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Floatflyer
Nomad
Posts: 313
Registered: 2-15-2009
Location: Whidbey Island, WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wet & Cold
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This morning my wife, again, caught a small fish, this time what I think is a ladyfish. We brought it quickly to Migo and removed the other fish and
the cleaned carcass of the cabrilla and placed the new fish in the cage. Migo rather quickly grabbed on to it and in a rather short period of time,
ate first the eyes, then gills, and when we checked back an hour or two later, had eaten the entire head!!
We were thrilled. I talked to a raptor rehab expert in Wisconsin and she recommended that we construct another enclosure, larger and no wire. Said
wire is bad because the bird's wings can hit the wire and they lose feathers which is bad. So, more $$$ and more work, but we are excited.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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good job, Bud!
i love those birds. they are always one of the centers of our attention every time we go to baja. all our best to Migo!
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Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4275
Registered: 1-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Depends on which way the wind is blowing
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Pelican Boil This Morning
Many birds and dolphins were chasing fish in our bay this morning.
One pelican stayed still in the water and drifted north with the prevailing current.
We watched him for a very long time. He was alone and never left the water.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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goldhuntress
Senior Nomad
Posts: 663
Registered: 1-28-2010
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What great news! And such big relief. Keep up the good work and thanks for the update.
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redhilltown
Super Nomad
Posts: 1130
Registered: 1-24-2009
Location: Long Beach, CA
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Dear heavens! If he'll eat a Ladyfish he'll eat ANYTHING!!!!!!! 
Fantastic. Go Mijo Go!
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Floatflyer
Nomad
Posts: 313
Registered: 2-15-2009
Location: Whidbey Island, WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wet & Cold
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Here is the latest update on Migo. We decided we had to build a larger enclosure and one not made with wire. Were told that wire is very hard on the
feathers and if damaged further he might not be able to fly till he molts, once per year, sigh. Went in to town and bought some palapa netting and
built him a cage about 4 ft high, 5 ft wide, and 9 ft long. We put down carboard on the floor to soften things for his claws and put in a perch that
I screwed to a couple of 2x6s for a solid base, and about 4" off of the floor.
He moved easily into the new "nest" and appears to be doing fine. We continue to catch a fish in the morning and he holds it down and eats the head
almost instantly. After that he appears to lose interest the rest of the day for feeding. Don't know if we should try for another flopping fish or
what? Anyway, we are still hopeful that he will improve. In about a week we are supposed to take him back to the vet to have him checked and
possibly remove his splint. We shall see.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13237
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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what an inspiring story !!! I think you get some cameras and post videos for the world to see !!! thanks for caring so much ....
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Mulegena
Super Nomad
Posts: 2412
Registered: 11-7-2006
Member Is Offline
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Oh, so happy for Migo!
So relieved he/she's eating!!
Cudos to you for the flopping fish, the flopping around may be the key to attraction and getting those stomach juices roiling. Good thinkin'!
Could you let Migo out of the habitat for some walk-about time with you under your direct care and supervision, dogs secured inside the house? A bit
of daily exercise would be good for his rehab.
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
Member Is Offline
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What a wonderful story and I hope he heals completely very soon.
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13049
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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We rescued a Royal Tern and she lived with us in the house for a week...they also eat live fish but after a couple days of not eating, she would eat
strips of fresh fish...I fed her first with long chopsticks holding the fish up above her head so she reached for it and she just gulped them down. I
suggest seeing if you can get someone to catch some smaller fish like sardinas or bait fish...but it is a good sign she ate the eyes and head...that's
how they roll!
Although it was a messy deal, "Queeny" liked the house and grew fond of us and would waddle over to my desk and open and close her beak to ask for
food...she liked moving around...but when she started to try to fly around the house, things got a bit silly and messy so I brought her outside and
she just lifted off and flew away...it was a joyous moment and a bit sad as we had grown fond of her....good luck with your bird...have you named
him/her yet?
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Floatflyer
Nomad
Posts: 313
Registered: 2-15-2009
Location: Whidbey Island, WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wet & Cold
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Yesterday was the best day for Migo. He got his enclosure cleaned, his wound cleaned, another fresh fish that he ate the most of, I held him and
patted him during the cleaning and he spent the most time on his perch.
This morning we found him standing in a corner, not real alert. I rubbed him thru the netting but he didn't move much. We again caught him a nice
fish but he showed no interest. We took a walk and when we returned he had passed away. We took him back to the beach and buried him with tears in
our eyes. We were so hopeful.
Both my wife and I asked ourselves if it is worth it. We agreed, yes. To have given him some chance instead of no chance, we would do it again. The
worst part was getting so attached to him and then losing him so suddenly. Another of those lessons in life. Bye buddy.
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goldhuntress
Senior Nomad
Posts: 663
Registered: 1-28-2010
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My heart is broken, for Migo and you both. It always amazes me that birds can survive just fine in many extreme habitates but they can also be so
fragile. I lost one of my parrots a while back. She seemed just fine when I put her to bed but the next morning she was on the bottom of her cage,
wings spread open for balance, too sick to perch. I rushed her straight to the vet but she died on the way. Things can go south quickly with birds.
Sorry things didn't work out, you did your best.
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
Member Is Offline
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That is just so sad and yes, you gave him another chance at life and deserve to feel good about that.
And the idea that you did so much and feel such a sense of loss says a lot about who you two are as people.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Floatflyer
Yesterday was the best day for Migo. He got his enclosure cleaned, his wound cleaned, another fresh fish that he ate the most of, I held him and
patted him during the cleaning and he spent the most time on his perch.
