Without hesitation, I started approaching it holding up my sweater so I could throw it on top of the bird once I got close enough. Let me tell you, it must have been quite the funny sight for people who didn't know I was trying to catch a bird. I am glad no one called the cops on the crazy lady that is sneaking around between cars. After a few attempts, I finally caught the little girl. I didn't have anything to put her into in my car, so the next best thing I could think of was to drive to the nearest pet store. In hindsight, I could have probably tried to just find any store and ask for a box. But I didn't. Now the tough part. Keep a bird wrapped in my sweater without hurting it while driving a Mustang with one hand across town with 5 dogs who were ready to go run at the park and don't understand why we are leaving again. Needless to say the bird suddenly appeared on my lap which made me actually scream out loud. I pulled over and spend 10 minutes trying to catch the bird again. With 5 dogs in the car. I finally got it and made it to the pet store where I was able to put it into a box. I also bought a cage and food right away. Later that day I took it the vet to ensure it was healthy, which it was. The vet said it couldn't have been out for too long.
If you know anyone in the Redmond area who lost a female parakeet, chances are I have it and please have them reach out to me.
I am trying to find its owner because I wouldn't want someone else to do the same for me. But if I can't I will keep her. Her name is Sunshine.
You may think this is an isolated incident, but in fact, my family somehow has a tradition of saving birds. Not intentionally. It just kind of happens.
The first bird we saved was an abandoned duckling. This happened when I was really young, about 4. We were watching it hatch on an grassy area in park and once it hatched it ran straight to my mom and followed us everywhere from that moment on. Unfortunately, she was eaten by a crow when my parents let their guard down. But while we had her she was following us like a puppy.
Then my parents saved two abandoned ducklings who were sitting under a parked car on a busy street. I was about 7. They were older though so they never really got used to us and once they were old enough we released them at a park.
This was really it for my childhood. In more recent years, my younger brother has had seven incidents when he somehow ran into a bird that needed help. He has the local wildlife shelter on speed dial. One time, a bird literally dropped right in front of his feet as he was walking. He also rescued a bat from drowning once.
On top of those seven incidents him and I also rescued two birds within the last two years. The first time I rescued a bird with him, and really the first time I ever rescued a bird since the ducks were rescued by my parents, was on my last day of visiting my family in Germany. We were in downtown Frankfurt and suddenly saw a woodpecker with a broken wing in a busy shopping passage. I looked at my brother with disbelief about the chances that this is happening to him again. He looked at me and said: 'Are you ready for this?'
We caught it and brought it to wildlife shelter.
The second time was when he visited me here in Washington. He was leaving in a few hours and we decided to go for a walk at Lake Sammamish. We found an abandoned green heron baby sitting in the middle of an open space. Again, we caught it and took a detour to a wildlife sanctuary in Maple Valley on the way to the airport.
I had chalked those incidents up to the fact that I was with my brother and given his history with birds it was just a normal day. Until I found Sunshine. I guess we are both carrying the baton now. If only our bird rescue ability could save the Seattle Seahawks.
