It was that summer while we were in Long Beach, California, that we encountered a bird injury experience in helping it regain liberty. As Jeff was attending a class at the software conference for his job; I was searching for a new place to draw. As I wandered up and down the pier, I came upon a California seagull bird that wasn’t moving. I quickly amped over to it, to see just how close can I get without it flying away. This would make great art, a live seagull for my model. Wow, I am really getting close to this bird. That’s it, don’t move, as I zero in on amazing up close shots. Then suddenly I realized, omg, that this bird is injured! That’s why you aren’t flying away! Immediately, I changed my demeanor to figure out what type of injury was affecting him from flying away. I couldn’t see any blood. I have grown up enough in my early childhood years when living in Florida and California to recognize that still hunched over position of a seagull bird when they are injured and need help or dying.
I decided to get some help. As I hustled over to the security guard who was standing by the door entrance to the convention center, which was directly across from the seagull bird. I said, “hey, there’s a bird over there who needs some help. I am not from this area. You are, could you please contact your local bird humanitarian that cares for birds in this area?” He said, “hey lady, I’ve been observing everything and your right, he does need some help. He’s been sitting there a while. I’ve been watching people come and go, up and down this pier all day long. They either stop and look and try to get close to take pictures of the bird, then go on their way, or, they just glance at it from a distance as they pass by. Not caring to see if somethings wrong with a sitting bird on a pier. The security guard then began ranting off that no one cares anymore in this world. Our world has lost compassion for birds, animals and people. No one has come over to me and asked me to do anything. You are right that bird does need help. You are the first person who’s come over to me and asked me to do something for this bird. You know I’d like to help you lady, but I know it’s weird, but I don’t have a phone. You are going to have to go to the head security person and tell them everything that is happening to this seagull bird. Tell them I, the security guard at the south entrance, sent you. I’m sorry to have to send you to find them and I’m upset that I am a security guard without a phone! You are going to have to go to the east side and talk to the head security person on call. I don’t know the person’s name. I just recently started. The security guard continued in his ranting state to go on about not having a phone.” Meanwhile, I began the journey to find the Eastside of this long pier.
As I began this new mission in finding help for this bird, I kept thinking about the conversation I had, had, previously with the security guard. How it just kept echoing in my head that no one cares. How society has lost its compassion for humanity, animals and birds. People just keep on passing by in life and don’t stop to help anyone or anything. I finally made it to the other side of the pier where the security guard had sent me. No one was there. I waited 10 minutes, then went to find help from other people to locate this head security person on this Eastside of the pier. I was pointed in another direction and there was the head security person, a lady. Immediately, I begin to explain the situation about the seagull bird and the security guard who sent me to find her. As she listened to my situation about the bird I noticed she was quite blase. She replied, “I am not going to call the city’s humanitarian to help the bird. Just let it die.” “You aren’t from this area, but I am and I know birds better than you. I’m not going to go and talk to the security person who sent you to me.” Again, she blurts out, “I don’t care. Just let it die. This happens all the time, they all go. I’m not going to do anything and I am not moving from this location. Go to the security guard who sent you and tell him to call. That she wasn’t going to do anything.” I then explained “that he doesn’t have a phone. He works for you. You’re his boss, why don’t you go and talk with him. He doesn’t have a phone and he needs your help with this live injured bird. He can’t just pick up an injured bird and he really shouldn’t be standing there guarding it.”
Walking away, I felt like I had just failed my mission in saving this bird’s life. I thought “she could care less about the bird’s situation and the security guard working for her.” Desperately, I began searching the California beach phone listings for numbers of people I could call to come out to the pier and offer assistance to this seagull bird. It’s going to take me awhile to get back to the location of the seagull and security guard. In shock, and tired, I began to wander off walking and suddenly ran into the head conference team of three people who were hosting this conference. I explained about an injured seagull bird on the pier who needs help at their conference. I offered to take them to the bird. While we were on our way to get there, it seems the bird had become the talk of the conference already. Because they had heard a live bird was sitting on the pier, but they didn’t know it was injured. When we all got there, there were lots of ahhhs and wows and now a huge crowd of people wanting to get close to the bird. Immediately a small crew of people from the city’s bird humanitarian came to offer aid. They sat with the bird for a while until they were able to transport the bird into a container to remove it safely off the pier in helping it regain liberty.
This blog and photo is an Ode to California Seagull Regaining Liberty.
Thanks for reading,
Live, Life, Liberated.
Julie Weber