I Am My Own PETA

[Sugar]

Originally Posted by sparky

What a beautiful and very lucky bird.

I didn't hear the Great Blue Heron Story. Would love to, though.

On a sweltering day last summer my daughter runs up to me and says, "Mommy, there's a big bird outside." Assuming that he's not 6 feet tall and yellow I look in the back yard and there in the back corner by our compost heap is a Great Blue Heron. I watched him for a while, and when he didn't leave I figured he must be hurt.

About a half hour north of me there's a wildlife refuge that will take any injured wild animal, so long as you can get it to the shelter. So I called them for advice on how to catch him (In case you're wondering, grab the beak first, because it's like a spear. Once you have the beak, you can drape a sheet or something over him and lift him up. They weigh almost nothing, which is surprising considering their size, but I suppose it makes sense since they fly and all! ).

A compost heap is in August is less than pleasant! But I went in there and got him. He was so weak, he didn't put up much of a fight, and I could see his one wing was mangled. So I loaded him into the car and took him to the shelter.

I really thought he was going to die on the way. He just sat on my passenger seat with his beak resting on the floor not moving. The whole way I'm saying, "C'mom Mr. Heron dude, Keep it together! You can make it! Please don't die in my car!"

He made it. They said he was probably hit by a car. But I never called back to see if he lived. I just couldn't bear to know.

So here's another picture...this is him in the car just before we started up there...