Iraq Kestrel is Saved

Messages from Iraq

The following is an e-mail from Ty James, Army medic from Fairbanks, Alaska to Louise Shimmel of CRC. Louise and other raptor rehabilitators have been advising Ty about the Falcon he found orphaned in one of the Iraq palaces. May 30, 2005

It's evening here in Iraq. James, the other medic made it back today so as things started winding down for the day I went over and spent some time with the little girl. This is so hard but I think tomorrow may be the day. Unless someone out there can tell me something I'm missing. I know killing a few more mice might be good but how much will she gain from it? I mean really. She had no trouble today and everything else I've put in front of her she has no problem killing. She's been porking out for the past 4 and a half days with mice and lizards. Two mice a day usually, which I'm sure is more than she'd probably be getting now in the wild. She's flying in the room but probably not as much as she really needs to and that's the deal. She needs to get out and really fly. I can't offer her that. We've built her strength up. She can climb when she fly's. I can't make her fly more without taming her more.

I'm thinking that tomorrow morning around 0800 while it's still cooler (85 or 90) back at her nesting sight is the plan. I went back today and her parents where still there. The guys that saved her from the water told me one of her parents was flying over her when she went in the water. There are trees there as is the building so she can perch almost any place. Even if she doesn't get back to the nest. I think even worse case scenario I could still catch mice and put them in the green box out in the open on the hill by her and help her out a little with food if I really had to. I'll go by every day and check the area and see how there doing. Not that I'll be able to tell her from a sibling but who knows. Just sitting there talking to her (yeah, stupid I know, talking to a bird) and trying to get a feel for what's right. I know what's right is getting her back out in the wild. It's the timing things that's got my guts in and uproar. She's feeling pretty feisty tonight so she must be feeling stronger.

I hate for the story to end but it has to at some point. I know all the reasons she needs to go back but dang it she's so sweet. She's been the next best thing to having my dog with me. At least I won't have to keep making a fool of myself everyday chasing bugs.

So that's what I'm thinking. What I would like to know is, should I feed her the rest of the lizards tonight and send her off with a light continental breakfast. Or do I give her desert tonight and send her off with a Denny's full course gut busting bacon and eggs with a side of strawberry waffles in the morning before she fly's?

I'll catch the email tonight after I run and before I head to bed. I'll read all the mail in the morning before we go in case there is a reason to wait another day. Don't worry. I'll have a video camera running and someone shooting pictures. You just won't see the ones of me crying.

So that's the plan as it stands. I'm really going to miss writing about her baby steps and hearing from all of you. It's been a fun ride while it lasted.

Talk to you later. Got to go run.

Ty Miller