This will forever be one of the best memories growing up for me.
There is an eucalyptus tree opposite to our house in nagpur which is a nesting hotspot for the local 'Shikra' couple. (a small bird of prey)
The female shikra resident near my home.(not on the aforementioned tree.)
In the summer of 2009 on a particularly windy day,their nest got destroyed and only one of the juveniles from their nest survived the Fall. A friend of mine informed me about it. I rushed to the yard where the tree is and found it lying down. It was a little grown up, but still not able to fly.
The nest being too high up on the tree, I Decided to raise it at my home till it gains enough strength to fly.
Now imagine Living with a Little Bird of prey that is trying to learn flying in your living room, so you gotta keep your fan off so that it doesn't hurt itself. This in the bloody Nagpur(hometown) Summer heat, where the temperatures would easily go upto 50 degrees Celsius.
Kiddo had balls to sit on my moms awards like that.
This baby being a bird of prey had to be fed meat. So a 16 year old me would go everyday to the local butcher and get minced mutton for this little guy and try to feed it. First few days were hard as it'd not accept easily and would try to grab my hand with his small (but sharp) talons. After a few days he'd wait for food and even call out when he was hungry. I'd feed it water through a small syringe. Seeing it fly around the house and get stuck in awkward places (Upside down, talons stuck in the curtain) was quite fun at times.
Some 20 odd days later it started flying around the house with ease. Maybe feeling trapped by the walls. So I decided to release it outside.
The parting day was special. But it just took the lil guy a moment of hesitation to finally go and fly.
I'd see him around the house perched on the trees around and it made me feel good that he is surviving on his own.
But no one taught him how to hunt. I was worried about that fact. But as it turns out, there is thing called Instincts.
Witnessing him with his prized hunt was my reward.
This experience will remain one of the best in my life. Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Udayan