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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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.

Ynotisay · M

@PoetryNEmotion I'm on board with everything you said. Except feeding wild birds. In some places it's encouraged. It is where I live. But it needs to be done responsibly and in concert with nature. Not sure everyone does that. So "Don't feed anything" is probably the wiser message.

PoetryNEmotion · F

@Ynotisay I am familiar with animals, both wild and tame. Believe me, good intentions often kill wild animals. And I am in close touch with wildlife specialists too. It is better a wild animal has nothing to eat than for kind people to harm them with food. It has to do with digestion. And I have to go. I will explain later. Thank you.

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.