When humans intervene...

THIS is what can happen to a baby raptor when a human gets hold of it that doesn't know what they're doing... 

Lizardo...

Musings from the Catbird Seat...

From time immemorial, the special bond between human and animal transcends all barriers...whether it's with a disabled Augur Buzzard you've spent the last 15 years with...

Or a wild Great horned owl that you've known for only three months... There is an inherent trust that must be formed that will allow me to do what is necessary to get the bird back on the road to recovery.

The orphaned babes come to me through no fault of their own and it's up to me to raise them right so they become productive members of the gene pool. Go forth! Make babies!

And the transition from getting the babes down from the chamber to the pond where they will learn to live is both scary and exciting. They go from hanging in the trees...

To hanging on the hack board!

And every now and then at night when I'm sitting in the swing at the pond, one will come visit. I have no idea which one it is or how long ago it was when he came to me in need of help, I'm just glad to know that I was able to give that bird another chance at life.

And I appreciate you, the reader, for accompanying me on my lifes journey. It's been a bit of a dichotomy for me, though. As a child, I basically raised myself and was always too prideful and independant to ask for help, so perhaps this way of life was chosen for me to teach me that it's not only OK to ask for help, it's a downright necessity. I spent years thinking so, but I am not an island.

My Great-nephew was saving his allowance for a skateboard but sent it to help the birds, instead. I cried like a fat dog when I opened the envelope in the Post Office. The clerk was compelled to ask it I was OK and when I showed this card to her, her eyes welled up, too.

When his momma told the owner of the skate board shop of Tobby's generosity, the shop owner then paid it forward to Tobby. It's amazing how stuff like that works. My existance hinges on people 'paying it forward' and while I don't have a lot, I have just enough to live the life that I love.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog....m.  http://www.hawktalk.org/

Photo credit of me and the Augur Buzzard - Brian Morris
Photo criedit of me and "Francis" to the wonderful Tison Brothers

Update on "Lizard" and the babies

Everyone's coming along nicely. The babies are eating me out of house and home and feathering out beautifully. I'll open the door on them in about 2 weeks, but before I do, I'll introduce some live mice so they can get their feet about them.

I have an appointment with Lizard next Tuesday to take a peek in his ear, then I'll start offering live food to see if he can triangulate well enough to be released. Purchasing the live mice from a retail establishment is very costly, so if you can help us out with Mouse Money, we sure would appreciate it!



Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for donating to a good cause. I live very simply and appreciate so very much your continued support, however small the amount. Love, light and five dollars can go a looong way!  ....m.  http://www.hawktalk.org/

Loved ones...

The ode to my momma is a little different from the rest that I've read about today on the social media outlet, Facebook. Something happened to her along the way and was a changed person by the time I came along. I wondered why daddy worked two jobs and was rarely home except for overnight. They hated each other and fought constantly. This, I queried, is what love and marriage was all about? Come to find out when I hit my early teens,... my daddy had kept a mistress across town for years before I was born and was helping her raise her 4 kids...I think with 3 different daddys, him being one of them, and that a son that momma wanted so badly to give him but could not.

Beings I was the last of the clutch, I often wondered that if I hadn't come along, momma wouldn't have felt so paralyzed to remain in her domestic situation for as long as she did, but there you have it, the damage was done. We all make choices, but if you're the mommy (or daddy!) in a loveless marriage, you need to get OUT, preferably BEFORE your children are forever screwed up. (just a suggestion, because I speak from experience, OK?) I've done the best I can do with my life, with what I have left to work with.

Good news is, I spent some quality time with her 4 days before she died. She had had a stroke and was uncommunicative. She could hear me but couldn't speak. Instead of jumping up and down on the bed and questioning her for her slew of bad life choices she made (like I did when she was alive), I did reflexology on her feet and scratched her head; I sang Amazing Grace to her A capella and the wonderful black ICU nurse came in to help me with the second verse that I couldn't remember and kept apologizing for and I thanked my momma for loving me the only way she knew how, so she went out knowing that I wasn't mad any more. It's tough to nurture when you don't have the skills...

It's not just about momma...I miss my daddy and Ted and now Bill's been gone three days so I guess he's gone, too. Yes, everyone you love will go away from you. It’s inevitable. Tell those you love that you love them every day and twice on Sunday, OK? ..m.

Lizard update