And some news not so good on the injured finger front. But first the good news.
Some readers may remember these sibling and recently fledged Red-tailed Hawks I photographed last summer (this shot was taken on 6/30/17). They were raised in one of the two nests I refer to as the “cliff nests”. These two youngsters fledged successfully and eventually dispersed to other areas as they always do. Considering high nesting mortalities I was happy to see two of them make it, at least this far.
Well, guess what?
That same nest has produced two more successful fledglings this year and these are those youngsters (this photo and the following 3 were taken two days ago). They’re now capable of full flight but I’m sure they’re still somewhat dependent on their parents for food. But it won’t be long before they also disperse to see if they can make a living “out there”. Given the high mortality rate of juveniles their chances aren’t great but at least they both made it this far.
They’re still quite affectionate with each other. Here one bird was nibbling the face of its sibling and though the other bird might look a little grumpy it didn’t seem to mind at all.
One bird was preening when the other took off and the one that stayed behind was startled by the sudden excitement – thus its raised wings. But when it saw what was going on it stayed put as the other flew out into the nearby marshes.
And this is their quite striking female parent. I love her unusually red coloration.
Ok, on to a less pleasant topic.
There continues to be significant interest and concern regarding my injured finger here on my blog, on social media and elsewhere. I find it somewhat distasteful when my health issues play a significant role in my blog posts but I thought I should bring folks up to date since this one may affect the style and the content of my blog posts down the road.
Early yesterday morning I decided I should have my physician look at the finger, partly because I was concerned that I should have a booster tetanus shot (which he did give me and I have a sore arm to prove it). I had never really seen much of the actual injury because when it happened it was bubbling so much blood I couldn’t get a good look and I had to quickly bandage it just to get the bleeding stopped (which took over an hour).
When I finally got a good look at it in the doctor’s office it was somewhat worse than I thought. When he saw it his words were “Wow, you really did a number on that finger” and he’s a veteran army doctor who served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan treating victims of IED’s so he’s “seen some stuff” (not that my injury even compares).
The bandage he put on was too damned bulky for me to be able to type on my keyboard and I couldn’t put up with that so I replaced it with a “custom version” after I got home. While I had a good look at it I wanted to document it with a few (crappy) cell phone photos and I’ve decided to include one of them below (after all, this is a “photo” blog…).
So consider yourself forewarned. If graphic images like this tend to upset you please don’t scroll any further. I’ll leave some space before the photo shows up so you don’t have to see it if you prefer not to. Please, no complaints.
So you can see why the doctor told me this would take a very long time to heal. All that tissue has to grow back and it will be sensitive as hell in the meantime (and it is). All this because of a careless and utterly stupid mistake.
The wound edges aren’t really as white as they appear – that’s partly a function of sun-glare from the nearby window. We see some of the same thing on the ends of the adjacent 2 fingers.
Ok, here’s what it all boils down to as it regards Feathered Photography. My improvised bandage allows me to type significantly better than I could with his “club finger” version but it’s still cumbersome and slow. I make many mistakes and at this point at least it’s somewhat painful so we’ll see how it goes in the long run. It may or may not mean shorter blog posts for a while with me doing less “rambling” (which some might think is a good thing anyway…).
I very nearly didn’t include this last photo because it’s so graphic. But in the end I decided if there’s anything positive that could result from my accident it would be helping to prevent others from being as stupid and careless as I was and without the photo I don’t think the lesson would have been nearly as effective.
So please folks, do as I say and not as I do (did). Be very careful with knives. Always!
Ron
PS – It’s been suggested (more than once) that I invest in about a dozen pairs of those “safety scissors” little kids use in preschool and restrict myself to using them for the duration. Probably a good idea…
It’s wonderful to see what successful parents this red-tail pair have become!
It’s wonderful to see what successful parents this red-tail pair have become! And the female is indeed stunning.
