The new owners were very excited to have their new finches; HOWEVER, one woman tried to add a canary and dove to the small acrylic cage she had one of my favorite owl pairs within. You guessed it, the male escaped into the rafters of a twenty foot ceiling for most of the day!! I was beside myself! I couldn't hold in my grief anymore and began tearing up and feeling such a sense of loss and grief about letting go of my finches.
Thanks to Cheryl and Sally and a few other great local breeders and bird club members, I was comforted and everyone helped me keep track of the fawn owl cock that escaped. The new owner felt bad and I sold her another pair at half price, taking the remaining mate of the fawn cock in the hope we would catch her mate. And, thank God, Cheryl caught that little boy, called "Mewto" at the very end of the day. The poor little guy was exhausted, hungry and thirsty. Plus, his mate, "Gilfy" was calling to him while he was sitting in the rafters, perched, but watching his mate most of the day.
Because I am attached to this pair and was sad to let go of all my finches and the fact that three other owners birds got loose at the mart and were flying around, out of reach, I stood guard at the mart doors!! People who were not breeders kept coming in and out the doors, just below my escaped owl finch, who was perched in the rafters and watching his mate below and the other finches kept flying nearby. These people were potential customers and did not realize what an owner of a beloved finch or any lost bird felt.
I kept saying "Shut the door, Loose birds!" I just knew, if people weren't careful, not only would my precious fawn owl, Mewto be lost and probably would die, but so would the other escaped birds. I don't know if they caught the escaped CFW zebra, Rosie Bourke, and one other finch. Yet, I still feel such sadness that anyone would have to leave that mart with out their lost birds. If at all possible, the bird club members help to catch any escapees until they must leave the facility for the other events to continue.
Well, at the end of the day, imagine my joy when Cheryl caught my beloved Mewto!! If that wasn't enough, another person was wanting to buy one of my owl pairs. She decided to take Mewto and Gilfy, and let them both have a good rest to recover from their traumatic day! God bless her and them too. Then, I felt much more at peace and started to calm down, somewhat. I still feel sad and had some tearful bouts as I remembered my babies and the other birds I've lost over the years. Yet, I felt supported and comforted by my fellow bird lovers, so that helped so much!
Now, I can relax and focus on my health and getting my two teenagers out of high school and into college. OMG! They grow up so fast.
