Last week I wrote about the beginning of the releases at Wild Angels. At the end of that post, I updated you about the starlings. They have been in an outdoor enclosure with special wire (just for birds). At first, they weren’t really getting the hang of scavenging for their food. Well, all of that changed, and they’ve recently been doing a great job of finding food and feeding themselves. On Sunday, I was at Older Daughter’s house and it was Release Day for the starlings. I stood back and Older opened the door to their enclosure and stepped back. At first, they didn’t get it. In fact they flew around in their enclosure and even landed above the open door several times. Then all of a sudden one of them flew straight out and up. It soared into the sky, flew over Older’s house and landed way up in a tree in her backyard. The other one took a little longer to find the open doorway, but when it did, we saw a repeat performance.
Older said she could see both birds way up in that distant tree. I couldn’t spot them in the tree line. But I told Older Daughter, once again, that I don’t know how she does what she does. My heart was racing as those birds “flew the coop.” Sure, my heart was racing out of excitement and exhilaration but also out of anxiety. Older Daughter found these two starlings when they were tiny, completely bald, and dying. She carried them with her day after day, feeding them every 20 minutes from sunup to sundown. I couldn’t imagine how hard it would have been for me to then watch them fly off into the Unknown.
Older told me that she feels both of those emotions as well. She says it is always extremely difficult to release the wildlife that she has brought from abandonment, illness, starvation, etc. to fully healthy young adults, and then send them off without knowing the future for them. But this is the work of a wildlife rehabber.
After the release, I told Older that I sure wished she might see these starlings again. The dove I’ve written about STILL visits occasionally. Older said it’s always such a gift to get to see a released animal come back for a quick visit. She acknowledged of course that if she saw a starling flying around anywhere on her property she certainly wouldn’t know if it was one of hers. Starlings are very common birds and there are plenty all around here.
Well, the morning after release day, I got a text from Older Daughter. One of the released starlings had come back for a visit. Older was out doing her morning routine, and a starling was making a bit of a fuss in a tree above her.
She called to it and it flew directly down onto the deck rail. Older hurried to put some favorite food on the rail and snapped a picture. Then she ran for the little water dish the starlings had always used. The starling ate a few bites and drank some water and off it went. WHAT a wonderful feeling for Older Daughter. She wished she had seen both starlings but it sure was amazing to have this visit.
As Older was talking to the starling and scurrying around to get food and water for it, she was unknowingly attracting her regular visitor. Just as the starling few off, the dove arrived just a few feet away on that same deck rail.
Doesn’t get much better than that!