noticed them sitting forlornly in a tree alongside the lot, and figured city birds have a tough life. So, I keep a bin of bird seed and peanuts in my car, and enjoy watching them flock around me every morning. I call them "little fatties."
History tidbit: homing pigeons were true heroes in WWI and WWII. Some were given high honors by the Brits for their faithful service.
It is a part of your good heart, and I'm sure that was one of the things that drew him to you in the first place.
Good to know about the heating pads...maybe a heating pad drive is in order :-)
http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1075/3302-0009.jpg
"I've been feeding the city pigeons (and sparrows, mice, and rabbits) for many years at my parking lot. I started one cold winter when I noticed them sitting forlornly in a tree alongside the lot, and figured city birds have a tough life. So, I keep a bin of bird seed and peanuts in my car, and enjoy watching them flock around me every morning." -Zeldapie
Permission denied!
(Do I look like a weird bird lady, like the crazy cat lady in the Simpsons?)
I know that some of the animal species I save are considered pests by others, but hey, I think every baby deserves a chance.
Stay tuned for an update tomorrow night.
I don't know about the bird lady--until a year ago I worked at the foot of Broadway right near that pier--but there was a guy in a parking lot across the street from me who fed pigeons. You could see him wearing a cloak of pigeons every now and then. Some of my co-workers were disgusted.
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I checked in on my ugly little half-fledged baby tonight, and he's doing very well according to the avian nursery intern! He's gained some more feathers (I guess they come in very fast at this age) and was sitting in his basket, having knocked over his toilet paper nest (baby birds get a "nest" made from a margarine tub lined with toilet paper). Apparently he feels he no longer needs a nest, and has reportedly been eating on his own, which is a very good sign. The future is looking bright for the little feathery urchin.
My sons have rescued a couple of chicks over the years, but the little Cooper's hawk I brought to the wildlife center was too traumatized to survive his own injuries *plus* the rescue event. :-( My co-worker rescued a baby owl last year.
The more we "develop" the land, the more rescues will be needed, I suppose.
We've had a series of catastrophes at our house this year, birdwise. Lots of babies fallen out of nests and somehow, it's always on the concrete in front of our door. :(
Dannielle, you are so right. Human development keeps creeping into the last vestiges of "wild" land, and it has a severe impact on the animal populations living there. There are a lot of species in very worrisome declines. Your comment about the trauma a wild animal receives from injury & rescue is right on target. It's a bit of a conundrum because an animal that is easy to catch may be too ill/injured to be rehabilitated, and many die just from shock alone. On the other hand, catching them *before* they are severely ill or injured can be nearly impossible. This was a happy rescue, so far the signs point to the eventual successful raising and release of this little guy.
Janell, high winds and storms do sometimes cause baby birds to fall out of nests. Predators can also be culprits - crows, for example eat other baby birds and may drop them in flight. We got a bunny that way just the other day - a raptor dropped it in mid-air, and the person who saw it brought the bunny in.
Jessie, I put up with plenty of my husband's eccentricities, so I guess he can live with the odd animal rescues. Thanks for stopping by!
Me too I love riding mountain bikes, I guess it helps us appreciate things more.
Very warmth Auntie Smedley...
If my life had been different I'd have been a rehab specialist.
Actually you saw that rarest of all birds- a baby pigeon.
I've seen one or two, fully fledged. The only way you can tell about juveniles is that they still peep.
I am glad I am not the only animal savior around.
While I think animals and many species need to be protected, pigeons are definitely not one of them. (I still think your article was funny and engaging;-)
Thanks, Mike! I haven't been featured in a while (I haven't been publishing much) so it was a nice surprise.
Cynthia, I know we have enough pigeons. But I think this little baby deserved a chance. We kill so many animals with our cars and our destruction of the environment, I like to give back a little, even if it's a species some consider a nuisance.
Mariana, we are indeed lucky because both California and Minnesota have organizations that care enough for wildlife to rehab injured/sick/orphaned animals. I know we can't save them all, but at least those of us who are willing to get involved have the satisfaction of actually DOING something about the situation, instead of just walking away from it. I think doves are beautiful, whether they be mourning doves, domestic doves, or common rock doves (pigeons).