Reunited And It Feels So Good!
I know...the title, LOL, but it had to be done!! =o)
Lynn the Wildlife Rehabilitator returned Mama Cherry to her family today at precisely 8:56AM EST. Lynn had picked Cherry up at 4AM from the Sanctuary (Save Our Seabirds). She was so kind to call me when she arrived, and she stayed a short distance from our property until we had confirmed the location of the family. She and I hung up, and 10 seconds later Classic, Fanta and Fresca were outside my office window.
When Lynn arrived with Cherry, the rest of the family had circled around another building. Lynn carried Cherry out; Cherry saw Fanta and started to wriggle. Lynn let Cherry go, and she went straight to Fanta. Fanta has been falling behind since Cherry has been gone. Classic and Fresca had already moved up the sidewalk, but they definitely saw Cherry and started making their way back. The family reunited against the mundane backdrop of office windows, but for me, it was one of the most beautiful scenes I have witnessed.
Lynn was surprised there wasn’t any trumpeting between Classic and Cherry, but I was closer to them and I could hear them purring and cooing and the chicks were peeping. They walked off together and then Cherry moved off to the pond when they got to the corner of the building. Classic, ever the good father, continued the daily foraging round without her as she got a drink and started to get used to her blessed freedom again. I told Lynn, she probably wanted to blow the stink off of her, the smell of humans and other birds at the sanctuary. Not that those stink…it’s an expression, you know. She wanted to freshen up! =o)
Later in the day, Classic and the chicks joined her at the pond for more foraging. I sat on the hill, and I just watched them. Of course I took some shots, but I also just enjoyed the splendor of seeing my family, our family, together again. I felt myself exhale, and while I will keep a close eye on Cherry and the family in the coming weeks, I feel better knowing they are together.
Thank you God for the blessing of Lynn and the good people at Save Our Searbirds who removed the paperclip from Cherry’s beak, gave her antibiotics, and cared for her. Lynn is some sweet lady, and she is incredibly dedicated and passionate. She often gets 6 rescue calls a day, most of them Sandhill Crane related. She showed me a lot of pictures. All of them made my heart ache, and some of them were incredible success stories. Lynn’s eye lit up, sharing the joy of those who were successfully released back into the wild, and I could see her heart ache when she spoke of those she euthanized and held as they passed away. “I wouldn’t want to be alone when I die; so I don’t let them be alone.”
I am going to go to the Sanctuary in a week and a half. I know a lot of what I may see there will be heart wrenching, but if I can help and raise awareness, that would be a great gift. Thank you my Flickr Friends for all of your prayers and good wishes. I met so many awesome and simpatico contacts because of this story. In case I haven’t mentioned lately, I HAVE THE BEST CONTACTS ON FLICKR. I hope you will check them out! You will find many nature lovers, bird nerds, macro-tastic bug lovers, tree-huggers, funny, talented, engaged and artistic people!
These are not necessarily shots of epic quality. Sometimes it is what it is with wildlife, and I was definitely respecting their space even more than usual, but the feelings were epic for me. For more information on these and other cranes visit www.savingcranes.org Hugs and thanks for viewing and oh my goodness, for reading this epic description if you were inclined to do so!!! XXOO
***All rights to my images are STRICTLY reserved. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing my images or if you are an educator or non-profit interested in use. copyright KathleenJacksonPhotography 2009***
Reunited And It Feels So Good!
I know...the title, LOL, but it had to be done!! =o)
Lynn the Wildlife Rehabilitator returned Mama Cherry to her family today at precisely 8:56AM EST. Lynn had picked Cherry up at 4AM from the Sanctuary (Save Our Seabirds). She was so kind to call me when she arrived, and she stayed a short distance from our property until we had confirmed the location of the family. She and I hung up, and 10 seconds later Classic, Fanta and Fresca were outside my office window.
When Lynn arrived with Cherry, the rest of the family had circled around another building. Lynn carried Cherry out; Cherry saw Fanta and started to wriggle. Lynn let Cherry go, and she went straight to Fanta. Fanta has been falling behind since Cherry has been gone. Classic and Fresca had already moved up the sidewalk, but they definitely saw Cherry and started making their way back. The family reunited against the mundane backdrop of office windows, but for me, it was one of the most beautiful scenes I have witnessed.
Lynn was surprised there wasn’t any trumpeting between Classic and Cherry, but I was closer to them and I could hear them purring and cooing and the chicks were peeping. They walked off together and then Cherry moved off to the pond when they got to the corner of the building. Classic, ever the good father, continued the daily foraging round without her as she got a drink and started to get used to her blessed freedom again. I told Lynn, she probably wanted to blow the stink off of her, the smell of humans and other birds at the sanctuary. Not that those stink…it’s an expression, you know. She wanted to freshen up! =o)
Later in the day, Classic and the chicks joined her at the pond for more foraging. I sat on the hill, and I just watched them. Of course I took some shots, but I also just enjoyed the splendor of seeing my family, our family, together again. I felt myself exhale, and while I will keep a close eye on Cherry and the family in the coming weeks, I feel better knowing they are together.
Thank you God for the blessing of Lynn and the good people at Save Our Searbirds who removed the paperclip from Cherry’s beak, gave her antibiotics, and cared for her. Lynn is some sweet lady, and she is incredibly dedicated and passionate. She often gets 6 rescue calls a day, most of them Sandhill Crane related. She showed me a lot of pictures. All of them made my heart ache, and some of them were incredible success stories. Lynn’s eye lit up, sharing the joy of those who were successfully released back into the wild, and I could see her heart ache when she spoke of those she euthanized and held as they passed away. “I wouldn’t want to be alone when I die; so I don’t let them be alone.”
I am going to go to the Sanctuary in a week and a half. I know a lot of what I may see there will be heart wrenching, but if I can help and raise awareness, that would be a great gift. Thank you my Flickr Friends for all of your prayers and good wishes. I met so many awesome and simpatico contacts because of this story. In case I haven’t mentioned lately, I HAVE THE BEST CONTACTS ON FLICKR. I hope you will check them out! You will find many nature lovers, bird nerds, macro-tastic bug lovers, tree-huggers, funny, talented, engaged and artistic people!
These are not necessarily shots of epic quality. Sometimes it is what it is with wildlife, and I was definitely respecting their space even more than usual, but the feelings were epic for me. For more information on these and other cranes visit www.savingcranes.org Hugs and thanks for viewing and oh my goodness, for reading this epic description if you were inclined to do so!!! XXOO
***All rights to my images are STRICTLY reserved. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing my images or if you are an educator or non-profit interested in use. copyright KathleenJacksonPhotography 2009***