Some knitting’s been getting done.
An appleblossom amaryllis spent the day opening in slow motion–almost there. In June!
Pain at the news: some of the peregrine falcons nesting towards the north end of the Bay had abruptly disappeared. And we finally knew.
Two had been shot. They are in a rescue center and there is some hope they may make it; whether they can ever be released again is in question, though.
When that word went out yesterday, word came in today that a third had been found shot as well. Someone had found it, called his local wildlife rescue, got no answer, didn’t wait, put it in his car and headed for the bird rescue center at UC Davis over two hours away, trying to save it. That peregrine didn’t survive. He apparently didn’t know about the falcon groups tracking the birds nor whom else to call till he saw the fliers asking for information in the neighborhood they were all found in.
This was devastating, but especially to those who’d spent their lives bringing that species back from the edge of extinction and who so rejoiced at every successful fledging.
Thank goodness for people who step up and do the right thing. That man in Oakland tried. I’m sure he didn’t know it would mean anything to anybody but him at the time he did it, but his good impulse offers comfort when it is needed by many.
–there he was. He flew in to the back of the dolly, which is behind that couch through the window, right there from where I was. My moving around had not scared him away from landing.
My bird. My big wild bird is okay. As if he’d wanted me to know that.
I will never cease to catch my breath at the sight of that beautiful, living, curious, intelligent hawk.
(Edited days later: I am sorry to have to add that there has been some question about the veracity of the report to the peregrine group about a third one having been found and its attempted rescue. There is a third one missing and its fate unknown, although, not all the ones out there are banded and personally known to us.)