Meet Erkel. Beautiful isn't he. We were half way through lunch with Peteys aunty Nita, when Petey all of a sudden exclaimed, "but i thought we just had him for the weekend". Its on a need to know basis with new additions to the household. I myself have no idea why I took this little guy home either. The logic is a little convoluted. On Saturday morning a baby Currawong and Erkel were brought in. My logic was that as the Currawong is a native, so that at least Wires would take him on. Erkel, being a turtle dove is a feral pest. I think technically i'm supposed to euthanase him immediately.
I must say though, that its been a big week for giving little birdies the 'green dream'. The difficulty is always that we just can't fix most of them that come in. Really, if a wild animal is sick enough that a well-meaning member of the public can put it into a cardboard box and get it to the vet, its in a pretty bad way. Or at least by the end of the car trip it is.
The nurse I miss the most at GWAH, was Jodie. She loves birds. She has a 'pet' magpie called Ollie who hopelessly imprinted on her and could not be rehabilitated back to bird land. For some reason we always had a great number of turtle dove chicks through that clinic (I undersand they are a feral pest), and between her and Kylie the receptionist, all were successfully raised, then shipped off to one of Jodies' many contacts for rehabilitation. Its all very well raising the little buggers, but teaching them to fly and feed to the point they can survive solo is the big test. I miss Jodie.
Anyway, it's in tribute to the greatest nurse (and possibly the most entertaining chick) i've ever had the privilege to work with, that I decided in a moment of weakness to take little Erkel home. Just for the weekend you understand.
1 comment:
I'm still struggling with the idea something called a Turtle Dove is a feral pest? They sound like they should be loved and revered and released from things as a symbol of peace, love and unity!
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