How to Rescue an Injured Crow

Last week there was a young crow hanging out next door at my mother's home, which got stuck in a window well, and that was very exciting for everyone.  Well, mostly for me, as I was somehow tasked with extricating it, as it was too young to fly.  I made a ramp, the bird got out, and hopped away and out of sight.

Later, the same crow turned up in my front garden, and it was limping.  Somehow, it had become my problem once more.  So this time, I decided it was time to call the experts, as I know better than to try handling a wild, injured bird.  I got my car out of the garage, and encouraged the crow to hop inside the garage by waving a big stick at it, and then closed the garage door.  It's climate controlled in there, you see.  Then I called the wonderful Blue Mountain Wildflife nonprofit, which rescues all sorts of critters.  Two lovely people came within half an hour to pick up the injured crow.  Yay!

Inside the garage with the pan of water I provided

The Pros ("Crows can bite really hard," one told me.  He seemed to have firsthand experience.)

Success with the net!

Heavy gloves needed to pick up bird

They transported the bird to a local wildlife rehabilitator, and if it can be healed, then the crow will be returned to its family here in our neighborhood.  Whew.  

It's always something.

Otherwise, nothing much is going on here due to the annual excessive heat that we get every summer.  A week or two of 105-115 temps, which means walking the dogs at 7am, if at all, and spending the rest of the day inside with the AC going full blast.  

I did get some drawings done:

Temple in Kyoto (ink)

Colorful doorway (watercolor)

Village street in France (ink, watercolor, and gouache on toned paper)

Statues in a Japanese forest (ink, watercolor, and a bit of gold leaf)

And last but not least, an update on that needlepoint I'm doing of Aziraphale.  Here is the picture I used for the pattern (my own colored pencil drawing):

After two months of work, here is where I'm currently at:

Halfway, more or less!  A little over 30,000 stitches completed.  Now that the bottom half is done, it's time to work upward from the center, and give the poor angel a head!

That's all until next time (whenever that might be).

Hope you are all enjoying your summer (without 115 degree days!).