I had an opportunity to help out my friends at the Toronto Wildlife Centre yesterday. It's always a fun time to release migratory songbirds, any releases are better than bringing in sick or injured animals.
As per norm in the spring when many of these birds are heading north of Toronto, we drive them, you guessed it, north. Not too far in most cases mind you, and to a great and large conservation area with a variety of habitats to suit just about all these birds' needs until they figure out where they are going to go. The destination is the Kortright Centre in Vaughan.
I know my way around Kortright because of helping the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, this is where their educational birds have been staying for many years. Kortright has a main entrance and you drive the road in a ways. I'm not a fan of releasing the birds any where along this stretch since it is the main road in and parking along here can annoy other drivers. The Earth Rangers facility is along this road, more traffic and a rather large building. If you go through the main gates, maybe having to pay an entrance fee (or not) depending on who the attendant is, you end up in the parking area and can go no further. The visitor centre is here as well as some other structures. Yes, there's still acres of green space from Pine Valley Road to the main parking area, actual time out of vehicle can be seconds to a few minutes... so maybe it's just me being really fussy and preferring a quieter release spot just how I like things whenever I'm out in nature, taking roads less traveled.
I know a service entrance into the area. A small dirt road that takes you into the back portion. It's gated after dark but usually during the day it is open. Just in from the main road here, there's a couple walking trails. It's normally void of people and I might have seen one passing vehicle in the last 6 visits here. If I am releasing any birds here, I am in and out in about 10 minutes. If I am going to the CPF facility, I am not parking on this road. Man am I ever detailed here!
Okay, so let's get on with this. I park the car about 40 ft down the road from this gate. I have it well off to the side so if by chance another vehicle passes, it can do so with ease. I get out of the car, throw my hoodie on since I know it's going to get rather buggy where I take the birds (Mosquito City). I get my camera and am about to open the back of the car when I see a much older man than I walking up the road. He's not saying or doing anything out of the ordinary but my "spider sense" is tingling. I decide to hold off on opening up the hatch and exposing the bags of birds.
As he nears me he starts to scold me in broken English. "You cannot park here. You did not pay to enter the park. I am calling the police. You will go to jail." I know trying to explain anything to him is going to get me no where but I try anyway. I tell him that I have permission to be here, that I'm only going to be about 15 minutes. Before I could say anything else like the fact that he certainly did not pay an entrance fee to enter the park, he's cutting me off and like a broken record, he's repeating those lines to me. He never stops, just keeps walking, still yammering. He really pressed the fact that he was calling the cops and I will be going to jail.
I stay by the car. I'm not going to be confrontational although I really wanted to tell him to go fuck himself.
He gets to the gate and tries to close it on me. He's pulling the gate and about 3/4's of the way over, it gets stuck in the gravel. He's trying harder to close it but he couldn't move it any further. I'm just like "are you fucking kidding me" in my head. I'm not concerned by this because even if he did lock the gate on me, I just follow the service road down and it takes me through the park and out the main way. I'm also not concerned if suddenly the police show up and question me. I was not doing anything wrong. I've found with past encounters with police while doing something wildlife related, no matter with what organization or on my own, they've been very good. Peregrine Falcon fledge watches have the most examples but that's for another time.
So this guy realizes the gate won't move any more. Now he grabs the chain and tries to drag it from the post to the gate, to see if he can lock it. I'm still in awe at his actions. It won't reach. He yells to me now since we are so far apart, "the police are coming to get you, you are going to jail!" I just say "Okay, thank you, have a nice a day!" Then he disappears around the corner, walking up the main road.
I shake my head, take my time getting myself and the birds together. Still no sign of him. I walk down the path about 50 ft and start the releases. I see him return. He's by my car. I stop and watch. I don't know if he can see me or not. He then proceeds to hock up a loogie, clearing his sinuses and throat, and then spits the mess on my front windshield. MOTHER FUCKER! I've still got a couple birds to let out so I just freak out in my head, my blood is boiling but I stay on task. The guy walks away, heading back to the main road and I am assuming he went home as I never saw him again, not even after I left.
Unbelievable!
The releases went great. I was happy to see these birds go free. I am sure the birds were happier than I could ever be, to be back in their wild world again.
This could have played out so much better if the guy wasn't such an asshole. He might have even been able to join me and witness these birds return home. Oh well, his loss.
With bird releases, I never know how it will play out. Some birds fly off quick. Some birds disappear, especially at this time of year with the leaves pretty much grown in. Some surprise me and spend a few moments rather close, taking in their surroundings. This Magnolia Warbler was one of them. I could not have asked for a better finale.
It's never about getting photos. I usually do have my camera with me and I let the birds decide how this goes. I won't chase them as I know they've been through enough and even those initial freeing moments are stressful too, like "where am I now?"
Despite this ending moment, I still grumbled throughout the rest of the day about that man. I told a few friends about the incident. The reactions were all the same, some with an expletive or two, but all shocked at the behaviour of him.
I've pretty much let it go. It definitely was a blog worthy moment, not that guy deserves anything, but it's head shaking awareness that not everyone you come across is nice.
This came up in my Facebook memories today. Rather suiting.
2 comments:
OMG, some people need serious 'help'. That is absolutely disgusting, his behaviour AND his actions!
WTF. What is wrong with some people!? Congratulations on doing the release, though. You're right not to let that idiot distract you from what really matters. But man. I just don't understand.
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