I was a post-grad on campus for some errand or another, wandering on a busted knee, when I found a great opportunity to embarrass myself for the sake of science.
I happened to see a bird, sadly deceased, lying by the science building. One can only assume it met a tragic end with a plate glass window. My second immediate thought (after "oh no!") was of the windowsill of one of my former housemates. She had to learn taxidermy for one of her wildlife classes, and I had seen the final result in her room, two beautifully stuffed birds. As I looked at this intact specimen before me, thinking of that class project, I said to myself, said I, "Someone, somewhere will want this bird!" Thus my quest began.
I found a newspaper in the building and make-shifted...make-shaft...created a bird baggie. Ready for transport! It struck me then that all of my contacts in the dead bird world were in the natural science building. At the time this particular building was undergoing renovations to make it green, so it was a giant rubble fest. I proceeded to the next best option: the life science building. I went for the office. As I stammered out my purpose and attempted to negate the presence of the paper purse I was wielding, I suppose I should have taken this as my first sign that I am, in fact, a crazy lady. But I was committed now (no pun intended.) Office Lady directed me to a professor, with whom I had never had the pleasure of acquaintance, who she thought might be interested. Upon meeting him, he quickly informed me he was in mammology...thus...why on Earth was I offering him a bird?!?! Well, maybe the indignation was in my head...Either way, he said he'd give the bird to the ornithology professor. As he saw my face perk up, he realized I knew this man and thus he could save himself some trouble. Instead of going himself, he'd just send me on the next leg of my quest: the quest for Dr. Ornithology!
I kicked myself for not thinking of Dr. Ornithology first, but it is understandable. While I had a lot of friends who were, I was not in wildlife biology. I knew the doctor by reputation and sight, but not from actual contact. It didn't help that he is one of those people that is so intelligent and cool, I always wished he knew who I was. Well, I guess this was my chance!
This quest was made more treacherous by the fact that this professor usually resides in the “pile of rubble” building. However, the seemingly most difficult leg turned out to be the smoothest. Get ready for the denouement people! Dr. Mammology directed me to the agricultural science building where I immediately bumped into the secretary of my favorite professor, and we were only 3 doors down from the aforementioned's new office. And he was THERE. This never happens to me. I proceeded to interrupt his meeting with a querulous-looking freshman to hand him a dead bird.
I also had a bit of a fangirl moment when he said he remembered me. I guess I have a reputation as well. And it's not as a crazed bird-bag lady...yet.
He ran down the bird's identification with me: it was a black-throated green warbler, either in fall plumage or female since the colors were not vivid.
Later I told this story to my taxidermist friend, and she laughed saying she knew that bird. She had also gone to campus, later that day, and was surprised when she dropped in on Dr. Ornithology and he handed her a bird to identify in order to test her skills. How's that for coincidence?
Thus ends the story of how I limped around campus offering strangers a dead bird in a newspaper baggie. I feel privileged to be part of a select group of people who, on perceiving the stimulus of a dead animal, think “Someone can USE this!”
...and not in the “roadkill soup” way...
When I was growing up, we had at times dead birds in our freezer at home, their feathers awaiting a new fate as fishing flies my father was going to tie in his spare time...
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