The rescue

This post was written in the car on Friday afternoon on our way to Goudini Spa (where we spent the weekend), but could not be posted then since I was unable to get internet reception all weekend.


So we were all packed and ready to head off on our weekend getaway earlier this afternoon, when Shakeel (13) carried out his little birdies (which he has been hand-rearing for the past few weeks).

Suddenly we heard a shriek, as the baby cockatiel, whom Shakeel has been rearing for the past 2 weeks, suddenly decided to test his wings for the first time.

The bird ended up on the telephone pole nearby. Mo and Shakeel were frantic. They tried everything to get him down. Mo parked the car under the pole and then proceeded to hurl objects near it to get it to fly down, but to no avail. The bird sat dead still, calmly surveying the world beneath him, with a mocking superior air.

Sitting on a wire right at the top of the tall telephone pole

 

A half hour passed. Ronald, the guy who helps Mo with his vespa restorations, was recruited to the rescue mission. He displayed a powerful throwing arm, as he hurled pieces of wood next to the bird, who started to look as if he was becoming bored of all the shenanigans down below.

But, unfortunately, he was not the only one. We had been dumb enough to tell Aisha (2) about our impending journey and, needless to say, she had been nagging for the entire day;  insisting to know when we were leaving - every 2 minutes.

This untimely delay was the final straw - especially since we had been all packed and had, in fact, been sitting in the car ready to drive when the bird had flown away.

I was grumpy too - I had rushed like a maniac to get everything packed. The meat for the braai has been in the cooler box - in the hot car - for the past 2 hours.

The bird's smug attitude didn't help. Sitting up there, mocking our foolish desperation. Seeming to enjoy the havoc he was causing on the ground. I had to remind myself that he was just a little baby who would surely die if left to fend for himself - as he is still being syringe-fed porridge and does not eat solids properly yet.

So I sat watching Mo, Ronald and Shakeel tossing up pieces of wood against the wire, trying to scare the bird into flying toward them - and also squirting water into the air, hoping to alarm him. Despite the fact that Mo had parked the car under the telephone pole, they were still not able to reach the wire, on which the bird was sitting, with any accuracy. So, as a last resort, Mo got out his pepper-ball gun (now THAT, I think, he rather enjoyed). He fired shots near to the bird, who just looked the other way, visibly bored.

Spraying water with what I assume is a gardening contraption

And all the while I sat there, thinking about my meat rotting in the back of the car. Meat, which was probably worth more than price of the annoying bird.

Mo called the SPCA and the fire department . Both said that we needed to call the electricity department.

But fortunately that was not necessary. The bird, probably satisfied with the extent of the mayhem he had caused, then proceeded to fly onto our roof, where Ronald (our hero), standing on a ladder, scooped him into his hands and back to safety.

Ronald, our hero

I must admit (grudgingly) that I was really happy to have him back safely; the poor thing. I had not wanted to picture what would have become of him had he not come to his senses on time.

So, we have now finally left home (about five minutes ago). The whole ordeal had delayed us by almost two hours. Stupid bird.