I cringe just looking at the photo of your poor finger. And a doctor exclaiming, “WOW!!” isn’t fun when you’re on the receiving end. I hope the healing goes quickly; I run short on patience myself, so I understand how frustrating it is to be faced with a long recovery. I tend to think the time it takes to do the damage should be the time it takes to heal. 😉
Beautiful hawks, especially the red female. Glad they fledged two more young this year!
Glad you’re on the mend from that injury. The body is amazing at healing!
I also have a familial essential tremor. It is super annoying, and getting more so all the time.
I’ve had it since I was a teen. A lot of daily activities are made more difficult!
Take care and heal well.
Susan, my tremors reared their ugly head when I was about 20 and they’ve very slowly become worse ever since.
Thought I’d sent a comment a while ago, but guess it did not ‘take’.
Anyway, the mother of these birds is quite beautiful.
Glad you went to the Dr. Healing will require patience, of which I have little.
As always, Ron, thanks for the photos and for following these beautiful birds.
Thank you, Alice. I have little patience also so we’ll see how it goes…
Holy crap, Ron! Your poor finger! I didn’t realize you had lopped off that much of it. Please do keep a close eye on it. (I did almost send you a pair of safety scissors. I have some cool-colored Crayola ones, but they’re in the garage/back room with the rest of my classroom stuff, so not handy.)
That female Red Tail is sooooo gorgeous! Glad you got to see the fledglings and that they look so hardy. The DC eagle nest has one very klutzy youngster this season — I think I age about 10 years every time she falls off the nest.
“I didn’t realize you had lopped off that much of it.”
Nor did I, Marty – not till I saw it with the bandage off two days later. Gotta admit, I was a little shocked.
Wonderful news about the Red Tails. And charming photos.
Sigh on the finger front. My shaky hands make me dangerous in the kitchen and I am very, very careful. This is a pointed reminder why.
I get that shaky hands thing, EC – damned essential tremors!
And who in hell defined them as Essential. I could manage just fine without them (though mine come from MS, and vary in intensity).
Mine are familial (other name familial tremors). father, paternal grandfather and 2 sisters developed them too.
NOT a gift to be grateful for. My father had them too, so probably a double whammy. Mind you, my best beloved pointed out to me when I was holding a flour sifter that other people have to do things to sift the flour – I just had to stand there. He was right, but I am not grateful.
I love your shots and your post!
However, what I appreciate even more is that someone besides me admits to a stupid error! No, I didn’t cut my finger with a knife. Instead I tried to push a stuck fan belt on a 40 foot lobster boat with the engine running with my finger, consequently lost the end of my finger on my right hand. You will heal a lot faster than I did. It took over a year before the new tip and new fingernail took shape and several more before normal feeling came back. The surgeon wanted to take off the first joint. There was no way I was up for that!
So, hang in there Ron, everyone is pulling for you!!
Wow, that sounds awful, Dick. Yes, my injury definitely could have been worse.
Instead of typing, you can get a voice program – two I know of are Dragon and Naturally Speaking. There’s no point in lecturing you about what you know and what your MD knows. You’re about my age. All I can add is that I sliced the nerve in my left salute finger in May 2014 and it’s still not right, after surgery and physical therapy. This might have something to do with my stubborn insistence on doing things my way, not allowing injury to interrupt my chosen habits. . I know you would never be anything like that.
Nice hawk shots.
Martha, regarding voice programs, see my response to Dennis, below.
Gotta tell ya, Ron, after your last posts on camera bursts and clipping wings, I am still just flabbergasted as to how you find all the birds you do, let alone take such great photos. Equipment is essential, but your skill and patience are just as crucial.
However, about your skill with a knife….(not that I should say anything after taking a good slice off my thumb when dicing an onion with the mandoline that the salesperson who sold it to me repeatedly said “ALWAYS use the holder, not your hand”).
Lyle, given my recent klutzy tendencies it’s probably a darned good thing I don’t own a mandolin!
You definitely got me reaching for the scissors, not a knife, when opening a bag, even frozen veggies packages! Great job with the RTH photos.
