A happy ending for "Blackie" - the Black Kite

Travelling towards work after dropping off one of the kids to school, I glanced down a side road and noticed a bird waddling that shouldn't have been on the road at all. I swung into the side road. The bird was still there. It should have flown off as a car drove past. I drove up towards it slowly. Definitely a bird of prey, unsure what sort at this stage. The bird opened its wings wide but seemed either reluctant or unable to get off the ground. It looked tired too. I pulled over to the opposite side of the road as it crept along the fenceline in the shorter grass towards a large clump of longer grass near the base of a tree. Still it didn't fly off. I could see now it was a Black Kite, but figured it was either a juvenile that had fallen from the nest, or was injured in some way. Lots of other Black Kites were circling above, but this one still didn't fly off. I took some shots from the car of it sitting in the grass. Unsure whether to approach it or not. It just wasn't behaving as I have seen Black Kites behaving previously (the non-flying was probably a dead give-away! :-) ). Approaching ever closer, it didn't seem able to move much from its little hide-away in the grasses. I decided it was injured, and quickly returned to the car and went and bought a blanket and a large bag from a shop nearby. Upon my return it had moved less than 2 metres from where I had left it. Again I stopped on the other side of the road, and grabbed the blanket and bag. It moved about half a metre as I approached and then quietly sat on the ground. I threw the blanket over it (it is really a large round cover for a wicker chair I think) and the bird stayed still underneath. Fearing the bird could well have died from fright at this approaching human, I picked the blanket up and put it into the bag and jumped back into the car. Desperate to find the phone number for the WildCare organisation in Alice Springs, I found their web site with no phone number. So if you live local, write down this number: 0419221128. I eventually found the number in the Local Directories. Called them and they suggested I take the kite to the Vet. I did this and left the kite with them. Thankfully, I returned to the Vet later and the kite had managed to wake up from the sedative they had given it. The issue had been some sort of oily substance on its wings that had stuck its feathers together so it wasn't able to fly. Hopefully a carer will be found and the kite will be back flying in the near future. I would also like to thank the ex-Alice Springs resident Chris Watson for his advice as to what I could possibly do.

Here are some shots of the bird in the grass:

Black Kite