Birdzee

Yesterday when I was waiting on Will's bus to show up a baby bird just appeared at my feet next to the chair I was sitting in. With so many trees in our yards, there have been several times over the last ten years when baby birds leaving the next have ended up grounded in our yard. Usually it's in the back yard, which causes an issue with our dogs.

I don't know what type of bird it is, but it's wings have a bluish tent. It has feathers but isn't strong enough to fly.

I've noticed in the past, that when left alone most baby birds parents would show up and direct them to a hiding place near a fence or in the bushes. Then I never saw them again. So I didn't think any thing about it. But when Will got home, I showed him the baby bird before we went in the house. As we headed inside, the bird tried to follow us.

Three or four hours later, Will and I went to run an errand and the bird was in the same place. But it looked much worse for wear. It was very hot and sitting in the sun. I got a small thing of water and tried to get it to drink; it just climbed into my hand and sit down. I finally wet my fingers and it drink the moisture from my fingers. We left it and ran errands. It was still there hours later when we got home.

I'd never seen a baby bird stay in one place this long and looked up on the internet for some guidance. I was releived to find out that birds sense of smell isn't strong, so you don't have to worry about touching the baby bird scarring off it's parents. I also found out that if the bird has feathers the odds are good it's parents pushed it from the nest and that they would show up and feed it, though not regularly, for up to 5-7 days.

It was in the same place when Steve came home. He pulled out a worm and cut it up and we tried to feed it to the bird, who Will named Birdzee. It didn't eat it. I fed it some more water and we left it in the same place it had been all day. Which was the only thing the internet said to be sure to do.

We went out to wait for Will's school bus this morning and Birdzee was in the same place, his water turned over. I filled his water up and left him. About eleven I was working on something in the driveway and looked down and Birdzee had come around the house and found me. I took him back to his spot and got him fresh water, tried to feed him worm. When Will got home we blended some peanut butter with water and used a straw to slowly dribble it on the bird's beak. It went crazy trying to eat but not doing a very good job. The best way I could feed it was to dribble the peanut water on my fingers and let the bird eat off me. So we fed it and got it fresh water.

Will made me go out and check on it every 2 hours or so all day. When utility maitenance men showed up in the neighborhood, Will made me write a sign saying, "Do not take our bird away!" He put it out on a chair next to where Birdzee was.

Right before bed, Will had to check on Birdzee again. We fed him and got him fresh water. I also dug out a small wooded stool to set over an area near his water dish. When we left, we put him beneath it next to a cool rock.

He's in the front yard with no fence. There are cats in the neighborhood. He's been on his own for over 36 hours now. I don't think the odds of him living until he's strong enough to fly away or good. I don't know how Will or I will take it if he doesn't.