Johanna, I’ve decided I’m going to keep a pair of scissors in the kitchen.
Great series Ron!
Boy are you lucky you didn’t get a nasty infection and loose the finger altogether. Glad you saw a doctor. you need to take better care of yourself. After all we all depend on you! :>))
Charlotte
So far no infection, Charlotte. Gotta be careful with it for a good long while though.
HOLY SHIT, RON!!! That’s a massive chunk off the finger!
It is…
Glad it wasn’t the middle finger….you’re going to need it for trump. Especially after treasonous meeting with Putin in Helsinki….
I actually thought about that, Patty. At least I have a spare…
Good GOD!!! You poor, poor, poor thing!!! Never a good thing when the doctor says, “WOW!” Last time I heard one say that was when he was looking at x-rays of my back,,, shuch was followed by, “Boy! You DO have a bad back!!!”
Your warning about knives is well-taken…I’ve always loved knives, just got a new one from one of my grandsons…love ro whittle…will tske your advice….hope you heal well, if not soon….
Yup, family doctors or surgeons saying that is not a good omen!
Wonderful images of the young Red Tails and nice commentary too. Wow, your poor finger. When I was a young boy my father told me to always cut in a direction away from my hands. Funny how over the years his words always return when I use a sharp knife. Hope it heals soon Ron. Zinc in high dose (50-100 mg/per day) may speed it up.
Ironically I WAS cutting away from me when this happened. At least MOST of me…
Wow, that finger looks pretty ugly. Perhaps you should consider trying dictation software to make it a little easier on yourself. Also, I love the RTHA story and photos!
Dennis, I thought about that but then quickly discarded the idea. Speech to text on my cell phone makes so many mistakes it drives me bat-s… crazy!
I am sitting outside at our new home in Tubac, south of Tuscon, reading my emails and watching the birds at my feeder. I looked at your figure and screamed “ow” and scared all the birds off. It was a quick dispersment however in that there are close to 15 gold finches back on the Niger seed a male Indigo Bunting on the other feeder. Guess it bothered me more that the birds. Wonderful hawk shots Ron. I really enjoy being around the young ones and compared to the parents seem to be much more tolerant of us bird photographers. PS, I will be much more careful with my cutlery after seeing that finger.
Sorry “I” scared your birds off, Frank!
Glad to know you’ll now be more careful.
Great photos and narrative as always. Thanks so much. Love Red Tails! Don’t feel stupid about the knife mishap. On 3/19/2018 my Husband was ripping a piece of maple on the radial arm saw and the wood shifted quickly. The index and middle finger of his left hand went into the blade. The tips of his fingers looked like your finger except for his jagged edges. No bone damage and just a small amount of nail damage. The ER surgeon asked if I brought any of the finger tips with me. I told him no because the ground up pieces were stuck up in the blade guard. The moral to his story is “Use a damn push stick!” Four months later, all is well with his fingers and yours will be too. Be patient.
Sybby, radial arm and table saws are like ticking time bombs! For the first 4 years after I retired and before I got into photography I spent hours most days working with my very large (3 hp) table saw and never had a serious mishap (though I came very close a couple of times). I always used a push stick!
And then this happens…
Push sticks are fine unless the idiot boss built one with a tapered, almost pointed end that ended up going most of the way through my husband’s hand – years trying to get the main motor nerve working “well” again! 🙁
“Idiot boss” sounds generous, Judy. A push stick like that defeats part of its purpose from the get-go.
But then after my recent stunt who am I to refer to anyone as an idiot…
Not at all what I called him at the time………..;) Do try to keep a civil tongue in my head – most of the time! 🙂
Hi Ron,
Thanks, as always, for sharing. I look forward to the pics, stories, lessons and yes, even the grumbles (I can relate!). And please keep in mind you will heal quickly because you have youth on your side….
Plus, of course, all the good wishes from your friends and cyberfriends. 😃
Cheers,
Dick
Ha, if my healing depends on my youth I’m in deep doodoo, Dick!
