Category: Nature

That Time I Saved A Deer
animals · Nature

That Time I Saved A Deer

Amy15 Comments

Facebook reminded me yesterday of a thing that I did in 2018. I was driving to work at about five in the morning. At the time I was working 30 miles away, and had to be there by 6:30. I had to be very careful because it was still very dark and deer are prevalent. I would also see fox, but the deer are by far the most prevalent. They can do the most damage to themselves as well as to humans. It breaks my heart when I see deer deceased on the side of the road. I can’t even look. I can’t look at any animals that are deceased on the side of the road. I believe this stems from the time I saw my dog get hit by a car and killed twenty feet away from me, when I was about five. So now, whenever I can save an animal life, I will. Even a fly – and I despise flies. Even more, I despise their children. But back to the story at hand. In 2018 on a cold February morning, I encountered the following:

Bert Pinkfoot
daily prompt · Nature · Writing

Bert Pinkfoot

Amy7 Comments

If I started a sports team, it would be racing pigeons, and their mascot would be Bert Pinkfoot.

Bert Pinkfoot was a racing pigeon who absconded a race and somehow ended up in my backyard. I knew he was a racing pigeon because he had green bands on both ankles. He was also rather tame. He arrived several Septembers ago, and I knew he wasn’t from around here, because we don’t have many pigeons where I live. That and the bands, as I mentioned. There are plenty of mourning doves, but no pigeons.

I immediately called the local bird sanctuary, and asked about this racing pigeon in my backyard, who had attracted a local flock of doves. As a matter of fact, all the female doves were quite impressed with Bert and tried to get his attention. Bert was a working man, he was a racing bird, and he was not interested in any female attention (this is when some doves cried).

The woman at the bird sanctuary told me that Bert likely left a race. My understanding is these birds race from point A to point B and back to point A, as pigeons are trained to do. She told me it was likely if I tried to return the bird to its owner, the owner would likely kill the bird because he absconded the race and lost the owner money. She also said that there had been a race about 300 miles north, and that he probably was from that race.

I wasn’t sure what to do with Bert. I had already been feeding and giving water to the “normal” birds, so he had a bit of an all-you- can eat buffet and sanctuary in my backyard. The woman also told me that he’d be likely to be eaten by hawks because he was raised to be a racing pigeon, and had no true exposure to the outside, natural world. At least not while he was trying to sleep.

Bert hung around for several weeks, though he never joined in with the doves. He tolerated his distant cousins, and maybe he found solace with them. We’ll never know why he left the race – whether he was seeking freedom or he got lost – but after about two weeks, Bert was no longer in my backyard. I didn’t see him again. I like to think he found his freedom and flew to a nearby city to be with his brethren city pigeons. I don’t think of the alternative.

Bert Pinkfoot

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I Was A Park Ranger
daily prompt · Nature

I Was A Park Ranger

Amy1 Comment

Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

It was always my dream to be a park ranger. Ever since I was a small girl, I imagined myself out in the wilderness, wearing rugged boots and heavy clothing topped off with a nondescript brown hat. Flowers and trees and plants as far as the eye can see. I never knew if I would realize my dream. I worked hard toward it, but life interrupted.

That’s what I told my Acting 101 class as I pretended that I’ve always wanted to be a park ranger. While it’s true that I love plants and trees and the grass beneath my feet, mosquitoes have an unrequited love for me, and I do not like the smell of leaves, nor being cold at night. Sleeping in a tent? I’ll pass, thanks.

My performance earned me a round of applause. They believed me.