Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Fate of Ms. Gimpy

Ms. Gimpy returns. You can see her right leg isn't working and she is balancing on her left.

Ms Gimpy stopped by for breakfast again this morning! She has more pep and is doing a much better job of working around her still troublesome right leg. She did have a tough time with a shelled peanut:  the Blue Jays usually use both feet to hold one while they chip at it with their beaks. She perched on the top of the bench, had trouble with her balance and had to flutter to the grass. But she got the peanut and then hopped up on Dad's old umbrella base and looked around as if to say: "What? You've never seen a leg-challenged bird before?"

Standin' on my left, restin' my right.

She didn't tangle with her sibling this morning. But she did converse with him, I think.

Just as he made a strange, low, bubbling call when he was looking for her Monday evening, she got back up on the bench and made another call I had not heard.  This was a soft clicking, tick-tick-tick-tick-tick and she made it several times.

Just letting my friends and family know that I'm okay.

Jays are related to Magpies and are among the most intelligent of birds. Researchers have already determined that crows have a general vocalization used in public and another they use just for intimates. So I'm convinced this injured bird and her nest-mate are keeping in touch about her injury.

After she click-talked, she flew up to the top of my house and was gone.  My sister, who knows a lot more about birds than I do, says this damaged bird will be an easier target for predators this winter and still might not make it.

But, she survived the injuries and the trauma from whatever attacked her on Monday and she has soldiered on since then. I'm hoping her broken leg or foot will largely heal, and she'll one day make me sorry I called her Ms. Gimpy.


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2 comments:

Don Meuler said...

I hope she does well. I keep track of and worry about our "wild" visitors, too. Even the squirrels. I know, I know...

Robin Chapman said...

You keep caring for those squirrels and I'll send you some of mine!