OPERATION BABY MAGPIE RESCUE

The questions are, can human kindness overcome the limitations of a nanny-state? Should you break UK law by owning a Gerber knife, if that knife might save a life?

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Luke 1:37

In a beautiful flowering tree outside my window, a mated pair of magpies made a cozy nest this Spring and had a brood of 3 healthy chicks. I heard their first little peeps, which became more demanding and frequent as they grew. I enjoyed watching them fledge, hopping about with shiny new feathers and testing their little wings. I even had the privilege of seeing their first, joyful flight with Mama Magpie closely supervising.

Then a few days later, I noticed that only 1 baby was flying around with its parents (magpie pairs share the childrearing duties). Chirping sounds were coming from the turret at roof level, just above the 4th story of the building where I live. This castle-like turret is covered with nylon mesh wire to prevent birds or squirrels from getting in, ironically as it turns out.

TWO BABIES TRAPPED!

The two missing babies were up there underneath the wire! At first I thought, since they got in, they could get probably out the same way. But day after day went by and there they still were, cheeping and leaping excitedly every time their mother flew by. I suspect it was a small hole in the top of the wire mesh which they jumped down into but then had no means of getting back up through.

Two baby magpies in their tower prison

Oddly enough, a few days before my husband and I rescued a swan who had flown into a small fenced-in enclosure. Swans have a heavy back-end that requires a big runway to get off the ground so there he was, stuck for who knows how long. I hope it wasn't more than a few hours, but he was clearly showing signs of stress. So my husband whipped out his Gerber knife, cut the mesh wire so we could fold it down to ground level, and Mr. Swan was able to waddle out. A kind passerby helped by herding him in the right direction. I'm not sure what this trapped bird theme is about but I'm happy to have helped---

Now back to the magpies!

When I saw that Mama Magpie was feeding the 2 youngsters through the holes in the wire, my worst fear was confirmed. They were trapped, no doubt about it. Their distress calls were breaking my heart!

One of the trapped baby magpies gazing longingly up at its mother

WHAT NOW?

I spoke with one of the groundskeepers who assured me the maintenance team was aware of it and not to worry. But days went by and they were still there, peering out pressing their beaks against the wire. Would they die of heat or exposure? What if we didn't get rain soon, would they die of thirst? They were about 8 weeks old, so how long would the mother continue feeding them?

I contacted the Estate Office and got a sympathetic response, yet still the maintenance team did nothing. In all fairness to them, I later learned that UK safety regulations apparently don't allow them to have a ladder that goes past the 2nd floor or some such nanny-state nonsense!

HAVE THEM SHOT

I called the RSPCA and they sent an officer out. Finally, help has arrived, or so I thought. Much to my disappointment, the officer said that because magpies aren't an endangered species, they couldn't, or wouldn't help. She said it was more of a pest control issue and pest control should be contacted to come and shoot them, a more humane alternative to starving to death. I was thankful I was wearing sunglasses because I nearly burst out in tears! This was not what I expected from the RSPCA!

I knew this little avian family personally. They're my neighbors. To me this was like saying oh well the kid next door got stuck let's just shoot him and be done with it. He was a pest anyway! Maybe some will think I'm overly sensitive, but sentient life is sentient life. Magpies feel familial love too. They're highly intelligent, as are all members of the corvid/ crow/raven family. There is fascinating research on that, but I won't go into all that now.

She did say one helpful thing though. She mentioned the fire brigade would 'probably come out' if I called them. I thanked her for her time, and muttered a few other things under my breath, determined to free those little captives.

Now there was only one hope left; the fire brigade! So I called them but their operator said I would need to have the RSPCA call and as I was attempting to explain that it was the RSPCA who told me I was the one who needed to call, she hung up on me in mid-sentence. By the way, I called on the non-emergency line so it wasn't because of that.

Oddly enough, she sounded a lot like the RSPCA officer Well ,same type I guess. In life I think there are 2 types of people, the obstructionists who just love to say no and delight in telling you why something isn't possible or can't be done, and the ones who say yes, let's give it a go, let's do whatever it takes, where there's a will there's a way!

“FOR WITH GOD NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE.” Luke 1;37

Since I got nowhere with the fire brigade operator myself but not willing to give up, I decided to ask the Estate Office manager if she would call. A fellow animal lover, she did, and first thing the next morning, to my incredible hope and relief, I saw a fire truck with an enormous ladder pull into the driveway.

WHY YOU SHOULD HUG A FIREMAN AND CARRY A GERBER KNIFE

In the U.S., the fire department is revered for their courage, compassion and willingness to rescue even a tiny kitten stuck up a tree. Would this crew be the same way? Would some weird UK 'safety' regulation rear its nasty head and thwart our rescue?

I held my breath as I ran down to meet them. A little crowd gathered as we watched them stretch out the ladder. A fireman nimbly ascended.

Now the problem was how to get the wire off. “Does anyone have any cutting tools?” he asked. My husband and I were astonished a fireman didn't have any such equipment on him, but my husband got his trusty Gerber and handed it off to the fireman who asked if he was a 'commando'. “No”, my husband replied, “just an American.”.

The fireman sliced at the wire with the knife and it was working, but now the little magpies were panicking and dashing themselves against the wire! I was terrified they'd be injured!

FREE BIRDS

But then, the moment I'd waited two weeks for---oh nevermind me--- the moment the magpie family had waited two weeks for, and who knows how long that is in magpie time--had finally arrived!

The fireman peeled back the wiring and the young magpies flew free!

Cheers and applause! I could barely believe my eyes. What a beautiful sight! I've since seen the babies happily flying about, reunited with their family.

No wonder everyone loves firemen! May God bless them and the wonderful work they do.

The two liberated magpies later that day as evening set in, enjoying their freedom

Here they are the next morning having a little breakfast with mama magpie and their sibling close by