Newby’s Notes #3

I used to have my own study. Now I have an indoor bird room. Gone: the clean, tranquil efficiency where I once created an income; replaced instead by floor to ceiling bin liners, plastic sheets and paper tablecloths to minimize the damage done by parrot porridge and poop. Have you seen how much water three bathing lorikeets can spread? My son refers to it as ‘the infirmary’; but some mornings it’s definitely more of an asylum.

Holly, Buddy and Peggy Sue (all rescued lorikeets) are The Office, Australian wildlife style. Beaker (noisy miner chick) is Office Manager and official timekeeper. Other creatures come and go (the agency temps) but they don’t ruffle the feathers of this long-stay gang. Neither do they have the opportunity to pebble dash the entire room with various bodily fluids every hour.

I have three bathrooms; but only one with a bath. Never used by people creatures, that bath is also designated bird territory. Various plovers, Lilo Lil, Florence, and The Machine (Australian Wood Ducks) have all eaten, swum, drunk, snuggled, slept and smelly splat pooped (as only ducks can) in that gleaming white bath, cunningly disguised as a micro wetland. Selling Houses Australia could learn a thing or two about bathroom décor Wildlife Rescue style…

While I was driving to Newcastle one morning, my son took a wildlife rescue call on my mobile for me. There was apparently a kangaroo in a private garden in Wallsend. Oh, really? Was it ‘wind up the Pom’ morning? Why would a lone adult male Eastern Grey kangaroo suddenly appear in a garden right next to a busy highway with a scarily busy roundabout? Bizarre. I gave my dogs a quick run, drove back to Belmont North, left the dogs there, picked up a little ringtail possum en route (heat pad and box in the car) and went to said garden. Yep, sure enough, there was a beautiful kangaroo sedately sunbathing in suburbia with the noise of traffic all around him and some slightly bemused homeowners looking on.

I had picked up a large, strong, bag when I dropped my dogs home. (MOP had said the roo was about 3’6” tall). When I saw the roo though, I estimated it was another couple of foot on top of 3’6”! I was on my own, inadequately equipped for the job, and beginning to think I was seeing things. Nope, there’s definitely a large kangaroo lying down on the back lawn of this person’s home, it’s chewing grass and generally chilling out, unaware of the life-threatening predicament it’s in.

Phone a friend! I walked back to my car to check the little possum and get some sort of plan together. The only safe way to move the roo would be to dart it. Not in Kenya now, I couldn’t just sort that out in minutes! My phone battery was running out as I made (and took) calls for advice and back up. Without a dart gun there was nothing anyone could do except hope the roo stayed put until the cavalry arrived.

Sadly, this magnificent, friendly boy was hit by a truck the following morning and died from injuries sustained. It seemed he was ‘a pet’ that had outgrown his welcome. Just one phone call, that’s all these ‘owners’ had to do! He could have gone to a suitable permanent home; but no, instead he was dumped, disregarded and sentenced to death by the people he’d trusted. Sickening.
We see the best and worst of people, don’t we? The team spirit and mutual support of wildlife rescue members is the glue that holds us together in these times.

As I write this, I’m waiting for a call to arrange drop off of Buddy, Holly and Peggy Sue: their release time is approaching! Holly was a hand-reared orphan; now fit and ready to go. Much as I’ll miss the noise, poop and porridge routine, it will be good to know that my role with this little group has been successful. (It’ll give me a chance to clean that room before the next feral flock arrives for a new season of The Office!)

Beaker, the miner bird, hopes to be adopted by a protective local family that can offer a room with a view and beaks full of yummy things for him. I hope so too! The Machine needs to grow a little more before she’ll be ready for release; but there’s plenty of space and a welcoming committee in the swamp. Good job too: at this rate we will be filling it up!