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Sometimes our reputations precede us and sometimes they follow. In this case
mine has followed me and I cannot seem to shake it. Not that I mind. My place
in Oregon used to be called Kristi's Halfway House for the Hairy Homeless as
we would take in all sorts of critters who needed our help. The idea was our
Creator put us all here to work together to make this a better world. We help
those who cannot help themselves.
Lately we have been taking on a few local wild birds who have been injured.
One such luckless fellow is a young baby with no feathers and a questionable
lineage. In other words I haven't a clue what kind of bird it is! The poor
thing happened to fall from his nest. Luckily he landed on the head of a lady
standing below him! Her hair cushioned his fall and made his landing
smoother. She brought him to us to do what we could to help him.
Once she had left, leaving this featherless fowl with a Joker's grin behind,
I went to find a towel to wrap him up in. One thing with baby birds,
especially well undressed ones, they need to be kept warm. He was objecting
very loudly to this sudden change in his life and Kimi heard that sharp PEEP
PEEP PEEP. Her tiny ears popped up to a fully alert position and her curious
eyes sharpened as she searched for the sound of said PEEP'ing. I knew by now
he had to be hungry, but all I had on hand right then were a few fresh
cherries. I wrapped the bird in the towel and sat down to pull the skin from
the fruit. The little guy kept peeping and I chuckled as I watched Kimi
darting around the house looking for the source of the muffled chirps.
Finally realizing it was coming from mommies lap she trotted right over to
me, with the feathered hair around her ears bouncing with each step.
Jumping up against my leg, she nosed the towel, looked into my face and said
"YIP!" I asked her what she needed as I watched her grin begin to grow. Her
tiny dark eyes sparkled and she lifted one tiny white paw to lay it on my arm
as she nosed the towel again. Okay, I got the hint, she wanted to see for
herself.
I moved and told her to get back. Kimi jumped down to all fours and quickly
threw herself into reverse. Backing up just far enough to allow me room to
lay the towel down, her curious face held a look of great expectation. She
remembered the last bird we had! I laid the toweled bird on the floor and
spread it open. Kimi stepped up with her grin in place and dropped her head
to take a peek at this peeping wonder.
Suddenly her head popped up and her mouth dropped in shock! She took a half a
step forward and poked at this......this.........THING with a cautious nose.
The bird felt her presence even through closed eyes and it wobbled toward
her. Kimi's eyes widened in total surprise and suddenly backed WAAY up! She
lifted her stunned expression to mine and I easily read what was in her
confused eyes. "Mommy It's an ALIEN!" I had to laugh for this creature
certainly didn't look like any bird I had ever seen! In this case beauty
indeed was skin deep for it surely wasn't above the surface! Kimi's behind
suddenly dropped to the floor as though she had gone weak in the knees
looking at this ugly duckling.
Over the course of the next few days, Kimi was with me everytime I took care
of this baby. Feedings with a bird so young come often. In fact it seems as
though all they do is eat, sleep, and ..well...eat some more. She has learned
to tell the sound of it's cry, much as we human mommies do. Many a time I
have been sitting at the computer working only to feel Kimi's little nose
poking me in the leg. Looking down into her expectant shining eyes I felt a
bit like Lassie's Timmy asking "What is it girl?" Kimi would look into my
face, and taking a quick step backwards she would shout "YIP!" I would again
ask "What is it Kimi?" And she would respond with another sharp "YIP!" as she
took two steps backwards and whirled once to the right.
I soon figured out these "YIP's!" of hers meant the bird was awake. Again.
Wanting fed. Again. As I stood to go take care of my featherless charge, Kimi
would spin in circles a couple of time and nip at my foot closest to her as
she continued with her "YIP! YIP!" If ever one had been told to hurry up, it
was I with Kimi. Feeling like I was trapped in the middle of a Lassie rerun,
I let Kimi lead me to the one in need.
