Little Treasures

“To my mind the life of a lamb is no less precious than the of a human being….I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.” 
-Mahatma Gandhi

 





What makes a life meaningful?  Whose life is worth saving? These were the questions I found myself pondering as I spent the day watching pigeons and other avian wildlife being cared for at the Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side.  I didn't know much about the specifics of what the organization, but was there with Jorge to shoot a video about their new facility that is soon to open to the public.

Inside the Wild Bird Fund I encountered a seagull whose wing was in a cast, woodcocks being fed and pigeons recovering from lead poisoning. I watched the staff administer medication, clean out an eye infection, exercise a wing and euthanize the pigeon that Jorge had brought in for help.  Jorge’s pigeon, whom he called Hercules, had a smashed wing because someone threw a rock at him.  After Hercules had passed away, I stood around with the staff and listened to them talk about what amazing creatures pigeons are, their strong life force, intelligence, creativity and perseverance.   One rehabber reminisced passionately about a starling she had become attached to and sneaked home at night.  She said that she set her alarm to wake her up every hour so she could feed the bird. Another volunteer said she had 10 injured squirrels living in her apartment and Rita, one of the co-founders of the WBF apparently had 60 birds living in her apartment at one point.

Rita McMahon (left) and a volunteer

Sound excessive? Do you imagine Rita as a crazy-looking woman with a bad fashion sense and no friends?  Well, to be honest, that was my first thought when Jorge had originally told me about the 60 birds in her apartment, but Rita is actually a very attractive, sophisticated, married woman who lives in a fancy uptown apartment. Sadly, the general public commonly stereotypes people who are passionate about animals as  peculiar or lacking in some other part of their lives.  When I watched the staff at the Wild Bird Fund I started to think that the opposite was true, rather than lacking something, these people had a fullness in their heart and deep appreciation for life.  To them, every bird mattered.

 Jorge (left) and Richard (right)

By the time I finished shooting the video, I had started to develop a real understanding of  how precious these birds that I share the city with are.  Like humans, each bird has a personality, unique energy, and strong will to live against all odds. When we offer them our attention, concern and caring they return the favor by putting us back in touch with our humanity. I think that I tend to feel so overwhelmed by the barrage of people, noise and useless things in everyday life, that I don't pay attention, care and notice the value of something as seemingly minor as a single pigeon, but that has changed. I have officially been converted to bird lover status and now when I go out on the street and see the pigeons on the sidewalk, I no longer see a nameless mass of mindless creatures, but rather I see an abundance of little treasures sprinkled throughout the city. 

 

Inside the Wild Bird Fund, Michele Beck & Jorge Calvo, 8 minutes

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”  

-Mahatma Gandhi