Bird Rescue!

So I scrambled across the creek to find the man who I had seen get out of a police car and go into the industrial block about 100 metres away.  Unfortunately it took me a while to find him - I had to visit a kitchen centre, a gym (the guy there thought I was his new customer arriving for his PT session - luckily we straightened that out quickly!), and a mechanics place.   It was a bit weird for everyone having a sweaty person come in and ask if a policeman was there.  After I explained my story to the gym guy, he gave me an old t-shirt to wrap the bird in, which was really nice of him and a relief for me!  I eventually found the police guy in the mechanics place - he was getting his own car serviced so he was out of uniform, but he was appropriately attired in a westpac rescue hoody.  He was off-duty but was willing to help me catch the bird, so armed with a pair of thick gloves (from the mechanic), and the t-shirt from the gym, we went back over the creek and managed to catch the bird quickly - it couldn't fly but it could certainly complain very loudly!  

The policeman (Josh), then handed me the bird and went back to his business, so I wasn't able to take any more photos or video from that point as I needed both hands to keep the bird contained.  I still had to walk about 400 metres back to the car with the bird screaming blue murder from its swaddled position in the t-shirt. It was bearable for the first 200 metres but then the bird realised that it could nip my fingers, so the 2nd 200 metres was even less pleasant than the first. Once I got to the car I realised that I couldn't get the keys out of my pocket without losing the bird so I had to walk on to another different mechanics place to beg for a box. Once again they were happy to oblige, especially as it meant the sweaty person carrying a blood soaked squarking t-shirt would leave their place of business.  

With the bird safely placed in an old wine box, I got us into the car and drove the few minutes down the road to the vet where upon all 3 large dogs in the waiting room were shocked into silence from the massive amount of decibels the bird was able to emit as I carried it up to the front desk.  Not surprisingly check-in was quick and the bird was taken away for assessment and I was able to leave.

I hope it's ok  - it definitely had a broken wing and it had lost a lot of blood.  If it doesn't survive, at least it won't have had to suffer for days while it starved to death or got mauled by another creature.  And I'm really glad that the Bonorong hotline was there.   As it happens my brother has donated his football tipping winnings to that organisation recently so I can reassure him that it has gone to a very good cause. I remember trying to rescue a kookaburra in Lane Cove once, and being so relieved that  I could call the local Wildlife Rescue organisation WIRES to find out what to do. After that experience I became a financial member of them for a few years.  They are all good people doing good things.

 My only other significant wildlife rescue was the time that we rescued a koala from a mine shaft somewhere near Ballarat many years ago.  It was such a funny experience that I remember almost every moment of it quite clearly including the part when the rescued koala promptly climbed a nearby tree and threw sticks and growled at us brave and courageous rescuers (really!).  Like the Galah, it wasn't very grateful.