To Markus

Timberdoodle, hokumpoke, bogsucker.

One morning after opening Precious Possessions, I went out to run some errands. Several blocks away at Michigan and Adams, I found a beautiful, magnificient bird sitting very still on the ground. I tried to shoo him off, as the sidewalk isn’t a safe place for birds, but he didn’t fly away. Upon closer inspection, he appeared stunned, so I brought him back to the store.

I gave him some water, and set him in a warm, cozy box. We called the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors at 773-988-1867. They’re an all-volunteer organization that rescues and rehabilitates injured birds. Keep that number because it’s important!

The lady from the CBCM arrived about an hour later to pick him up. She said he was a woodcock, aka hokumpoke or bogsucker, which is a type of shorebird related to sand pipers. They fly north to breed, and live in the eastern half of North America and the Gulf Coast states. They’re known as harbingers of spring and new beginnings.

Woodcocks have had a drop in population since the 1960s. It’s mostly from a decrease in habitat. Conservationists have been working to stabilize and increase the woodcock population.

We called a few days later, and learned our little guy had recovered, and was going to be released soon. A happy ending.

We believe that humans are the guardians of the planet, and that if we learn to care for its animals we might learn to care for and respect each other. Can you imagine what a wonderful planet this might be if we all had a little more kindness?

In loving memory of Markus Mirko Davidovic
October 31, 1976 - April 3, 2011