Imping was short for implantation.
Imping feathers was a practice that falconers had been using for a thousand years. Like hair extensions or fake fingernails on humans, the replacement feathers eventually molted in the spring or summer, and natural feathers took their place.
The imping process allows a bird to return to the wild, rather than being held in captivity during the time it took for the annual molting process of a broken feather to occur.
Donor feathers were collected from birds that had already gone through the annual process of molting. Or they were harvested from deceased birds.
How the feathers had been collected and the feather placement was carefully recorded for future use. In this way, Chester created his feather bank.
Chester carefully selected the necessary feathers from his labeled stock. Imping was an intricate procedure, and Chester needed to match the damaged feathers in size, type, placement, and angling, as well as feather position.
Damaged feathers with good shafts were cut, leaving the short, original shaft in place. The new replacements had to be aligned correctly so that the new feathers would not rotate and prevent successful flight.
Donated feathers were cut, spliced, correctly fitted, and super-glued into the healthy shafts. After Chester finished, the red-tailed hawk had a new strong tail that would allow for control in flight.
"Tomorrow we will fly her on a creance. I've got the perfect lightweight cord I use in training my falcons," Chester said. "I'm sure it'll work fine. We'll let her rest, and I'll come back in the morning to check her out."
Declan made sure the recovering bird was comfortable.
"Would you mind if I stayed the night and kept an eye on our patient?" Declan said.
"Not at all," Ruth said. "There is a cot in the back room I use when I have patients that need overnight observation. It's pretty rough accommodations back there. I'm afraid there's no TV, but the linens are clean. Actually, the cot is surprisingly comfortable. I should know: I've spent many a night on it."
Ruth and Declan spent the rest of their time caring for the other animals at the center. Working side by side, she couldn't help casting an occasional glance his way. She savored the smell of his aftershave. Its scent wafted in the air when he walked past her.
Lord, have mercy, she thought. I think I'm falling head over heels.