For the last two weeks I have been doing that thing I do once or twice a year: playing foster mother/rehabilitator to a baby pigeon.
So how did I end up with this one you wonder? Well, I found him as I was walking to the movies one night in front of The Seventh Veil. He was nestled in this alcove against the wall as this guy aimed his camera phone at him trying to get that “perfect shot” and another guy watched. Somewhat odd activity in front of a strip club, yet not so odd really. I almost just walked by, almost. But I thought, no this isn’t right, I need to see what is going on. As I bent to look at him I realized it was a baby. Although fully feathered, his tail was maybe an inch long and he still had a lot of yellow baby fluff attached to his adult feathers. Someone had placed a small paper cup with water next to him. I thought to myself how the bird was too young to know what to do with that yet I was moved that someone out there had made this kind gesture towards a helpless ailing creature. The incongruity of such well meaning kindness against the backdrop of the Veil wasn’t lost on me and actually served to amaze me more. So semi explaining things as a teacher might to a disinterested student I diligently answered a couple of questions from the guy w/the camera phone as I picked up the baby bird. I then promptly walked back home with this little tired thing nesting in my hand.
Now Seven (I named him as I walked down the block) is quite a special bird. I am guessing that he fell from his nest and the only thing that broke his fall was the sidewalk. Ouch. His left wing was broken and grotesquely swollen. His left eye was also injured. He is blind on one side.
Today he amazed me. After feeding him I offered him water as usual and instead of drinking he splashed it around and made every effort to bathe in it. Fine, I filled a larger dish with water and offered it to him. Without fear or hesitation he hopped right into the dish and proceeded to splash around. Then he just laid in the water. I have never seen this from a bird. He just stretched out like it was the best thing ever, and laid in the water, soaking himself. I splashed him a little thinking he might get up, but on the contrary, he fluffed up even more and lifted his wings so I could get his underside. He splashed around so much I finally took the dish outside… pigeon & all. He took a few more minutes and finally when he started to shiver I made him get out. He followed his bath by laying on the driveway in full sun drying himself. Amazing. I sat there and watched over him thinking, wow, he knows no evil. Even though he had a rough start in life, this sweet little angel knows no evil. He feels safe and takes pleasure in the simplest of things. How beautiful and fragile. Realizing that made me want to protect him even more. If only humans were half as noble what a better place this world would be.
Seven is much stronger now though he would still have me hand feed him. I don’t know what to do with him since his depth perception seems impaired by the loss of his eye. Setting him free to go be a pigeon would unfortunately be cruel at this point. But while I am trying to figure out a permanent solution, I smile and am ever grateful that through his one good eye I saw a beautiful peaceful world. A place without fear or worries. A place where lounging in the water and lying in the sun were top priority. Zen.