I have already learned from your mistake. After reading your post yesterday I had started to open something with a butcher knife and stopped when the memory of your post arose. Thanks for the painful lesson!
Thanks so much for that specific feedback, Brett. I really appreciate knowing at least something good came out of this fiasco.
Ron, has your doctor suggested a skin graft? It would heal faster than waiting for that to grow over. Yes, you did quite a job on that finger. Without the heavy bandage, you have no protection so every time you bump it, it will delay healing. Also, keep it elevated to lessen the throbbing. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to use a protective bandage and not worry about your blog, or at least about your typos. Good luck, Man. I don’t envy you as I am not into pain!
Nope, no mention of a skin graft, Judy. And I don’t plan on bumping it any time soon. So far, so good. And actually, it doesn’t throb which surprised me.
Loved the double clutch pictures. Hunting must be good.
Oh your poor finger.
Thanks, Arwen. Yes, there must be lots of voles in the area.
Well Ron, you really did a job on that finger. Be careful with it and let it heal. Your Army doc would not approve of you typing up these long posts. Shorten them for a while and we will be fine. The great photos speak for themselves. These photos are priceless. Photos of juveniles in the wild are always so special, and these are outstanding. Heal that finger.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
PS: Maybe I should travel up there and do your typing for you. I was a Navy Radioman and even now at 80 I still type over 80 wpm. 🙂
Everett, learning to type well was a struggle for me because I learned pretty darned late in life and taught myself. I’m actually pretty good at it now. Or at least I was…
Mother hawk’s red coloring is truly beautiful ! I’m still impressed with just how sharp you kept that knife, and looking at the image made me wonder if tissue would heal differently
in a clean cut like that than it would in a cut which crushed ( rather than sliced ) the tissue………very glad that you saw a doc , “clubby” dressing aside.
It was (is) pretty damn sharp, Kris. That knife used to be my favorite one in my fairly large collection but I’ll never look at it the same again…
Wow! Go away for a few days and look what happens! I am just catching up on your beautiful blog full of gorgeous owls, hawks and missing body parts. The pictures are stunning as usual but that hand – yuck! Take care of yourself and I hope it heals extra fast for you
Beautiful young hawks today and those owl pics yesterday were exquisite!
Thanks, Joanne. Maybe I need to insist you stay home in the future… 🙂
Yep – you definitely did a number on it! And those clean cuts often take longer than the jagged ones….:( Picture worth a thousand words on explaining the damage… Hopefully your dressing “modification” doesn’t impede healing..;) The hawks are wonderful and good to know another pair has successfully fledged! 🙂 Mom certainly is a beautiful bird…….. 2nd photo looks like the “I’ll tell you a secret” 😉
Judy, I plan on keeping a very close eye on the injury just to make sure there are no unexpected problems with healing.
Both pairs of Red Tails are beautiful as is the mother. Love that first photo…the inquisitive look on their faces is really precious! Both sets look really great; hopefully with good luck they will make it. Side question…is there ‘siblicide’ with hawks? I’ve seen it in loons…the smaller one is there and then it’s gone. It happened recently with a family I was watching In Michigan. Sad to see.
Your finger doesn’t look too bad…slow granulation to heal but it may always remain a bit sensitive or then again maybe not depending on nerve ends. Was the nail affected? I would stick to knives carefully…those cuts with little people scissors can hurt! 🙂
Kathy, I’m unaware of deliberate siblicide in Red-tails, if it occurs at all.
No, the nail wasn’t affected. I almost wish I’d hit the top of it with the knife blade – that might have prevented me from cutting the piece entirely off.
Wow, Ron! Happy to hear of the successful Red Tailed Hawks…love their interaction! Sorry about your finger. One needs to be especially careful upon injury to digits because the blood circulation is a little different and easily infected so glad you went to doctor. Best wishes for healing and thanks for your wonderful photos! Mary
Four youngsters fledged out of the same nest in two years isn’t too shabby, Mary. It made me very happy.