Today was no different. Except that Mommy Dearest is more tired then Kimi
Darling, who mostly sleeps thru the night when I get up to feed! No, I take
that back. There is one difference. Some where over night Kimi went from
curious to surrogate mother. At the first tiny PEEP out of him, Kimi was
right there at the box I keep him in. Sticking her nose over the edge, I
watched her tiny tail wag ever so slowly. As I went about getting him ready
for his first feeding of the day, Kimi stayed under foot watching me
intently. When I pulled the birdie out to lay it on my bed so I could feed it
in relative comfort (MY relative comfort) Kimi jumped up on the bed with me.
I spread the towel out, and Kimi quickly laid down on one edge of the towel
to watch. I looked over at her, and caught the gleam in her eye. Ever
watchful she kept a wary eye on my as I sucked up the first batch of food
into the syringe.
Touching the tip of the syringe carefully to the tip of the birds beak, I
waited for instinct to take over. In a hungry flash of insight it did. the
baby birds head lifted up, tipped back and the mouth opened wide enough to
swallow a car! Or so it looked. Kimi threw her head up and her laughing eyes
caught mine. Her smile was ever wide, her pink tongue bouncing happily inside
her mouth. She watched curiously as I placed the syringe inside the babies
mouth and gently pushed a bit of food into the back of his waiting mouth.
Feeling the warm food, he quickly closed his beak and began bobbing his head
up and down to swallow the food. Kimi let out what could only be described
as a squeak of laughter as she watched this. The smile wrapping itself around
her face reached clear up to her eyes and they twinkled in merriment.
As the bird tried to swallow his mouthful, a bit leaked out from each widely
grinning corner of his beak. Kimi leaned forward to sniff, and once she saw
the mess, like any good *mommy* would do, she wiped it off. Not having a
hanky dipped in our own spit like we do to our kids, Kimi simply substituted
with her own style. She licked him clean! I watched to be sure licking was
all she would do, but of course I need not have worried. Careful and gentle
are her middle names when it comes to this young bird. From then on each time
I squeezed food into his open waiting face, he would greedily gulp it down
with his tiny head bobbing up and down. And each time he bobbed, food would
leak out of the corners of his over stretched smile. And each time that it
did Kimi was there waiting with her version of spit and polish. Was she
mothering her newest "baby", or had she simply found breakfast??
Once I was done feeding him, it was time to rewrap him in his towel and tuck
him away for a nap. I watched amazed as Kimi stood, leaned over the baby
bird and gently kissed him on the head. No, she wasn't looking for more to
eat, she simply kissed him on the head. Upon doing so she sat down gently and
looked up to me with total pride shining in her eyes. It was then I knew for
sure that she had *adopted* this little creature. Kimi had taken him in under
her own wing! As I gently folded the towel up around him to cocoon him
without smothering him, Kimi's little ears lifted and I could almost hear her
cautioning me, "Careful mommy.....careful!"
As I lifted the towel to place it in the box, her right front foot lifted
from the bed. As I moved the towel wrapped bird over to the box, Kimi's body
leaned in the same direction. I could see how tense her tiny quivering body
was, and I could just as easily see when she relaxed as I set the towel in
the box and removed my hands. Standing quickly, she peeked in to the box and
nosed the towel gently. Satisfied that all was well, Kimi settled down next
to the box and laid her chin over the edge of it. As nervous as a new mommy
would be!
This afternoon we had plenty of opportunity to feed again as he seems to eat
about once an hour. Kimi once again came after me and I closed up what I was
doing here and went to follow her. Leading me straight to the peeping pest,
as I knew she would, I gathered our feeding stuff and picked up the box. Kimi
jumped up and down up and down along side me, hoping like a jack rabbit as I
walked into the front room. Setting the box on the floor I quickly settled
down beside it. This time I decided to leave the bird in the box to feed it.
