Time to blow the cobwebs out this piece! Starting about 2.5 weeks ago I came down with a nasty flu. Fortunately there was no vomiting, but I had the fevers, aches, crazy cough, and the cloudy head. It took a solid 10 days to get back to the point where I was remotely capable of sitting at my desk, although fortunately I can work from home so it wasn’t a total loss. So that’s largely why it’s been quiet around here.
On Monday morning I noticed this little guy on our porch.
He was still there when I got home, looking unimpressed. I spent the evening thinking about what I might do with this bird. Assuming the cold didn’t kill it, the menagerie of critters that prowl our yard at night surely would. When I went back out at around 8pm it had dropped off the porch and into the driveway. It seemed to be making some progress towards my car, whether intentional or not. Perhaps it would be safe if it could make it there, but my desire to get involved was too strong.
When I went close to the bird, I was chirped at loudly from the trees. The parents seemed to be keeping a watchful eye. Would they continue to care for it if it didn’t perish? Don’t know. That didn’t stop me from scooping it up in a glass mug though. We have two nests on the house, you may remember. They have been empty since last year, and I tried dumping it into the nest on the porch but it was too tight, so I put it into the one on the back corner. I thought that might also be better in terms of giving the parents easy access if they wanted it. Then I got into bed and decided to name the bird Oscar.
In the morning I climbed up and sprinkled some bread crumbs into the nest. Oscar was either sleeping or wasting away – I couldn’t tell. He didn’t acknowledge my presence or the crumbs I dumped on him. I knew that he would probably prefer crushed up bugs or worms, but we didn’t pick any of those up at the market last time and I didn’t really have the time to dig up the flower bed before work. At this point I pretty much decided it was up to the parents. They would either find him and care for him or they wouldn’t, but I couldn’t realistically keep it alive myself.
Yesterday evening I decided to climb up and see what was going on in there. Honestly I expected to have to fling a dead bird carcass out of there with a stick, but as soon as a peered into the nest he popped up with big glassy eyes. In only a few days he had molted a lot of the fluff, then he blew past me and made a run for the trees in the front yard. I watched as he flew in cartoon fashion, wobbling and flapping wings wildly. When he made it to the trees he was joined by a few other birds of the same type.
I love that despite the fact that he can fly, and presumably join the rest of his crew, he now considers the new nest his pad. Also I love the fact, obviously, that he lives and that the parents found him and are taking care of him. Now that he has survived this trial, I feel a lot better about my decision to get into his business. Part of me really questioned the move to get involved. Maybe he would have survived on the ground, however I think the odds were worse. I wish I could get a photo of him now but I don’t want to disturb him again in the nest. He should feel safe there.