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February 2007

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From:
Johnine Bailey <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Johnine Bailey <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:40:40 +0000
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One rainy day a few months ago, I spotted a muddy woman trying to tackle a wayward Mute Swan on an inner-city high-speed 8-lane boulevard in rush-hour traffic.  She was a bird curator at a local zoo and had monitored a radio transmission concerning a White Dove in danger of being run down in the traffic.  She had brought along a carry cage large enough for the dove ... but obviously not quite able to fit the swan.

Eventually a couple of animal rescue folks came along and with an ambitious plan and four blankets, we determined to herd the swan across the boulevard through the traffic and into a fenced lot, where the curator would again attempt the tackle.  We would take the swan to the nearby river, so that it would have enough of a 'runway' to successfully fly away.  That was the plan.

Of course, at the last moment, the swan didn't agree ... and timing the green lights perfectly ... it was able to navigate enough of the highway runway to successfully take off ... inches before crashing into the obliviously oncoming pickup truck.  Success!

(That was the biggest darn white dove we ever saw.)



On the drive home, another fun story developed.  A Red-tailed Hawk was perched in a small tree in the park.  Pulling over to watch it, I saw the hawk swoop down into the tall grass to grab its dinner.  I got a good look at its 'spasmodic clutching behavior,' then it flew away ... talons empty.  Wanting to find the abandoned dinner, I sloshed over to the kill zone.  It was a large, brown long-necked beer bottle, looking pretty much like a shiny muskrat in full rigor mortis.

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