Alive and Free!

Alive and Free! (1.13.15)

Today, we had a surprise experience. Rosalina and I went to the neighborhood gas station to purchase gas, and I noticed a group of birds on the ground where I was pulling in. As I slowly drove past the birds, four or five of the birds flew away, but one bird stayed still and didn’t move from the spot. Once I parked, I told Rosalina to stay in the van, because this was a busy gas station and I didn’t want her to get hurt. I immediately walked over to the bird to see if it was ok. It was a cedar waxwing and absolutely stunning to look at up close. I couldn’t tell if it was a baby and learning to fly or what was wrong. I cautiously approached it, because I am not an expert with wild birds, but I am an animal lover. I said a prayer and asked God to help me help this bird, “Please guide me to help this bird.”

I walked very slowly around each side of the bird, and it just sat there. It moved its head and blinked its eyes, but it didn’t look injured. It was absolutely beautiful and innocent looking. Its eyes were bright, but something was not right. A man who was pumping gas into his car next to me seemed concerned about the bird too. He was hesitant to come close, but he was very anxious about the bird’s condition. He spoke to me, and I acknowledged him, but I was really focused on trying to save the bird, because the bird was sitting in one of the main entrances into the gas station. Several cars went by me. I had on a lime green winter coat, so I hoped I was clearly visible to the drivers.

The concerned male onlooker had light brown skin and a white shirt on with a light blue tie. He appeared somewhat clown-like and acted very nervous for the bird. He walked halfway toward me and then turned and walked away. He was visibly upset about the bird and didn’t know what to do. I heard him say with much worry throwing his hands up in the air, “It’s going to get hit there! It’s going to get hit there! I can see it coming!”

I thought to myself, “Not if I can help it.” I knelt down and told the bird that I was going to help it to safety. I was keenly aware that a wild animal trying to protect itself may hurt me. Somehow as if guided by God, or the angels, I told the bird again that I was trying to help it, and I placed my hand palm down in front of the bird. It stepped onto my pointer finger. I slowly stood up and slowly and carefully walked the bird across the parking lot, hoping no cars would come zooming in or hit me. I passed Rosalina in the van and through the tinted windows marveled with her at this wild bird sitting on my hand! We both grinned at each other. I was very focused on helping the bird; however, I did notice that the bird was gripping my finger a little stronger with each step that I took as if it was regaining its balance. I took the bird over to the grassy area between the gas station and the main road. There was a concrete wall about three feet high to reach over, so essentially, the grass ground level was higher than the pavement of the gas station parking lot.

The man with the blue tie saw me carrying the bird over to the grass and was excited that I was helping the bird. He made positive, supportive comments, which I appreciated but couldn’t fully hear. I was concentrating on carrying my passenger to safety! As we headed toward safety, my male cheerleader friend said something to the effect of, “You just did a really nice thing!” as he climbed into his car. I could sense he was excited that the rescue effort was working.

I wanted to set the bird on a tree branch but opted to place it in the grass. The bird seemed ok; however, it was still sitting and looking pretty instead of trying to survive. I said a prayer for the bird to be safe and to heal, gave it a little Reike energy, and then went over to purchase the gas. I celebrated with Rosalina the amazing opportunity to be so close to such a beautiful wild creature. I looked over to the grassy area and whooped a celebration cry that it had flown away and was ok.

After purchasing the gas, I walked over to the grassy area to confirm that our bird was gone, and there was the bird. Still sitting pretty and blinking its bright dark eyes. Alert, yet something was not right. I could see no limp or hurt wings and was still trying to assess if it was a baby learning to fly, which made no sense if most birds are born in the spring. Our vet’s office is in the same shopping center, so I pulled the van up next to the bird and called the vet for advice. I was referred to a woman in Powhatan who rescues wild birds. At first, I got the woman’s answering machine, but as I explained my story, she picked up the phone. I explained what I had experienced and seen with the bird, and she confirmed that the bird was injured and needed to get help or it could end up as prey. She shared a variety of scenarios that could have happened and how she could help it. One scenario was that the bird may have run into something and gotten stunned and unable to regroup its abilities to fly. She said that if I could get the bird to her in Powhatan, she would take care of it. My instructions were to get the bird into some type of container, and once I got home to place it in a shoebox with holes in the lid and “keep it warm, dark, and quiet.” All we had in the van was a large tissue box with no lid and our dog’s crate. I even thought about driving with the bird in my hand since my house was not far away, but I knew that that option could be risky.

Before I hung up the phone, I asked the woman if she was sick, because she sounded awful like she had a bad cold, and she said, “Yes, I’m sick. I stayed home from work today.” How fortunate and remarkable that she answered the phone to help us.

I left Rosalina in the van again and walked up to the bird, and it hopped away from me. That was a good sign, but how was I going to help it now? I talked to it and moved slowly toward it, and it hopped toward a bush. I noticed its hops were getting bigger and it didn’t want me near it, which was a good sign of survival. The bush provided good protection compared to the open grass area, so I walked back to the car resigning to let Mother Nature take care of the bird. Rosalina, my fellow animal lover, was not satisfied with my choice and neither was I, but when do we help versus trusting the Universe?

I got out of the van again and approached the bird, and it hopped out from under the bush into another grassy area. This time it was trying to get its wings to work, and I noticed that its left wing seemed to be the problem. During my contemplation, I looked up and saw a huge group of cedar waxwings in a gigantic oak tree across the four-lane road as if they were watching us. I also saw a large group of blackbirds in another tree next to the waxwings. It looked like segregated seating. I asked the bird’s family for help. I directed more Reike energy toward the bird, said a prayer, and went back to the van resigning again to the fact that my assistance was done. Rosalina was still not satisfied with our work and neither was I.

We decided to work together and try to get the bird to go into Gigi’s crate. The box was small for a dog crate. Gigi is only twelve pounds, and her body pretty much fills up the crate. The crate had a towel in it which I thought would be comforting for the bird. I took the crate out of the van and was laughing to myself at what a show we were putting on for the various people coming and going to get gas. No one spoke to us, but I’m certain people were curious about what this woman in a lime green coat was doing carrying an empty crate onto the grass with a 6 year old child in tow.

I placed the crate on the ground and told Rosalina to move slowly behind the bird to get the bird to hop into the crate, hoping it could hop high enough to get in. Rosalina moved slowly behind the bird, and low and behold the little bugger hopped right into the crate!

As Rosalina and I let out a cheer to celebrate our success, the bird popped right out the opposite end of the crate through the bars! It escaped and was free! While Rosalina and I regrouped to figure out our next step, we both felt a bird fly close over our heads. Was it our cedar waxwing? We walked around the area searching for the bird, hopeful that the bird had healed and flown off. We couldn’t find the bird anywhere in the area! Apparently, our work was now done.

Thank God the bird recovered, and God willing, it will continue to heal and live out its purpose in life. Once we came home, I contacted the wild bird lady and told her the good news. Thank God for helpers like the male cheerleader, the wild bird lady, the waxwing’s extended family, our Guidance, and Rosalina’s persistence to nudge me to keep trying.

The cedar waxwing is alive and free!