Kimi did NOT appreciate my new way of doing things! She wanted to see HER
baby! While I was getting the first syringe of food ready, Kimi showed her
frustrations by pacing around the box. About every half trip around this box
she would flip one of the flaps with her nose. Hooking it under the flap with
the top side of her nose she would give a quick flick with her head and the
box flap would flip up and then flop back against her behind as she continued
to move forward. Half way 'round the box she flipped the flap again. I warned
her to calm down and sat down on the floor.
Kimi sat down on the other side of the box and before I could reach in to
begin feeding, she reached in first! She used her nose again and began
flipping at the towel trying to uncover her baby. Once she managed to expose
the bird to full sight, she began gently poking it with her tiny black nose.
The bird sat up and started PEEP PEEP'ing loudly, calling for his food. Kimi
sat back and tossed her head over her shoulder, a breathless little laugh
escaping her. As a mommy, who can resist the sound of their babies laughing?
Certainly not Kimi!
I placed my hands in the box now that she was out of the way and the bird and
I quickly worked our way through the first full syringe of food. While I was
refilling the syringe for round two, Kimi had her face back in the box,
diligently cleaning the food from her *childs* face. I was caught by surprise
though as before I could get round number two ready, Kimi backed up and
grabbed the edge of the box flap in her mouth. Expecting her to chew on the
box, imagine my surprise when she began trying to drag the box off instead!
My hand quickly snaked out and grabbed the box before she could run off with
her baby! Realizing her plan didn't work, she sat down to wait for me to
finish feeding the bird his second helping. I looked up to her once, only to
see her attention totally focused on this baby eating like a
starving...well....... starving bird. Whoever came up with expression she
eats like a bird" did not intend that as a compliment! This thing is messy
and is constantly ravenous! Her delicate face remained unmoving as she
happily watched this baby gulping his food. Kimi's eyes were bright and
sparkling like tiny diamonds as she looked over her charge.
Once the baby finished with his second helping and kept peeping for more,
Kimi moved in to wash his face clean for me as I refilled the syringe for
round three. Once she had him properly washed I expected her to just sit back
as watch again. not so Kimi. Instead, as she lifted her head clear of the
box, she did so with a mouth full of towel! Kimi was determined to get this
baby of hers out of the box where she could see it clearly! Finally giving
in before the baby got hurt, I scooted her back and lifted the towel free.
The bird hadn't had his full appetite satisfied yet and began loudly voicing
his full displeasure. I quickly spread the towel out and Kimi moved in. She
sat down close to the baby, but was ever careful not to touch. I fed this
creature his last syringe full, and as he struggled to swallow the last his
eyes were already beginning to close again. As I cleaned up the syringe and
placed the lid back on the dish of food, Kimi very gently and very carefully
washed the babies face clean.
It was obvious this bird has a long way to go in growing and in gaining
strength for no matter how carefully and how delicately she licked at his
face, the whole bird wobbled back and forth as she licked. This disturbed his
sleep again and immediately he sat up and began peeping loudly for more food.
His whole body webbled and wobbled as he struggled to get to his feet and
gain his balance. Kimi's eyes lit up with laughter as she watched him
bobbling his way around the towel. And as I watched her and this bird
together, I know my eyes were shining as well. With pride in my own *baby
girl* for the way she immediately moved in to *mother* this motherless baby.
With joy in my heart, for I could recognize much of myself when my children
were babies in the way she behaved around *her* baby. And with laughter, for
as she watched this baby bob around, I watched her head and upper body bob
with it, as though she were mentally encouraging him along. And as he opened
his mouth to peep and cheep, Kimi's mouth opened and closed in a silent
mouthing of his voice. As weak as this tiny baby is, he has the heart of an
Eagle.
And I am reminded of how Kimi too was so tiny and weak when she was first
born, but how she too had the heart of an Eagle.
And with this Kimi has taught me two more things. One it matters not what
shows on the outside, for we are all worthy of love. And two...it's not the
size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Or in
this case the bird.
walk in beauty
Kristi & Kimi
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