Chomp - Getting all Active

Chomp is definitely getting better. Yesterday I heard a noise at the cage and when I looked out the back door, I saw him dangling from one leg (head upside down) from the large branch that Pierre put into the cage on the first day. He (that's Chomp, not Pierre) obviously tried to fly onto the branch but must have lost his balance, having only one operational wing. Poor thing - after I got over the initial shock I started laughing - it was just so funny - a pity I didn't have the camera ready. Then this morning, Chomp made a run for it. I was cleaning out his cage when he ducked under my arm and ran off into the garden. Luckily Jioma is faster than Chomp and he cornered him, giving me the opportunity to cover him with a towel. Jioma then carried him back to the cage. We decided to put another larger brick into his cage in the hope that it would encourage him to climb up onto the large branch instead of trying to fly. Well - below is proof that our tactic worked. He is now happily sitting on his branch. I think it will soon be time to build him a "chicken-run" or something so he has more space to be active.

Chomp - An Update

Just look at this photo below - he's so gorgious and he knows it. He's doing so well. If he thinks nobody's watching, he sits on top of the brick Pierre put in his cage and checks out the garden and Jioma's activities in the backyard. Sometimes he jumps down from the brick and back up again. Maybe he's bored - just sitting there all day so now he's exercising to keep busy. He's fussy about what he eats. He loves grasshoppers but doesn't like crickets and worms and he doesn't eat heads - even grasshopper heads - he just chucks them out of the food bowl. Thanks very much to all the gardeners and little Leon who catch bugs every day and to Tanya for having the stomach to chop them all up - I could never do that! I'm quite happy feeding him and cleaning the cage - poop and all. Oh - and I talk to him all the time. The gardeners must think I'm crazy, talking to a bird.

Chomp's Strapping Procedure

Chomp had his wing strapped last night and another "check-up and adjustment procedure" this morning. He's eating and drinking water so he's doing just fine under the circumstances. Below are some photos - Darren W recons he should rather stick to metallurgy after seeing these. I recon Andrew or Steve should do a course on wild life medical care - seeing that they already have the medical background.

Chomp's New Home

Pierre and Altus worked hard last night to build a new home for Chomp. Thanks guys for doing such a good job on converting this old crate to a cage any bird would be proud of. I'm sure Chomp was glad to have such a nice warm bed during last night's thunderstorm.

Chomp's Medical Check-Up

Chomp had a thorough check-up last night. Darren B (here seen cradling Chomp in his lap) and Darren W checked him out properly. Luckily they didn't find any external wounds, bleading, etc but it was very clear that Chomp has a bad case of lice and he didn't mind sharing them with Darren and Darren. So, if you see Darren and Darren going around scratching, you know why.

Chomp

Chomp is his name. Don't ask me why - it was the first word that came into my head when I decided he has to be named. "He" might actually be a "she" - I don't know much about birds. Chomp is a Black Kite who had a nasty accident this morning. He flew into a moving truck on the mine site and broke his right wing. He is now in my care - so everyone, please pray that Chomp recovers well so he can once again be a happy bird. If any of you have tips on how to care for Chomp, I will greatly appreciate any help I can get. As you can see below, Chomp's presence gave me a good excuse to set up my computer outside on the verandah so I can keep an eye on him while I do emails, etc. At the moment Chomp is sitting inside the box in the background but Pierre will be building him a proper cage tonight so he can spend his recovery days in comfort.