Thursday, August 12, 2010

~mr. baby bird~

bird in the grass

My usual walk was abruptly halted this morning. I hadn’t got any further than my front yard when I noticed two tiny baby birds lying face up, itsy bitsy claws pointing to the sky. That’s right - deceased, bless their tiny lil hearts. (I’ll spare you photos.) I sighed and walked another step when I saw their lil brother struggling beside the sidewalk in the grass.

OH NO, I thought!

What to do?

Do I leave him alone?

Do I rescue him?

Is his mommy near by?

Can he fly?

And then I did what any good blogger would do. I took pictures! J

baby bird lost To my surprise, as I was taking photos of this lil cutie, he wobbly staggers toward me!

baby bird walking HEY WAIT! I’m not your mother!

Go on back now! Really now!

I don’t know how to take care of baby birds!

baby bird take me But he just kept moving toward me!

Well, I couldn’t leave him there in the middle of the sidewalk, deserted, without his mommy.

So my mind starts racing. Okay, maybe he’s hungry or thirsty, so I sprinkle bird food down in front of him and some water. I know. You’re laughing aren’t you? Yea, I think mr. baby bird laughed at me too. He’s beginning to realize I have NO idea what I’m doing.

Next, I find a cardboard box and fill it with grass, leaves, and soft things that belong in a nest. I gently scoop him into the box. He does NOT like it. He sputters around, spreading his wings as if to say “Get me OUT of here!” I decide I’ve got to get some advice from an intelligent source, but the internet is all I have so I Google. I learn the best thing to do is put him back in the tree in a makeshift nest and hope that his mommy comes back to rescue him.

makeshift nest

I find a plastic tray, punch holes in it and fill it with nesting materials.

And then gentle move Mr. Baby Bird once again from his box to his new home.

makeshift nest 2It’s hard to get a good shot of mr. baby bird with the leaves around and I don’t want to bother him any more than I have to just in case his mommy is near by waiting for me to get the heck out of here.

You can only see a little of his wing in this photo. I know it’s hard to tell, but he’s very comfortable here. He closes his little eyes and goes to sleep.

Ahh…I’m finally feeling pretty good about this situation.

nest Calming down after my valiant rescue of mr. baby bird, I start to look for a nest he and his brothers could have fallen from. Look closely and you can see it in the top center of this photo. But what’s interesting is the bird barely visible in the lower left of the photo. Do you see her?

Is this his mommy??

Has she been watching me through this whole ordeal?

or

Is this another brother or sister??

I guess we’ll never know.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a happy ending to my morning adventure.

Later, I go out to check on mr. baby bird. Sadly, he’s fallen out of his makeshift nest.

You know the rest of the story. L

I’m linking to Simple Pleasures at Dayle’s “A Collection of this and that”.

12 comments:

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

So sad. I usually just leave birds that have fallen out of a nest be. It happens a lot and the birds know best, even if sometimes a cat finds them.
Great photos.

Donna@Conghaile Cottage said...

I know it had a sad ending...BUT... this is nature and it's NOT easy being "Grandmother Nature to these darlings", I know, I've spent MANY sleepless nights worrying about "My Nestlings"... On my blog I have a similar story BUT I don't have as many pictures as you, "WOW you did a wonderful job of telling your story... Hugs, Donna

Elizabeth Dianne said...

What an adventure you had while trying to go for a simple little walk! I admire all that you did. Hope it all works out.

Debby said...

Ahhhh, you did alot to help this little fella. He didn't look too good in the pictures, cute, but not too healthy. Sorry he didn't make it. It was a cute story anyway.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

You did your best and nature took care of the rest.Too bad the ending was not more positive.
Blessings,Ruth

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

Marsha, this is a delightful tale, even with a sad ending. I think most families have at least one bird rescue attempt story; we certainly do... same ending. :(

I had to smile when you said you did what only a blogger would do ... take a picture. LOL! I've told my husband that same line so many times. It's soooo true!

I'm so glad you linked up today. Hope to see and read lots more from you.

Jennie said...

I'm sorry about the ending, but the beginning and the middle of the story show how big your heart is! Absolutely precious baby bird - and beautiful photos!

Maria said...

Hi Marsha... Isn't it amazing how much our hearts can grow and get filled up by such tiny little creatures...
Last year a tiny female goldfinch flew into my patio door... I stayed with it while it breathed its last...and I will never forget that very sad, yet tender moment of nature. Poor little things.
God teaches us much each day ♥
~ and how much more so does He love us!
*Maria

Twenty Four At Heart said...

Love the photos. I've had a similar experience - sadly enough!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Oh how sad, Marsha..... That almost made me cry... But--that's just part of nature... Who knows why they fell out of the nest to begin with ....

But--you did get some great pictures... He looks like a baby Robin --but I'm not sure.

You gave it your best shot.... I'm sure they all thank you for trying to help.

Hugs,
Betsy

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Oh poor little baby bird! So sad that he couldn't be saved. If only we could save all the little homeless creatures out there. I get so attached to the street cats here and do my best for them. They come and go, sometimes I don't know what happens to them, but I do what I can each and every day that I am able. Your photos are spectacular. Best wishes for a wonderful weekend. Tammy

Ms.Daisy said...

Marsha,
Great pictures of your tiny bird tale! I remember trying to rescue birds that had fallen out of their nests. Usually we had the same sad results but at least we tried! Thanks for stopping by and saying, "hi!"

~Jean