Saturday 24 March 2012

Another Bondi Rescue Vet Event

But it's further south and it's freshwater.
What is it about me, water and birds? Ha, like it happens daily!

Well not really but this is the second time.
This is what greets me the other morning.
Shit, I think. 'How'd a bloody bird end up in the pool?' There's a dead animal in my swimming hole.
Then I see that the head is above water and in fact moving. But only just and the eyes were sorta rolling.
'Far Out, how long have you been in there?'
'Well just a second or two longer whilst I photo blog this moment'  I thought and then I get the leaf scoop and net it out. It's a pigeon and not in a great way. Cold and I reckon exhausted.
I'm hoping it hasn't drunk or swallowed the pool water, I can see it needs warmth but first up is to dry this baby. 
And  it was. 
Well not quite a baby but a juvenile and maybe this had been a test flight, a training run that had resulted in a crash landing on the pool? No time for speculation for this required concentration.
Using kitchen towel, ultra absorbent, I gently dabbed and padded his undercarriage, between body and wing and all the downy breast feathers.
Luckily there was some gentle morning sun because this aided the drying process enormously but also provided some much needed warmth. You could feel its' nourishment. 
The patient was very compliant. Exhaustion!
After about 10min we were as dry as we were going to be. So I wrapped the bird up in kitchen paper, shaded the head but left the body in the sun and left em for a rest.
Quick mental check on Samba, the family cat. Yes he's fine he's out the front.
After about an hour there is a marked improvement. 
Sitting up strong, eyes open, moving wings. This is very good. 
I don't do a lot but do check in and have a bit of  conversation and then leave again.
I come back about an hour later and the bird is gone!   SAMBA!!!
oh no, he's out the front and it's then that I look up

There on top of the aerial. Sitting quite OK.
I say hello and i notice that muma pigeon is over on the other roof section.
It is at this moment that I know that 'My work here is done'
Mission Accomplished.

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