Bird rescue!

[jenn_unplugged]

This evening I opened my front door and there was a little bird lying on my front stoop. It was stunned, but alive. I didn't know what to do, but I decided to pick it up. There was a drool spot on the concrete where its little beak had been. It seemed nervous about being picked up, but it didn't flutter or try to get away, and it didn't seem to have any injuries. It didn't appear to be a juvenile -- though I don't know what kind of bird it was. (I know so little about wildlife.)

Edit: It was a cedar waxwing, I'm told.

I took it in the house long enough to gather up a box to put it in, and then took it out back before the cats could notice. I didn't hold it tight or anything; it just sat there in my hand and looked around the house. I made up a little box for it with paper towels to make it soft, and took the bird out back. When I tried to lower it to the box, it moved for the first time -- and wrapped its little feet tightly around one of my fingers, as if to say, "No!" I didn't know what to do, so I stood there on my back deck with this little wild bird in my hand for a good ten minutes.







Anyone know what kind of bird that is?

Anyway, after about ten minutes I decided to try to put it in the box again, and this time it went in without a fuss.



I put the box under a deck chair to hide it from hawks and went inside. I checked on it about every 15 minutes after that, and when it hadn't moved after an hour, I wasn't sure what to do. I knew there wasn't much I could do for it. If it wasn't going to be able to shake off whatever had happened to it, it should die a peaceful death -- but starving to death is hardly peaceful. Getting eaten by a hawk might actually be better. And of course, when you've held a little injured creature in your hand, it's hard not to want to interfere with the natural course of things.

But when I checked back at 8:30, the box was empty! I'm going to assume the little bird flew away and will continue with its little birdie life, none the worse for it. It was kind of cool to hold it for a while, though. :-)

Comments

[nmg.livejournal.com]

It didn't appear to be a juvenile -- though I don't know what kind of bird it was.

It's a Cedar Waxwing.

[jenn-unplugged.livejournal.com]

Oooh, yes! That's my bird! Thanks. :-D

[dorrie6.livejournal.com]

Oh, sweet bird!!!

[jenn-unplugged.livejournal.com]

It was SO sweet, just sitting in my hand ad looking around. I've never held a wild bird before, so it was very cool. :-)

[sciencegeek.livejournal.com]

I kinda looks like a cedar waxwing

[sciencegeek.livejournal.com]

Er...it, not I...

[jenn-unplugged.livejournal.com]

Yes! I'm so bad at identifying birds. I know some basic ones like pigeon, dove, robin, hawk, ostrich -- but the little brownish ones all blur together! :-P

[(Anonymous)]

Something similar happened on our back deck to a Cardinal. He ran into our sliding glass door and knocked himself out. He laid on our deck with his little beak between the deck boards for almost an hour. You could see him breathing, he then he sat up and walked around and almost two hours later he flew away.

Another bird could have chased your bird but I bet he ran into your door or house and knocked himself out.

Love you,
Mom

[jenn-unplugged.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was kind of what I figured had happened. I was just worried about it lying out there in the open, with all the hawks around here. :-P

Isn't it cute, though?

[(Anonymous)]

So very cute. I have not seen one of this type in NC. I also have not put my bird feeders back up as a bird hawk that that I was supplying breaksfast, lunch, and dinner. He was attacking and eating all of the birds that come to my feeder. I know that is nature's way, but I refuse to make it that easy for him....

Love you,

Mom....