Birds and auto's, was: OFMG!!! You guys aren't going to believe this one .....

["Randy B" <sirocco@telocity.com>]

Here's a animal vs car story with a happy ending.
I used to volunteer for a couple local wildlife rehabilitation centers.
I eventually became one of only two Raptor
(Eagles,Hawks,Falcons,Kites,Owls,Vultures) Rehabilitators and the Shelter
Manager of one of the Centers.
We saw almost everything from assorted songbirds implanted in Ford F-150
grilles, skunks in engine bays (before and after people started the engine),
snakes locked inside cars, you name it I've seen or heard about it.
One of the most memorable experiences that happend will stay with me
forever:

One day, We got a call about a large U-haul truck that hit a very big bird
that was still alive and not too happy.
(The bird was apparently flying low,  slammed into and got caught in the
passenger door mirror almost causing the driver to almost wreck the truck.)
We waited for the bird to arrive at the clinic after being rescued by a
local volunteer figuring it would be something like a Red-Tailed hawk or
Raven.
The bird arrived and we were all stunned as we see a very pissed off female
Bald Eagle. (note: the females can be 30% larger than males)
Calls immediately went out to CA Fish and Game, and US Fish and Wildlife to
report that we received the bird. (endangered species & an eagle).
We got permission to continue and get her back to the wild.
We treated her for a broken wing (radius and ulna IIRC), surgery was
performed by a local Vet, and the road to recovery began.
Once the bones started to heal, we spent the next couple months wrestling
with her, avoiding her HUGE talons, and getting bit, stretching out the wing
to get extension back (the part where I kept getting bit and almost got
taloned once). Then she went to a 20'x20'x100' aviary for flight evaluation
and strength training (the wingspan on this girl was almost the length Mk1
Scirocco :D ) After a about a month there, she was finially healthy enough
to be released.
With two TV news channels on hand and numerous newspaper people snapping
pictures we finially tagged and released her :)
This was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Just thought I'd share.

Rocco content:
Getting Euro bumpers for Mars in a couple weeks :)

Randy (ex-raptor rehabilitator - ran out of time and money)
Now spend time working long hours and spend money on rent and rocco's.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Marie Laugesen" <scirocco@telus.net>
To: "Foxx (in a box)" <foxxinabox@core.com>; "Patrick Bureau"
<pbureau@home.com>
Cc: "Scirocco List" <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2001 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: OFMG!!! You guys aren't going to believe this one .....


> i remember some years back driving parts truck for a dodge dealer,
> barrleling down some rural road and some stupid bird dive-bombed in front
of
> my van... thump... so i get the van back to the shop, tell the guys about
> it, they put said van on a hoist.... we find dead bird squished between
the
> pass. side brake rotor and backing plate but here's the good part...
>
>  said bird's leg was dangling from Dodge's good old torsion-bar front
> suspension.  I still laugh when I think about that bird leg.
>
> Marie
>
> > cold winter of 84, just had gotten to deice the driver side door, start
> the
> > car and I notice a lot of blood all over the snow below the car ...
> >
> > muskrat-blended-soup anyone?
>
>   our neighbours down the street did that to one of their cats in the
> winter a long while back. i'd've hated to explain that to the kids.
>   on a not so dead note, i once had a cat run between my front two tires
> and out between the passenger side tires while i was doing about 55 mph.
> figured it lost a good couple of lives there. and then there's the  the
> bird that stood in the middle of the road, the car passed over it, and
> it was still standing there.
>
> --
> /\_/\   Foxx (in a box)
> < o o >   http://foxx.tripod.com
>   \ /
>    °
>
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