3rd June.
We had a lovely/terrifying moment a few days ago. The woodpeckers were just romping around the pen, eating well and looking fit to go. I’d taken advice from Tiggywinkles on them because I was worried that they wouldn’t know about hammering on trees as they’d simply been picking up the food that I’d been pushing into the cracks of the wood.
Tiggywinkles are brilliant for advice on any wild animal if you’re not 100% confident and are patient, kind and very knowledgeable. Their opinion on the babies was to let them go as instinct would kick in and they would know what to do. Ohhhh, errrrrr!
So I fed them well in the morning and made a deal with myself that if it was gone in the afternoon then I’d open the door….. I suppose there was a bit of me that wanted it to be left and then I’d have to deal with it tomorrow. God bless tomorrow, it never comes!
Unfortunately for me when I went out to them at lunch time and not a scrap of food remained I realised that probably the time had arrived. So, with a little fear in my heart I opened the door and stepped back and ‘whoosh’ with a flutter and a flourish it was over and my babies were gone. One paused for a moment on the fence before launching into the heavens and so they disappeared, indistinguishable from the other birds that soared off into the distance. It was beautiful to see something so tame and friendly transform into a completely wild animal. My job was done.
I looked down at the empty pen, still wide open and there in the doorway was one little woodpecker who looked out at the world, turned round and went back in. He obviously didn’t think he was quite ready for the great out doors!
I closed the pen and will keep him for a few more days until he feels confident and strong enough to fend for himself.
I was slightly worried that the solitary woodpecker would wane and stop eating but that evening we heard loud cheeping out in the garden. A distress call from a bird. Thankfully the young bird had the sense to sit dead still in the grass because it was being watched intently by two cats. They hadn’t touched it, the game hadn’t begun for them at that point and they were just waiting as if they had all the time in the world. When I grabbed the youngster their sense of disappointment was palpable.
It was a thrush, a very lively, large thrush that tried to kill me every time I put my hand anywhere near it’s beak! It was obviously a very well fed fledgling that wasn’t standing for any nonsense from me. I tried offering it some food but he mistook my fingers for lunch and just seemed to get madder and madder. I knew that it was rather unconventional but I thought he and the last woodpecker might enjoy each others company so I popped them in together in the avery.
I’m pleased to say that both of them seem to get along swimmingly and hop about on the branches together. I’m really hoping that the pair will be ready for release at the same time. I’m sure that they’ll go their separate ways as soon as they are released but you can only dream……..
