“Bird”

Sunday, July 17, 2022

That photo is of a baby Robin that had fallen from a nest last summer. It was tiny with parents frantically communicating with it and catching my attention. The baby was on the ground in a fenced area with my dogs. It needed rescuing. I picked it up and set it on the ground in a safer area. While leaving it for the parents, I realized the infant would be visible to flying predators. With the parents still carrying on, I decided to rescue the bird.

Knowing nothing about young birds. I embarked on a learning journey.

This one had feathers but couldn’t fly, depended on being fed. I knew it could eat live mealworms, but the pandemic still ruled and many miscellaneous live food producers had gone out of business. My bird needed feeding and I hurried to find someone who might know how to care for a baby.

I learned how at The Reptile Zone. The owner gave me advice which included finding big worms used for fish bait, and feeding those. It turned out that night crawlers were available. My little bird loved them.

It wasn’t pretty to feed big worms to a bird too small to consume a whole one. I cut them into pieces and used a forceps to poke them into the wide open beak. The little bird ate well, grew quickly, and I was a proud mom.

Once the bird knew how to balance, it safely could spend time perched on a tree branch. From that vantage spot, it could watch, learn, and become brave. In a couple of weeks, it went from remaining stationary in place, to flying from tree to tree.

It always came when I called. Until it didn’t. One day, I discovered the bird baby gone. And apparently for good. For days I called for it without getting a response. My Robin fully had fledged.

I hoped it would return this summer and nest in this area. I’ve no sense that it has done so. Sometimes I stand outside and in my “here, Baby” voice call for it. No dice.

I picture the Robin as having survived and now raising babies of its own. I hope someday, a mature Robin will fly in, land nearby, and offer a suggestion of knowing me. Regardless, the whole rescue experience remains a powerful memory.

Dear Friends: A miracle of witnessing natural nature taking its course. Diana