As I approached the nest,
I scan the ground looking for eggshells. I can hardly believe what I see.
A chick is on the ground.
How could that be? The parents worked tirelessly to build up the nest edges with additional twigs.
How could that be? The parents worked tirelessly to build up the nest edges with additional twigs.
(Though I originally thought a Red-Shouldered Hawk had found the nest, I later learned that the chick accidentally fell.)
I hoped it was
alive because I’d seen this amazing video of the terrifying cliff tumble of Barnacle goslings.
And look at this short video of Merganser chicks jumping 50 feet from their nest. Their bodies are made for these jumps, though.
I gently put my hand under
its body and felt its warmth. After gathering some ground material to put in my bike basket, I set chick in it, then texted Ed Straight at Wildlife, Inc. He said, “I’m here, come to the back
door.”
I took the chick to Ed.
I'm so grateful for Ed and Gayle and their non-profit company Wildelife, Inc., and their work to rehab and release injured wildlife. They have helped our neighborhood many times. (Darren came to get this Snowy Egret unable to eat and weakened after heavy summer storms.)
I'm so grateful for Ed and Gayle and their non-profit company Wildelife, Inc., and their work to rehab and release injured wildlife. They have helped our neighborhood many times. (Darren came to get this Snowy Egret unable to eat and weakened after heavy summer storms.)
Like Dorothy with Toto in
her basket, I peddled as fast as I could home. I grabbed a soft fleece my
grandson gave me for Christmas because it was full of love. While driving
there, I thought I heard a peep.
Ed put the chick in a warm
incubator. He said it was alive, though barely. Perhaps there’s a chance.
I stopped at the nest
before going home. It was dusk, but I saw Mama night-heron standing on the edge
of the nest and a bit later two chick siblings pop their heads up.
At the same time, in the same Slash Pine tree, a third
pair was courting and building a nest. Him fetching twigs for the nest-weaving project.
And Mama night-heron in the second nest was carefully keeping her newly hatched chicks warm.
Various stages of life in one view.
(This helped me integrate my day. Earlier I visited a friend in a beautiful Tidwell Hospice home and her gently attentive daughter who I love so much. There, I saw this friend close to the beginning of the big adventure of leaving and loved ones sharing experiences of their day. Simultaneously, in the oversized windows of a view of a lake, life was fluttering with dragonflies, Sandhill Cranes, butterflies, and duck pairs.)
Leaving the night heron nesting area, I found another eggshell. That makes 5 chicks minus 1 that fell in the first nest, 2 chicks in the second, and an unknown number of eggs that will soon be laid in the 3rd nest.
As I walked away, in a nearby tree I saw a male night-heron. I cannot distinguish the pairs. I wonder if it was the male parent of the fallen chick. Scientists do not talk about birds having feelings. Yet, as I looked up, I thought of my friend's daughter and all the feelings and thoughts that come with the loss of a beloved.
Various stages of life in one view.
(This helped me integrate my day. Earlier I visited a friend in a beautiful Tidwell Hospice home and her gently attentive daughter who I love so much. There, I saw this friend close to the beginning of the big adventure of leaving and loved ones sharing experiences of their day. Simultaneously, in the oversized windows of a view of a lake, life was fluttering with dragonflies, Sandhill Cranes, butterflies, and duck pairs.)
Leaving the night heron nesting area, I found another eggshell. That makes 5 chicks minus 1 that fell in the first nest, 2 chicks in the second, and an unknown number of eggs that will soon be laid in the 3rd nest.
As I walked away, in a nearby tree I saw a male night-heron. I cannot distinguish the pairs. I wonder if it was the male parent of the fallen chick. Scientists do not talk about birds having feelings. Yet, as I looked up, I thought of my friend's daughter and all the feelings and thoughts that come with the loss of a beloved.
