Sometimes a premonition is not a premonition

[pjthompson]

I should preface this story by saying that my mother is a strong Valkyrie of a woman, even at 89. She's also damned sharp and not frail and she most definitely doesn't cry often, so when she called me Thursday morning at work sobbing, I definitely sat up and took notice.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?"

"My little bird is very sick," she sobbed. "I called his vet, but she's not in and they referred me to an emergency bird place in Palos Verdes." That's a long, unfamiliar way for someone who doesn't drive freeways and doesn't have Google Maps or internet access or a Garman.

She adores her baby bird, she does. He's been a great companion for her for the last seven years or so, and she's quite protective of him. Because of that she's sometimes been convinced he was dying when he wasn't, so I asked her to describe his symptoms. It didn't sound good. He wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk, wouldn't do anything, just sat on his perch (a little shelf in the back of his cage) with his eyes shut and his feathers ruffled. When birds don't feel well, they sit for long periods with feathers ruffled.

"Maybe I can find a bird clinic that's closer and easier to get to," I told her.

So I got online and found a place in Santa Monica. She called them and they told her she'd have to come in for an evaluation to decide if it was a true emergency worthy of calling in the bird expert. She didn't like that and had worked herself up into a real state by the time she called me back. I was more concerned about that then the bird, I'm afraid, but concerned for him,too. I told my boss what was going on (well, that my mom had a crisis situation going) and he told me to go take care of my family. So I called her and told her I was on my way and maybe she could call the Santa Monica folks back to tell them we'd be therre.

It took me about twenty minutes to drive from work to Mom and during that time I couldn't help remembering a disturbing dream I'd had on the weekend in which her bird had died. So I wasn't happy with the Universe sending me precognitive dreams when we'd made a deal after my dad's death that It wouldn't do that anymore. It was a long damned twenty minutes, I'll tell you. I pulled into the driveway and rushed towards the house.

Mom met me at the door. "He laid an egg!"

Picture my jaw hitting the front steps. Picture me grabbing the porch rail. Hear in your mind's ear the sputtering noise I made. "He what?"

"He laid an egg!" She was beaming. "And he's just fine now! He's talking and his feathers aren't ruffled and he's eat and jumping around and he's his old self again."

"Now quite his old self," I told her, "because he is quite clearly not a he."

We called the bird clinic and told them we would not be coming in. I made it back to work, having only been gone and hour, and took it as an "early lunch." Everyone there was quite relieved that the mysterious crisis had been averted.

In our defense, I should say that even the vet said, "I think he's male, but it's difficult to tell with starlings."

Indeed.

Comments

[hominysnark.livejournal.com]

I know nothing about the mating habits of birds, much less starlings, but don't you need another bird to make another bird? And shouldn't the gestational period be shorter than seven years?

yes, actually I *did* fail biology.

[pjthompson]

Actually, you don't need another bird to make an egg, just to fertilize an egg while it's still in the girl bird. Through the usual means. And birds in captivity (at least the ones we've had) don't always produce eggs. We had some young wild doves that had been mutilated by some cats and couldn't be re-released into the wild (partial wing loss). They both turned out to be girls, but neither of them laid an egg until we'd had them some time. I don't know what the mysterious gizmo is that makes it come on all of a sudden—maybe lack of vitamin D or something. I really don't know. But clearly Mom will have something interesting to discuss with Baby's vet next time.

[pjthompson]

Oh and actually? You aren't alone in your confusion. I've had to explain this to everyone I've told the story to.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad there was a happy ending!

[pjthompson]

Me too!

[hominysnark.livejournal.com]

Good to know I'm not alone in my durrrr.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I would have been another one you'd have had to explain it to (though if I'd only stopped to consider chickens, I'd have understood).

Your mom has a starling? That is so cute! They seem like friendly birds.

[darkspires.livejournal.com]

I am so relieved to hear your mom's dear little companion is not really sick, but highly amused that the bird took seven years to lay an egg. Did she change the feed recently?

I also hope the bird had a unisex name, as George, or whatever, is going to sound a tad bizaar for a girl bird. Not that the name could be changed now.

Your mom will get to dine out on this story. How nice to have a happy ending.

[pjthompson]

He's She's a real charmer. She fell out of a nest when a fledgling and Mom couldn't find the nest to put her back in so raised her. They're relatives of mynah birds so you can teach them to talk. Lots of fun:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boneandsteel/4544118039/in/set-72157622647139677/

[pjthompson]

I am so relieved to hear your mom's dear little companion is not really sick, but highly amused

That's how we felt as soon as the panic was over!

Did she change the feed recently?

The vet has had her give the bird calcium supplements in her water for most of the last year. That may be the difference. She had an episode last year of not being able to fly and the vet said it was because she wasn't getting enough calcium.

And yes, her name is Baby so we won't have to have a girl bird named Butch. ;-)

[darkspires.livejournal.com]

Oh, the calcium would explain it. Shells are made of mostly calcium, so she probably needed this to make eggs. She will now probably make more of them.

Yep, Baby is a good name.

[cathemery.livejournal.com]

So now when your mom calls, she can tell you that Baby's having Pre-Egg Syndrome. . .

sorry. I'm glad it worked out well. I've heard they're pretty smart and can be good pets.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

*whew* for a happy ending! You sure built up the suspense there.

I'm curious: Did Baby go broody and try to incubate the egg at all? Do you think birds realize when it is pointless, that the egg(s) haven't been fertilized?

[bummble.livejournal.com]

What a great ending!

I can't help but read the story as a kind of metaphor to creative block, also. ;-)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Oh that is so *wonderful*

Now I want to teach a starling to say ouch ^_^

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

HA! This made me laugh out loud.

Wow...after 7 years. Surely s/he is well past prime laying time?

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Well, that's just...
Huh.

So did s/he get a new name?

[pjthompson]

Fortunately, we'll be better prepared next time and also fortunately there are no boy birds around the house.

[pjthompson]

P.E.S. is right. The day before she was in a really lousy mood and hissing at my mom--which never happens. They're usually really sunny little friends.

[pjthompson]

She didn't get broody, no. I don't think she really knew what was happening. She landed on the bathroom floor and voila. The egg was more of a proto-egg with a really soft shell and it broke either as it was coming out of her or as soon as it hit the floor. She was moody as hell the day before, though. Like cathemery above said, she had Pre-Egg Syndrome. :-)

[pjthompson]

There you go! You get moody and morose until you squeeze that story/art piece out!

[pjthompson]

Good. I hoped it made somebody laugh. As to the age thing...I don't know. Wild birds in captivity tend to have real different gestation patterns, plus she had some calcium deficiencies we recently had to address (which may have helped in the egg manufacture). Starlings in captivity can live to be twenty or so, so who knows?

[pjthompson]

Nope. She's still Baby, a good unisex name. Although I suppose maybe would she start calling her Baby Mommy now.

[pjthompson]

Warning: they are a lot of trouble to care for. They are protein eaters, after all. But they can be loads of fun, too.

[geniusofevil.livejournal.com]

I love that your mom has a starling too

[pjthompson]

Like my roommate? Yeah, that's quite a coincidence. :-)