Welcome to my first blog post! Can’t believe I’m finally writing it actually, although I have been told the best thing to do is start. I find it hard to write without feeling embarrassed or unsure, but I have made a solemn vow to myself to be honest. I’ve also decided that anything I don’t want to be honest about (as we all have those) I just won’t discuss!
Honestly I’ve always wanted to be something more than I am. As a teenager I always thought other people’s lives were better than mine, growing older we all know that life is what you make it. I’m hoping to be a better person, not a different person.
I’ve always thought that nobody would want to read about my life and I don’t like putting myself out there for criticism. I also know that I need to take heed of my own advice to my children, and that is no one does ‘you’ better than ‘you’. So here I am. Take it or leave it but I’ve got to get it out!
Primarily I want to talk about Australian wildlife; rehabilitation, where you can see and interact with creatures and how animals in general enhance our lives. The ‘other random stuff’ could be anything that has happened in my life on the way. Who knows where that will take us?
I’m sure you’d agree, our lives (mine in particular) have become a swirling vortex of rushing from one place to another, watching the clock, working, doing school runs, gymnastic runs, food shopping, eating on the hop and attempting to keep my home in some kind of semi-normal state, oh and having a ‘life’. The definition of which is ever changing. We are all busy. My attempt at trying to keep the status-quo for myself anyway is to stop, re-charge and enjoy the small things.
A problem I’ve had in the past is figuring out how to stop. Hard to do when your brain is moving at a pace I can’t keep up with and I’m not allowing myself the time to just breathe. To be me. We all have our hobbies and interests, a passion for something and at one point, when my kids were very small, I didn’t have a passion for anything other than sleep.
Re-ignited, my passion and most certainly at times my saviour, has been my family and our local fauna, both the feathered and furry kind. Why? My family are the best people on the planet, and fauna? I don’t even know myself. For me it’s all about connecting, being at one with nature and with the unknown. Animals tend to know more about us mere mortals than we could ever believe. So why not believe. I love to make those connections.
We live in West Gippsland, Victoria, Australia and we have an abundance of wildlife around us. We also have pet parrots and two dogs that are a large part of our family. Through my blog I’d like to touch on why it is that animals have such a profound impact on many of us, who we are and how we can help in our own small way.
Wildlife Rehabilitation
Let me start by saying I am no expert. I don’t claim to have all the answers and know all there is about wildlife rehabilitation. I’m forever asking questions and observing and hoping for the best. I do have a wonderful mentor (who you’ll get to know too) and a small amount of experience, well eight years actually. The rest I find out as I go.
Today I’d like to introduce you to our friend, Lofty the Eastern Rosella.
Lofty arrived on my door step via an SES worker who found a 4-5 week old bird thrown from its nest that had dropped out of a fallen tree. His two siblings had perished and this little guy would most certainly have died without a little help.
On a professional level, I was busy organising an event for my business and time certainly wasn’t readily available to me. When is it ever at any rate? Lofty was fragile, tiny, had only a few feathers sprouting and needed feeding 5-7 times per day. My first ever Rosella, and I’ve got to say I wasn’t looking forward to it at all! I found myself saying, ‘Why am I doing this?’
My experience with these birds was minimal. Any rescues I had attended revealed that they are super aggressive, flighty, small and difficult to rehabilitate after injury. I had never found them to be endearing. My preference is for the Cockatoo family as they are a larger more impressive bird, crazy in character, affectionate and I have more of an understanding of them.
So I continued my regime of work, family and bird feeding. On reflection, I needed to stop, but at the time I needed the time! Yes, the circle of never ending work. I was also coming down with some kind of lurgy that seemed to last about 3 weeks. I was tired, sick and at the busiest and most stressful time of my working year.
I kept Lofty in an animal carrier box initially on newspaper and underneath an old towel. I felt sorry for him. He was so tiny and had no other little ones with him to keep him company. Survival was about feeding and warmth of which he was getting in abundance. I’d feed him a mix of Passwell Hand Rearing Food with a syringe. He would be so uncomfortable away from his replica nest at feeding time. I’d feed him in record speed and he’d scurry back under his towel as soon as he could. I got no love and no thanks! I kept thinking once this guy has the opportunity to fly outside, he’ll be out of here.
The weeks rolled on and Lofty’s feathers sprouted one by one. It was like watching a colour wheel evolve. The fusion of so many bright colours was intriguing and as time went by, I certainly enjoyed his company. As he got older, I’d give him Trill small parrot mix, apples and corn. I’d also cut some seeding grass and pop that in too.
On a 6 week summer break from work, I had more time and was feeling much better. Lofty moved on to a budgie cage happily perching and learning to whistle with me. Finally, some interaction!! I felt like he might even like me. I’d put him outside with our pet birds for company and he would happily chat away. Inside the house, he would have time outside his cage learning to fly and be a bird. Catching him again was becoming harder each time and I could tell he would soon be ready for release.
A tell tale sign that a young bird is ready for release, a part from graduating to eating seed and foraging for food, is an increase in their confidence, they become more aggressive and solitary as they get older. Loft was becoming an independent bird with a feisty attitude. He was sleeping on our curtain rod at night time and spending more and more time out of his cage. He was also pushy and not one to conform to our house rules. Release time was nigh.
Our first day out was a beautiful summer day – not too hot, blue skies and no wind. Perfect! I opened the door of his cage and with a little prompting, Lofty hit the air! He perched in our beautiful flowering gum foraging through the leaves and bright orange flowers. I was surprised at how such a vibrantly coloured creature could be so well camouflaged amongst the branches of the tree. This tree would become Lofty’s safe haven for the next month. Here's a pic of Lofty in our apple tree.
After two nights out and constant whistling back and forth Lofty decided he’d prefer to perch on his curtain rod in the evenings. It became the norm that my husband would open the back door around 6.45pm and Lofty would enter the house perching in his spot. All fluffed up on his perch, he’d chat for a while and then settle in for the night. He would whistle me awake in the morning and I’d diligently peel myself out of bed to open the back door and let him out for the day. The perfect relationship!
This continued for a good six weeks. The whole family knew the schedule and were happy to oblige. I was feeding him less and less and not concerned about his well being in the slightest.
As time went by and Lofty became an adult bird, his reliance on us became minimal. One night, he didn’t want to be in-side, he didn’t need his safe zone or our company. He was happy to perch in a tree of his choice and settle. He would spend more and more time further away from our home, visiting only occasionally to check on us, until the visits stopped.
It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve seen him at all. I can only hope that he is ok.
As a wildlife carer you come across more sad cases than good ones. I plan on telling you about both. It makes the good ones so much better than average. Wildlife care has allowed me to make new friends with a common interest and be a better person. Be more than normal. I get so much more out of a good release than I can express. It feels like I’m giving back to our earth in some small way.
I have to be in the moment, I have to stop and I have to relate in order to help these little critters. On my blogging journey I hope to relay that emotion somehow. It just makes you feel good.
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