Recovering, Mr. Bird finds a new perch

Mr. Bird is sleeping now -- atop the frame that holds the porch swing on our deck.

This is not his usual nighttime resting place. In the past, he has hopped from rooftop to branch to branch until he was high up in the tallest tree on our block.

But last night, the neighbors say, he fell out off that perch. (No details here; I wish I knew what they actually saw or just surmised.)

Today he picked a decidedly lower goal -- our porch swing, which is about 5 feet off the ground.
Our neighbor Lee called, alarmed, because she fears if he falls out of THAT, he will end up in the water.

Poor bird. I guess he doesn't have his full strength back. Or maybe his injured foot hampers his ability to get a good hop going.

He also is handicapped because, at this time of year, his feathers are so long and full. It must be hard to fly with those things hanging out 4 feet behind!

Soon, he'll lose those feathers in his annual molting, and maybe he'll be able to roost on high again when he is lighter.

In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on him, and hope he's not endangered or demoralized by such a lowly roost.

He's healing. Do you think we should send flowers?

We called the Wildlife Care Center today and they said Mr. Bird is doing very well, though not ready to leave the hospital yet. They said other neighbors had called just last night.

Many people go to the hospital and get less attention.

Mr. Bird goes to the hospital

For the last week, we noticed Mr. Bird was limping severely.

He stopped flying up to his tall roost at night and instead spent the night in the stubby hurricane-broken tree in the McLaren's front yard. He hid all day in the hedge in front of our house, under Anna's window.

All the neighbors were alarmed and at least three of us, separately, called the Wild Bird Care Center about him.

Lee, our neighbor, says he has a big hole in his foot ,a bleeding open wound. I didn't see it, but I did observe him repeatedly picking at his lame foot, presumably where the wound is.

Finally, this morning, the Wildlife Care Center came and got him, called by Lee, who is Mr. Bird's biggest fan. (Well, that's a tough competition; Sophia, the lady next door to Lee is obsessed with bird's injury.) She was ready to grab the bird and take him by car to a vet. Lee said, not knowing whether Mr. Bird would hold still, she didn't think it was good to drive with him uncaged in your car!)

Lee says the young fellow from the wildlife center brought a big net but ended up just grabbing Bird, and he went along docilely. He may be too weak to fight; we're not sure.

The Wildlife Care Center will care for him and, presuming he gets better, someone has to "adopt" him and transport him home. Sophia, apparently, is convinced there is a big risk somebody else will adopt him first.

We are, of course, hoping the Wildlife Center knows just what to do with peacocks with holes in their feet. (Smear his foot with Neosporin? Put antibiotics in his food?)