"A Bird Story" by Tony Wasowicz

A couple of weeks ago I was walking my Whippets (Devo & Jimi) around the neighborhood when we were suddenly stopped in our tracks by the sight and sound of around a dozen extremely agitated crows in the trees above us, staring down at us and squawking wildly. Crows are quite common in this neck of the woods (northern California) but I’d never seen them make such a commotion. After stopping and standing and staring back at them a minute or two we moved on. But a few steps later both dogs and I jumped back as a small, but furious, crow hissed and snapped at us from behind a small shrub along the sidewalk.

We backed away and crossed the street and continued our stroll. It was a classically beautiful Sonoma County evening – the fog was rolling in and you could smell the sea -- but I found that I had lost all appreciation for it. I kept thinking about that bird. I knew that the crow was injured and I knew it wouldn’t be long before a cat came along and discovered an easy meal. It was very tempting to try to forget the whole incident and get on with my busy day but I simply could not. I turned and walked the dogs quickly back home.

Not knowing exactly where to turn I leafed through the phone book until I found the answer – Bird Rescue Center. Perfect, I thought. I felt a bit smug as I dialed the number. I was taking the time to help an injured animal. I was going out of my way to do the right thing.

The lady at Bird Rescue was both pleasant but business-like. I described the situation and she immediately diagnosed it as a fledgling crow that likely wasn’t so successful on its first flight from the nest. But then she surprised me.

“Can you secure the bird?” she asked.

“What?” I said. “Ummm, well… I found it on a walk. It’s several miles away.”

“You need to get a pillow case and carefully secure the bird and bring it to us.” She responded.

I have to admit that I was taken aback. I guess I expected a hearty “Thanks!” and assurance that a bird expert would be dispatched immediately to get the bird, nurse it back to health and release it happily back to the wilds. It seems like that’s how it works in the movies, anyway.

I think the lady sensed my disappointment. “I’m sorry. We have very few volunteers.” she told me. This, of course, makes perfect sense. Who in the world has the time and energy and desire to drop everything at a moment’s notice, drive around picking injured birds up off the sidewalk and nurse them back to health for a few weeks? And do it for free?

So I found an old pillow case and hopped in my truck and secured the bird. Then I drove it out to the Santa Rosa Bird Rescue Center. Wow – what a cool place! It’s a small operation with a very homey feel to it. Inside there’s some fun and informative displays on various local birds. Out back there are numerous large cages filled with recovering and resident hawks, owls, vultures and a sleek and shiny peregrine falcon. The fledgling crow I dropped off was deposited in a cage with other crows in a similar predicament. They would be hand fed several times a day and released when able to fly.

I went back to the Center the next week for an open house and met many of the volunteers. I filled out a membership card and wrote them a check. And now I’m hoping to help organize a fundraiser in the fall. Now, I’m not writing this to congratulate myself. Like everyone, I’ve used the excuse of too busy, too tired, too broke many, many times. In my case it took a wounded little bird on the sidewalk to remind me that there’s a lot more to life than work and bills and my next vacation.

So what does this blog have to do with winemaking and vineyards? Well, look at it this way – think of how much more amazing that first sip of wine is going to taste at the end of the day if you’ve tried your best to help others and be a good person.

Cheers!

Tony


P.S. I had a bottle of the 2006 Cru Vin Dogs Chardonnay last night. It was KILLER!

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