Alder is less frightened today, and is bating more (trying to fly off my glove or the perch). She still has her mouth open and wings slightly out, which indicate that she is still stressed and anxious. She has started looking around at her surroundings more, and not focusing entirely on me. I think she is getting more comfortable. When she is on her perch and thinks I’m not paying attention she folds her wings back and closes her mouth.

On our afternoon walk Alder bated furiously and wore herself out by  the end of our walk. It’s good for her, since that is the only exercise she is getting right now. She is starting to look around at other things on our walks. She will also step onto the scale without a fuss. Getting her back off of the scale is another story. Once she is on it, she doesn’t want to let go. She can really latch on tight to things when she wants to!

We checked her in at ODFW today as part of the permitting process, and submitted the final paperwork to the state and federal database. While at ODFW, Alder kicked my ungloved hand while I tried to untangle her jesses. She kicked hard, drawing blood, but she did not try to grab and hold. I take that as a good sign that she is not being aggressive toward me, but just wanted me to keep my hand away from her feet. We’ll have to work on that. We stopped by Highland Bowl to see Shawn on our way back to the office, which was his first time meeting her. It was a short hello while in the transport carrier. She wasn’t up for socializing, so I didn’t want to over do it. I think Shawn likes her.

I picked up a syringe today from the pharmacy – the kind you use to administer oral medication to kids. Because she isn’t eating, Alder isn’t getting any water either. I filled the syringe with water and squirted it in her mouth. She wasn’t keen on it at first, but once she realized it was water she seemed to be appreciative along with the apprehension. By the evening she was no longer open-mouthed death-glaring at me, and appears to be processing all of the things going on rather than reacting out of fear.

I put Alder to bed for the evening and headed home. Bird poopy laundry calls…