We found a baby bird in the yard. I’m not sure where it came from but we put it in some old Easter baskets for shade and propped it up on the porch.

We used a second basket as a shade and a wind block, the candles were just to weight it down. My youngest one kept catching love bugs and feeding them to the bird. I eventually fed it wet dog food (as the website I checked suggested) but told the kids that it’s not likely to survive.
Next morning they ran to check, but it had died in the night. The kids took it hard but felt a little better after giving it a name and burying it.
They named it Carlos.

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DearAmbellina2113 · 41-45, F

It's a very good sign that your children are showing kindness to animals. ❤️ That means you're raising kind people.

Ynotisay · M

@DearAmbellina2113 Nailed it.

assemblingaknob · 26-30, F

Reminds me of when we rescued a baby sparrow with a broken wing. We tried feeding it mashed bananas with a toothpick, but it wouldn't open its beak. Very stubborn little creature. We were scared that it would die of starvation, so the next morning we took it on the roof. It's where the baby found it's parent bird who fed it. We were watching from a distance so as not to scare them away.......when a crow suddenly stooped and snatched the baby bird away. My little sister started crying.
Well, that's the circle of life i guess.

MisterMxyzptlk

@assemblingaknob Yikes. I guess there’s only so much you can help in the wild.

PoetryNEmotion · F

Next time, leave it be. The parents often return to retrieve it. Never feed wild birds or animals. Your good intentions will harm it. One can try to put it close to its nest if able. Survival of thr fittest rules. A wildlife sanctuary gives the best advice and could take and save its life.

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MisterMxyzptlk

@PoetryNEmotion Normally I would, but this one was in the middle of the front yard with no shade from the sun.
The weird thing is that I still have no idea where the nest was. I can only imagine it’s on the roof and it rolled out, but I’ve seen no signs of the parents.

But if it were by a tree and out the heat, I would have left it.

Ynotisay · M

@PoetryNEmotion No need to explain. I get it. I said that there are exceptions. Because there are. I live in a high elevation forest. We're encouraged to feed the birds, with what they would (generally) naturally eat, at the right times of the year. It's beneficial to our ecosystem. I said it was about doing it responsibly. People throwing bread or human food aren't being responsible. I would never feed a bear, a coyote, a fox or the other mammals I'm around. Birds, in some areas, are different. I don't use feeders, I decrease the right food in the summer and increase it in the winter. I'm not in a city or a suburb with a backyard. What I'm doing is good for where I live. And I'm good with doing it for that reason.

PoetryNEmotion · F

@Ynotisay I explain to educate. Majority of people have good intentions and this kills creatures. I did not comment to you. I replied to your comment to me. I explained to the poster of the story.

UnderLockDown · M

Look around for the parents, some birds will spend time on the ground and still be cared for. Mocking birds often leave the nest before they can fly and the parents keep track of it and feed it.

MisterMxyzptlk

@UnderLockDown I have no idea where its nest would have been. It was just sitting there in the middle of the yard. Maybe the roof, but that would still just be out in the open.

UnderLockDown · M

@MisterMxyzptlk Set him outside and wait for him to chirp, if the parents are around they will call back to him. If after a while they don't show up, you can feed him baby food with an eye dropper.
Be CAREFUL when feeding!! Do NOT release the squeeze bubble on the dropper while it is in the bird's throat. It will cause suction and can injure the bird's throat.
Many people have successfully raised wild birds.

SatyrService · M

if it happens again
you must[b] feed it constantly[/b]
and yo must be sure it has water,, like from an eye dropper,
you got nice kids.. love them up

GrayJessie2 · 36-40, M

I would have taken it into the animal hospital. A few weeks ago I helped a baby bird whose foot was stuck on the pavement fly away

MisterMxyzptlk

@GrayJessie2 Yeah, next time I will.

Ynotisay · M

Aw. You did what you could and in the process your kids got a great lesson in to how nature works.

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