Hi--

This was just posted to the VTBIRD listserve, and this person's 
(male or female I don't know) story is so lovely, I teared up a 
couple of times reading it.

J

J. Schulte wrote:

> Greetings!  I am in Jericho and am new to this listserve.  I want to thank those 
> of you who have mentioned the Pine Grosbeaks at the Essex Way PO!
> 
> On Friday, November 30th, a flock of about 20 Pine Grosbeaks was in an 
> ornamental cherry tree out back of our house.  It was a confirmed sighting, as 
> two of us saw them.  We had seen them several times in the week or two 
> before.  However, on this day the flock was spooked by a sharp-shinned hawk, 
> and one of them hit our upstairs window while fleeing.
> 
> Somehow the hawk missed this fact, and she lay under our lilac bush for about 
> 2 1/2 hours.  I watched her and thought she wasn't going to make it, as she 
> nearly keeled over twice.  I didn't want her last moments to be the stress of 
> fear, so I hung back.  But then she started to perk up a little.  The wind was 
> also picking up and the sun was hanging low.  So I set a box over her with one 
> end open, just to shield her from the wind.  About a half hour later, with the 
> day's light dimming, she hopped out of the box!  However, she could not fly.  
> Instead she hopped all the way across our yard, heading for the pine trees 
> there.  After a quick consult with my wildlife biologist son, I gently fetched her 
> and set her into a box.  She did not fight or seem afraid at all; in fact, she 
> clung to my glove, which was warm.  
> 
> I have no doubt whatsoever that had I not intervened she would have died 
> soon afterward by predator, exposure (it got quite cold and windy), and/or 
> starvation. 
> 
> I called VINS who had me call a Rehab-er, who had me call another Rehab-er, 
> who had me call a third Rehab-er, who encouraged me to keep her overnight, 
> saying that most birds will recover and fly within 24 hours.  So we gave her 
> the recommended sunflower seeds along with some chickadee mix and some 
> cardinal mix, some of the cherries off the tree out back, and, of course, a 
> shallow dish of water.  She especially liked the safflower seeds.  
> 
> I was also told that a perch is very important.  So I set a laundry basket over 
> her box, and secured a long twig through the slats as a perch.  She 
> immediately got up onto it.  She was so peaceful, and ate and drank fine.  I 
> put her box atop a desk under the window in our guest room, and closed it off 
> so that it would be cool in there (about 54 degrees, but more like 45 with the 
> window open days)...so that she could remain acclimated, though not 
> stressed.  
> 
> Well, she did not fly the next day.  I was urged by the Rehab-er and my son to 
> keep her a few days because a snowstorm was coming through.  So I went to 
> the hardware store and bought two cheap, rectangular, white laundry baskets, 
> and set them one atop the other with the open tops together, using masking 
> tape to make a solid hinge down one end.  Then I secured four perches at 
> graduated heights.  She really liked being able to hop up and look out the 
> window (through a thin curtain) and hop back down to eat and drink.  I also 
> set her water dish atop three small, flat stones to make it easier for her.  
> 
> I got up about a half hour after sunrise each day and changed the newspaper, 
> towel, food and water in her space, and the water again later in the day.  On 
> Wednesday, December 5th I tried again to release her, but she only flew a few 
> feet twice, then could only hop around.  So my son walked me through using 
> the bander's hold and checking her wings, and I found a rough spot about 1/2 
> to 2/3 of the way down her right wing.  He said that because she flew that 
> little bit it probably meant she had only a hairline fracture, but it could also 
> mean a slight reinjury.  So he told me that the proper thing was to keep her in 
> for 2 more weeks to allow complete healing.
> 
> I felt so bad for her!  But I did it.  Upon advice, I also brought her some grit 
> (tiny rounded stones about the size of seeds) to aid her digestion.  (With all 
> the snow I had to search for them out at the mailbox!)  
> 
> After about another week I was surprised to be woken suddenly one morning 
> by a loud call.  Rather than her usual soft sounds, Ms. Pine Grosbeak was 
> calling loudly!  I asked my son about it, and he said that's her Contact Call (as 
> in: "E.T. Phone Home!) ~ she was calling her peeps, her flock!  We hadn't seen 
> them at all the first week, but they were out in the cherry tree twice the 
> second week.  I wanted to release her sooner, but yielded to expert advice.  
> 
> She was probably ready when I noted her attempting to fly inside her space!  
> But we waited through that big storm last weekend, then waited a few more 
> days for the temps to moderate.
> 
> On Wednesday morning I fed her well and, after she had tanked up nicely, I 
> took her basket-space out onto the back porch.  As I opened it she flew right 
> out and up onto the rafters!!  Hurrah!!  She hung around for about an hour, 
> eating snow and trying to figure out that she needed to fly down slightly to 
> get out the open door (it's a screened porch).  At one point I held up a twig 
> from the cherry tree, hoping to inspire her toward the door, but she turned 
> around and chomped on the cherries! 
> 
> Finally, she just did it...flew through the doorway as clean as could be and 
> landed in the very lilac bush she had lain wounded beneath 2 weeks and 5 
> days before!  Next she flew up into a decidous tree nearby ~ and defended 
> the tree when a pair of tufted titmice made an appearance.  After that she 
> was off to the very top of the tall maples along the road.  All the while she 
> was offering her Contact Call.  She flew in strong, undulating arcs up the road 
> aways, then back down it, this time even faster!  I was incredibly impressed 
> and moved.  For me it was as a "Christmas Moment" ~ given the juxtaposition 
> of great vulnerablility and great power.  
> 
> I hope she found her peeps!  With all the local sightings, my son says it is 
> highly probable that she will rejoin a flock.  She certainly left here well fed and 
> well rested, so her chances are excellent.  All good.
> 
> I am grateful for this Listserve!
> 
> By the way, we also have the usual locals:  chickadees, bluejays, titmice, 
> white and red breasted nuthatches, harry and downy woodpeckers, a number 
> of cardinals, lots of juncoes, some goldfinches, four deer and a rabbit, as well 
> as that darned sharpy on occasion. 
> 
>