Wildlife trapped in our garden

Tim and I watched Guineafowl Drama for an hour or so this morning and decided that birds do indeed have teeny brains.

Ma and Pa Guineafowl brought their 5 chicks into our garden this morning, but then couldn't find their way out. It was easy for Ma and Pa to escape. They can fly. But the chicks were tiny, their little wings mere stumps of feathers on the sides of their fluffy bodies. They were stuck in our garden. Yippee, a replacement for the ravens I miss so much back at home in Inverness!

What made it worse for the babes is Ma and Pa abandoned them to the next door garden leaving their chicks squealing over on our side.

A fence separates the properties. It has wooden slats with a small gap between each slat. It begins about a foot off the ground, secured to a brick foundation wall. The chicks couldn't jump that high. New Balance to the rescue. I ran to fetch Tim's new shoe box and placed it up against the wall, hoping they could jump to that level and then get to the next. After a lot of false attempts, they made it - now all they had to do was fit through the gap in the slats.



Up and down the wall the chicks scurried, trying this gap,then that gap, with Ma & Pa on the other side of the fence, egging them on. First one was through, then two, then three. But the last two were just too chubby. Ah, wait, no, the fourth got pushed by the fifth and it was also safe next door.



Poor number five. It didn't have the strength in its feet to push itself across the gap. Sherry to the rescue - I tiptoed up behind it and gently eased it's little bottom, and plop, it landed on the other side to join the family.

We thought the rest would be easy - escape from the next door garden guarded by a big black gate across the carport. I figured the chicks could easily slip under and Ma & Pa could fly over. But no, Ma & Pa were determined to get through the gate posts which were far too close together. They tried very hard until "Ping, oh yes, we can fly."

I last saw the family trotting down our road. I hope they made it as far as the safety of the park and don't become roadkill after all that hard work!