Gyrfalcon, vulture and elephant

Here has been the oddest development in my samba life: I started working one day a week at the zoo in the raptor program. This marks a real change for me since it's the FIRST NON-SAMBA HOBBY that I've allowed myself in almost four years.

To get to functional level in drumming as quickly as I have, I've had to table everything else. I had two years solid of: no TV, no music, no books, no movies, no dinners out.... no nothing except practicing. I even stopped horseback riding, which has always been the constant love of my life, since I was a little girl.

But now that I know I can teach and lead, I feel like I can relax. Broaden my world out again.

God, the birds are spectacular.... today I actually had an Arctic gyrfalcon on my hand, fastest bird in the world in level flight (~90 mph)! Biggest falcon in the world! Falcon of royalty, the king's bird, the falcon of Kubla Khan! It was astonishing to have one of these legendary birds on my wrist. She was so amazingly beautiful that I kept almost flinching in surprise every time I glanced over, as I was talking to the public, to find that classically beautiful falcon face so close to my own, just a few inches away. Those huge dark innocent eyes, the perfect dark-grey feathered head, that wicked bill. She was watching me curiously: "Who are you?"

Those birds, it's amazing how alert they are and how closely they watch us. I actually caught the lead raptor handler, Tom, saying "That eagle is always watching me like a hawk! Well, I guess, like an eagle, actually." But truly - they really DO watch you. I didn't know it wasn't just a saying. And they recognize you! The Harris' hawk spots me coming a mile away.

The hard day of physical labor, caring for the birds, scrubbing out their mews till they're spotless; the afternoon behind-the-scenes excitement of prepping and releasing the free-flight birds for the show for the public. The show is more tightly and carefully timed than any music show I've ever been part of. Then watching them soar free overhead and come swooping back down home when called.

Crazy day today. The zoo's adorable little elephant Hansa died unexpectedly. A keeper came in to tell us and we were all stunned speechless. I was terribly sorry to hear the news, since I'd played a (minor) role in the 3-year drama of the Hansa's birth, and I know what she meant to the elephant keepers and the whole zoo. But no time to think about - there's the 12:30 raptor show to prep for - and in the show, Modoc the turkey vulture took off! (he does that sometimes) I followed him clear to Orangutans, trying to keep him in view, but a little girl spotted my zoo badge and started trotting after me asking worriedly "The mama elephant, whose little baby died, is the mama elephant angry? Is she sad? Is she upset?" - and I was trying to answer her sympathetically, but whoops, there went Modoc flying away and all I could say was "The mama elephant loved her baby - I'm so sorry, but I have to follow this vulture!"

Eventually Modoc swooped to the ground... right in the middle of a herd of about 8 little kids, who all instantly started toddling toward him like he was a baby magnet. It was alarming, since a vulture can do some pretty good damage with that carrion-ripping beak of theirs, and the parents were all pretty slow on the uptake (understandably; who expects a wild animal to land right next to your kid when you're at a nice safe zoo?) and the raptor handler had his hands full trying to get Modoc back on the glove; and all I could do was shove little kids out of the way. "Get back, stay back, I MEAN IT, get BACK!!!!"

Weird day. But then I got to cruise that magnificent gyrfalcon Kenai, taking her up front on my glove to the public and talking about her; and then, later, Coba, the eerily beautiful spectacled owl.

I cannot put my finger on why the birds were so invigorating for me. But when I got home, after the 8 hours of physical labor, such an odd day of elephant-grieving, vulture-chasing and gyrfalcon-cruising, and then a couple MORE hours physical labor painting a bathroom, after all that, I put on my Mocidade recording of their last rehearsal before Carnival, and I played chocalho and caixa for hours and hours. Playing and playing and playing. The whole evening stretching ahead of me, and nothing to do but play. No road trip. No teaching. Just playing. Not because I have to; because I love to.