Heron in my utility

As I posted last evening I have a heron in my utility... Came across it clearly dazed and maybe injured...

I am hoping the local wild life ranger will help and have emailed.

Any advice welcomed; what an utterly beautiful bird.. Drove a high mountain pass with these orange eyes and long beak at my shoulder.

The ranger came.

The heron is skin and bone, clearly dying, not able to eat.

They dont usually even collect wounded birds but because I know the area manager.

He said they will try to feed it but it will probably have to be put down. Doesn't hold out much hope

Utter beauty of it.

part of me wished I had left it out there, but there are foxes etc.

Utter soft feathered glory of it.

There is no way I could even have kept it quietly here.

Heartbroken and a deep privilege to have seen it close and and held it.

You did the very best you could with a very challenging bird Rosebud. At least the ranger will give it a chance albeit a small one.

Oh Rose, I am so sorry to hear that. I can understand how you feel. Take cheer that you did your best and saved him from a fox or a fate worse than being anesthetized. He could still survive!

That's sad Rose but you looked after it and tried your best.
I love Herons very beautiful birds.

it is such a shame when they can't be saved but at least he/she will go peacefully off to sleep and not be run over, eaten or terrorised to death

So sorry Rose, but you did your best to save the poor Heron.

Saw one of the ones local to me on the towpath this morning, it is so used to dogs that it waited until Mabs was almost next to it before taking off, I thought of your heron and wondered how it was doing. Very sad, but at least a calm ending with no fear, it could surprise everyone though and make it through, I really hope so.

Thanks everyone...

When I called home ie Canada, I learned some family history new to me.

One of our far flung family there, who I never met but knew a little by email, was a redoubtable lady who lived deep in nature reserve there. Very simple frugal life and deeply involved with rescuing critters. She could shoot the cougar that had attacked her dog and then stitch up the dog it had wounded.... trapped rabbits to feed relations and the needy...Took in any and every critter in need; I once chatted to her online when she had a wild squirrel on her pillow.

Added to all this she was stone deaf. She lost her life as a result of rescuing a critter.

So I said this morning, I bet SHE never wept at a dying heron!

There was laughter, then I learned that every time she lost a rescue, she wept buckets and called on her special satellite phone all she could, crying her heart out.

Caring and loving costs and costs dear.. but we can never stop nor should we.. time was I could have stayed up all night with a sick critter but that time is gone.

Awww obviously runs in the family