I Held a Bird of Prey IN MY HANDS

And it was ALL.THE.THINGS.

How did you get here?

On Saturday afternoon, Mark and I worked on getting our pool open. On one of his trips to the barn to bring out pool stuff, Mark noticed the bird of prey in the photo above, sitting on the ground near the drive. He snapped the photo because he was surprised the bird let him get that close and didn't fly off.

About an hour later, I came around the barn to park Bobbi the Toolcat and found the bird in a different posture.

You do not look ok, friend.

We had never seen a bird down like this, blinking very slowly, flattened on the ground, letting us get close without trying to move or fly. Mark snapped the photo while we tried to decide what to do.

Betting that Julie Burdine, our friend and wildlife rehabber, would know what to do, I texted her a photo and plea for help. Because she is an amazing angel, in about three minutes I had a text back, with a reminder she's not licensed for birds, with two phone numbers and instructions to text photos and details.

I followed Julie's directions, and in about five minutes, my phone rang. It was Patti from Indiana Raptor Center. She told me what we had was a red shouldered hawk branchling, who is a few weeks away from flying. Patti explained we needed a cardboard box, some old t-shirts, and packing tape and then talked me through how to pick up the bird and get it in the box. Her tips included, "The bird thinks it's dead. You think it's dead. It's not dead." and "Keep the talons pointed away from you." She said she'd reach out to a volunteer who lives nearby while we worked on getting the bird in the box.

In a few more minutes, my phone rang again, and it was Mark, the volunteer who lives nearby. He grew up just down the road so he knew exactly where we live. He was finishing an errand in town, so he could be at our house in about 15 minutes. He said if we got the box ready and kept eyes on the bird, he'd get the bird in the box.

HOW AMAZING IS THIS?! We went from, "What do we do with this seemingly almost-dead bird?" to expert help enroute in 30 minutes, on the Saturday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend in suburban Indianapolis, where many people were focused on the Greatest Spectacle in Racing and its surrounding festivities.

Mark and I found old t-shirts, packing tape, and a box, punched holes in the box, and hurried back out to the driveway by the barn to find... NOTHING. The bird was gone! I called Bird Guy Mark because we no longer had a bird for him to get in the box, and he patiently explained he was almost to our house and would help us look for the bird. Did I mention that Bird Guy Mark has a duck dog that can help us look?

HOW AMAZING IS THIS?!

Friends, Bird Guy Mark is the most patient and gentle teacher ever. It took him about three seconds to find the nest.

Red shouldered hawk nest in sycamore tree, about 30 feet from our barn.

Turns out, red shouldered hawks like sycamore trees! Pro tip from Bird Guy Mark: When looking for a nest, look for bird poop on the ground.

He also thought there's probably another branchling still up in the nest.

Do you see Branchling #2? (Sitting on the branch in the upper right)

We walked around a little more. We stood still and quietly listened. Mark told us the bird would stick close by and would start to call for Mom when it got hungry, likely the next day. Before he left he said, "If you can get that bird in a box, please do." I hadn't thought about how defenseless this non-flying bird is when he's down on the ground.

Mom and Branchling #1 on downed tree

On Sunday afternoon, Mark and I went looking for Branchling #1. First we sat on our deck and listened. Then we walked back by the barn and the nest. We walked, looked, and listened. We paused. Then, I looked over and saw two birds sitting on a downed tree. I called quietly to Mark, who came over, looked, and then snapped the photo above.

A close up of Mom (left) and Branchling #1 (right)

Then we stood there, looking at each other, wondering what to do. It looks like Branchling #1 is with Mom, so should we interfere? Should we call Bird Guy Mark to come get this bird in a box? Are we really going to try to pick up this bird? It felt easier yesterday when he/she was belly down on the ground. In the midst of this, I realized I left my phone, with Bird Guy Mark's contact info, in the house. What to do?

We decided I'd stay there while Mark went to the barn to retrieve the box, tape, and gloves. When he returned, we discussed how we'd each move in because there's downed brush and bush honeysuckle. We slowly and quietly started moving closer. At a certain point, the bird on the left flew away, so we knew that was Mom. As we got closer, we could see that the bird on the right was Branchling #1.

I then started seeing him/her differently. Instead of seeing BIRD OF PREY, I noticed downy feathers and the bird was actually smallish. I started talking quietly to him/her, explaining this was new and unexpected for all of us, I didn't want to hurt him/her, and we really did want to help. Branchling #1 kept turning to face me and then Mark, extending his/her wings to appear larger.

At some point, Mark took off his gloves and said to me, "I think you're going to have the best chance to get hawkface," and then gently tossed the gloves over to me.

Everything slowed down. I watched as this tiny, terrified being stretched and retracted wings that didn't yet have all the feathers necessary to fly. I thought about how I didn't want to unintentionally injure a wing by using too much force or carelessness. I envisioned gently gathering this bird into my hands and placing it belly down into the box. My attention narrowed down to this bird and me. I got a little closer and stood still for what seemed like forever. And then, almost without realizing I was moving, I quickly reached down and gathered the bird into my hands.

As Mark brought the box over, I felt the bird go completely limp, gently placed him/her belly first into the box, and closed the top flaps before Mark secured them with tape.

There's a red shouldered hawk branchling in that box.

I went inside to find my phone to call Bird Guy Mark to ask if we could bring him the box. He said he was out and about, so he'd come by the house in about thirty minutes. We took the box to the deck so we could sit and process while also keeping an eye on the box. The adrenaline was still pumping, so I was a little shaky, still trying to fully catch my breath and process what just happened.

In a little while, Bird Guy Mark arrived, and we debriefed a bit. He explained next steps and also what's likely to happen over the next weeks and months with Branchling #2. He said if everything goes well at bird rehab, they like to release the birds back in the same area where they came from. Would we be up for that? Answer: YES!

I continue to think, HOW AMAZING IS THIS?!

How AMAZING is it to live in a world where people are so passionate about wildlife that they learn how to become rehabbers, go through the licensing process, and then VOLUNTEER their time and treasure to work with these animals? I know from watching Julie that the work is hard, and outcomes are often heartbreaking. Support their work!

How AMAZING is it that all of us beings are interconnected and that we all live together in this place?

How AMAZING is it that I had what I needed to help this bird and experience this moment of awe? Jill-before-mindfulness-based-well-being would've wanted to help the bird, but I don't think she would've had what she needed to gather the bird in her hands. Sunday's version of Jill was grounded, set the intention to help, and trusted she had what she needed to attend to whatever arose as she tried to gather the bird.

And that, my friend, is an AMAZING feeling.

Do you want in on this? Take your first step by enrolling in Introduction to Mindfulness-Based Well-Being.

Let's do AMAZING things together!