Call me the bird rescuer...

...or maybe the bird undertaker...or both.

Today, as AJ went out the door for his afternoon sim, I saw him stop and look down and just kind of stand there...so I went to see what was going on. When I stepped out and looked, I saw a tiny little birdie lying on it's side and panting. It was soooo sad!!! AJ had to get to work, so he couldn't help, so I ran inside and called my mom. Frantically I asked what she thought I should do. She asked if I thought I could put it back in the nest, and I looked out at it again, and there was another one!! This one was on it's little floppy feet, but obviously no older. So my mom and I discussed gloves and putting the birdies back, but by the time I got out there, the one bird that was lying down, had died. POOR BIRDIE! But there was still the other one to think of, so I ran and got AJ's flight gloves (new ones, with no gas fumes on them), and a kitchen chair, and gathered up the little floppy bit of nothing, and attempted to put it back in the nest. It wanted to stay out on my hand, but I finally managed to get it back in. I then went back inside, so as not to scare Mommy Bird away forever. She came back, but seemed pretty distracted by the baby on the ground, so when she left again, I grabbed a paper towel, and a plastic bag, and went to do a birdie funeral. It was SO SAD!! I was praying the whole time that the other one would live.

So awhile later, I looked outside, again while talking to my Mom (I had called her back to give her an update), and I saw that other little bird that I had rescued flopping around in the grass. Not sure how he landed in the grass as opposed to on the concrete...but I think it was a God thing...maybe he knew I'd be heartbroken if another little bird died on my doorstep today, but anyway, put back on the gloves, grabbed the chair again, and ran out to play SuperBirdRescuer again. He REALLY didn't want to go back in this time. So I managed to get him in, then grabbed a big beach towel to put on the concrete under the nest.

Good thing I did that, b/c the silly thing kept wiggling toward the edge. So I went and ripped a paper bowl in half, and some thumb tacks and punched holes in the bottom. I pinned it to the eaves by the nest, but then the mommy bird wouldn't go in. I thought it was too small a space for her, so I cut a notch in it. Didn't work. So I went and got a paper plate, cut it in half, tacked it up with holes in bottom, thinking it's flatter, but still has a little lip on it, so maybe the baby wouldn't fall out. The mommy still wouldn't go in. So I started getting worried about the baby not eating, so I finally went and respread the towl (it had blown up, b/c of all the wind), and then pulled down the plate. That worked until the baby fell out AGAIN! Again, it fell on the towl, and not on the concrete, but I'm a little concerned still. However, this time when I put it back in the nest, I shoved it farther up, and so far I haven't seen it fall out again. The Mommy has been feeding it, and I'm feeling a little better. However, now I think it's about to storm, so I'm hoping the parents will be able to fly up to feed baby and that it won't blow out of the nest again. I'm keeping the gloves and chair handy, though.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the little bird either pooped or threw up on me the middle time I put it back. The reason I'm not sure is b/c there were whole seeds that came out, so I'm not sure. Anyway, it was a lot, too, for such a little thing! It got all over the gloves, my shirt and on my skirt, too! Yuck! I guess that's part of dealing with babies.

I just checked again, and I don't see the little bird poking out anywhere, so hopefully it's far enough up in the nest that it won't have another issue...tonight, anyway!

OK, I'll keep you all updated on our baby bird's progress...hopefully he'll decide to wait till he has feathers to go adventuring outside the nest again!!