This morning we found him standing in a corner, not real alert. I rubbed him thru the netting but he didn't move much. We again caught him a nice
fish but he showed no interest. We took a walk and when we returned he had passed away. We took him back to the beach and buried him with tears in
our eyes. We were so hopeful.
Both my wife and I asked ourselves if it is worth it. We agreed, yes. To have given him some chance instead of no chance, we would do it again. The
worst part was getting so attached to him and then losing him so suddenly. Another of those lessons in life. Bye buddy. |
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BigOly
Senior Nomad
Posts: 524
Registered: 10-1-2010
Location: Los Barriles, Bandon
Member Is Offline
Mood: Easy Birder
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R.I.P Migo
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Mulegena
Super Nomad
Posts: 2412
Registered: 11-7-2006
Member Is Offline
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Soar high and free, dear Migo, for you carry the hearts of these earth-bound souls with you.
"If the Sky Wills So"
working titled excerpt from "All My Relations, The Years in Baja, Mexico"
by Mulegena, 18 Octubre, 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your
one wild and precious life?“
~ American poet Mary Oliver
From "The summer day"; New and Selected Poems 1992
We kept an Osprey for a few days. Poor bird died, but that was his fate, as they say. Something was wrong with the bird; he held his right wing low,
wouldn't eat-- and feeding an osprey is a bit of a deal, especially if he doesn't want.
So, this poor bird came to stay with me. Put him in the back of the shop. Gave him the dog carrier to stay in, left the door open for him to come out
if he wants. He seems fine except his droopy wing and no appetite. His wing's not broken, not dislocated. He just won't pick it up. I run down to
where the pangas come in, looking for fish-- a single fresh recently-fileted fish.
That's a mighty big beak there, Osprey. Looks like you could take my finger off in a snap. Don't think you will, though. You had your chance when you
let me check you out for injuries, examine your wing carefully pulling, extending pushing it around you didn't flinch, didn't try too much to get
away.
In fact, you were quite gentle when I approached you down on the river when the neighbor called me to come see about you. You let me slowly walk up to
you, bending down to be closer to you in size, talk gentle to you, you looked at me, you regarded me. You listened. You didn't try to get away then,
didn't make me put the blanket over you that I had brought. To my amazement you just let me pick you up, put you in the waiting carrier.
Such a regal bird you are, Osprey. You hold your head high, don't show any fear of me or the dogs or the cats that look in at you from the front of
the shop. You just take us all in, take the turn-around of circumstances in your life in stride.
That beak. You could have nabbed me many times over if you'd wanted. You haven't. Sometimes you look at me, regard me with consideration, eyes
penetrating deep into me. The feathers on the crown of your head stand up as a crest. So elegant, You. I feel like a commoner in front of the king in
his palace. Even with your wing, even in the dark storage room in the back of the shop, you're one amazing bird to behold.
With your dignity unruffled you quietly hopped back to your dog carrier, your new home in the back of the shop, away from the palm trees and river and
swimming fish waiting for your stealth blow of quick death from above, in these circumstances which certainly would seem incomprehensible to a lesser
being than yourself.
I wonder and wish I could ask, “Are you aware of your injuries? Do you consider your present circumstances? Are you confused? Do you miss your past
life, a life that a free bird, a bird of prey such as yourself, claims as his birthright? Do you angst over the prospects of your future?”
“Are you anything like me, Bird? Would you have stopped and gathered me up if I were injured, carried me to your nest overlooking the river? Would you
have fed me alongside your young, seen to my injuries? Would you have thought of me at all if you had seen me injured on the river’s edge or would you
have just gone on fishing, making your way in the world of nature as the zopolotes, the clean-up crew of birds, circled then dined on my dying body?”
“Are you wiser than I, Bird?”
You died today, Bird. You ate once again. You were hopping around, still in the back of the shop, still in circumstances so far removed from the
natural order of your previous life and the life of all your ancestors, and so you did die. They say that the first sign of illness in a bird is
death. You hide it so well, the experts say, for to display weakness in the wild is to bring danger to yourself and your young.
Is this the answer to the riddle of your regal, haughty nature? Is this the way you and your ancestors before you protect yourselves? You claimed
dominion over the sky and rivers and fishes? You became king and this your kingdom?
And I, I in my infinite human failings, desires and designs tried to re-order your circumstances, tried to change the course of the river that is your
life and livelihood. Ah, but as your life flowed and ebbed as the river you lived on, so my life courses forward, and for awhile on earth we came
together, you and I, Osprey, an unlikely pair. You, guided by ancestral wisdom born of water and wind. I, your sister bound forever by earth and
thought.
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8088
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Floatflyer
Yesterday was the best day for Migo. He got his enclosure cleaned, his wound cleaned ....
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This sounds as though there had been an infection?
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luckyman
Junior Nomad
Posts: 60
Registered: 12-19-2007
Location: near chico, ca
Member Is Offline
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just dropped in on your post tonight ff...good on you and w for your efforts with the osprey, we all wish it would have worked out better for the
little bugger. the best thing is that you guys gave him a shot at rehabilitation, which is better than nothing at all.
good job.
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redhilltown
Super Nomad
Posts: 1130
Registered: 1-24-2009
Location: Long Beach, CA
Member Is Offline
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Thank you for the posts and thank you for the efforts. Hold your heads high as you went far beyond the call of duty.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
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Floatflyer, Hope your bird makes a full recovery. Thank for the pictures. Good luck.
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