Blood Ties by Crane Ben;

Author:Crane, Ben; [Crane, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Head of Zeus

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At the far end of my garden, past the pampas grass, almost into the wood, is a small area about an eighth of an acre in size. It’s overgrown, half in sunlight, half in shade, and in it voles shriek and fight, snakes sunbathe and a tawny owl nests above a hive of wild honeybees. It is a private place, secluded, ankle deep in fallen acorns, chest high in nettles and surrounded by plum and damson trees. I strim back the nettles, clearing a space, and build Girl a large, secluded aviary.

Hawks do not like being caged. If the design of Girl’s aviary is wrong she will haphazardly crash about, relentlessly flying into the walls and corners. A badly designed aviary will cause her to smash feathers, split her beak or, worse still, break her bones. Before I put the roof on Girl’s new home, I stretch several layers of soft mesh netting across the top and staple it in place. If startled, Girl will gently bounce off the netting without injury. Along the right side, facing out over fields, I screw vertical rows of white overflow piping across large squares cut away from the walls. This allows free-flowing air and sunlight to stream between the bars. In any attempt to escape, Girl will simply grab the piping and slip safely to the floor. For a fresh supply of flowing water, I drill a hole in the bottom-right-hand corner and push a hosepipe down into a large circular bath. Several thick perches are attached to the walls and across the centre of the aviary. A small ledge and feeding hatch complete her new home.

I release Girl into the aviary, duck down and hide quietly behind a damson tree. After initial suspicion, she dances about on the different perches, flies to the floor and has a bath. Wet and spiky, she hops back up near the window and calmly preens and cleans her feathers. Sneaking around the side, I drop diced pigeon breast coated with calcium and vitamin powder and what remains of her medicine through the feeding hatch. She is safe, settled and comfortable in her home. I have done as much as I can. Other than feeding her daily, the rest is up to her. There is nothing more I can do to speed up her recovery: nature cannot be rushed, and a talon takes eight months to grow back. I will have to keep Girl contained through the autumn and winter. It will not be until next spring that I find out if her rehabilitation can continue and whether she can be released.

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