Frigate chick's fall provides an adventure for sailors

By Susan Scott

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 27, 2012

~~<p>I kissed a frigate bird. This isn't something I've been dying to do. I've seen these seabirds' hooked beaks and sharp claws in action during their aerial attacks on booby birds. But when a baby frigate bird fell from its nest, what's an animal lover to do? I picked up the chick, and when it neither bit nor scratched me, I had to try to help.</p>
<p>The rescue came during a hike on Isla Isabela, a national park and world heritage site in Mexico's Sea of Cortez. Craig and I had sailed from Mazatlan and, after rolling at anchor for an hour, decided to go ashore.</p>
~~

I kissed a frigate bird. This isn't something I've been dying to do. I've seen these seabirds' hooked beaks and sharp claws in action during their aerial attacks on booby birds. But when a baby frigate bird fell from its nest, what's an animal lover to do? I picked up the chick, and when it neither bit nor scratched me, I had to try to help.

The rescue came during a hike on Isla Isabela, a national park and world heritage site in Mexico's Sea of Cortez. Craig and I had sailed from Mazatlan and, after rolling at anchor for an hour, decided to go ashore. Login for more...