Our whole week has been thrown completely off kilter by this little guy
Northern MockingbirdWhile I was at work on Tuesday, I received a series of phone calls from Father and James about this baby bird they discovered in the back yard. During the day Father dug up some worms and puts them and the baby on the patio table where the parents proceeded to come and feed it. For a few days now, every time the cats went out into the front yard, they were being dive bombed by a couple mockingbirds. Now we know why. When I returned home that evening, lying in the curb was another baby mockingbird. I went into the house and kinda blew the guys thunder by saying "look what I found."
Now we had two baby birds who were too young to fly or protect themselves and 4 cats - what do you do? Let nature take its course or help it along a bit. Come 10:30 pm, we have 4 very anxious cats who want to do their nocturnal wanderings, two chirping baby birds and the momma and daddy squawking from the rooftop. Father mounted the bird house (that James made for cub scouts and never got around to putting up) on the patio wall and we placed the babies inside for the night. One was plump, very vocal and healthy, the other a bit thin, very quiet and had a hurt eye. The parents calmed down and disappeared into the trees to sleep.
Next morning, I hear squawking and thumping noises and go outside. One of the babies has been jumping out of the hole in the bird house and basically plummeting to the ground. James had already put it back twice when I came out. I put it back again and out it came. Okie doke. Now we know why it was no longer in the nest, it had jumped out and was ready to roam. Of course, last year we didn't have 4 cats attacking birds, so we never noticed baby mockingbirds running around. Rounded up the cats, with the help of the parent birds who didn't want the cats anywhere near their kids and set the baby down in the planter area. The thin one had made it through the night, but just barely. So I sat there on the patio holding it till it passed, while mom and dad flew back and forth feeding the other one sitting in the grass.
So the past couple days we have been keeping the cats in all day, then in the evening time, putting the baby in bird house (now with the hole covered so he wouldn't jump out) and letting the cats out for the night. Come morning, the parent birds help round the cats up to come into the house and we let the baby out. Really! They've been dive bombing them and chasing them which makes them run quicker than quick for the door. Maybe they'll quit attacking the birds now. Father called the Audubon society and a local nature center to find out info about the birds and hopefully within the next week, the baby will be flying and can get itself safely into the trees. This morning the gardener came and he didn't blink much when I told him to skip mowing and blowing the backyard due to our little resident. He just laughed, tipped his hat and took care of the front yard.
A bird in the hand
4 cats sitting and waiting
Checking each other out
Curiousity
An educational experience
Trusting little soul!
Now we had two baby birds who were too young to fly or protect themselves and 4 cats - what do you do? Let nature take its course or help it along a bit. Come 10:30 pm, we have 4 very anxious cats who want to do their nocturnal wanderings, two chirping baby birds and the momma and daddy squawking from the rooftop. Father mounted the bird house (that James made for cub scouts and never got around to putting up) on the patio wall and we placed the babies inside for the night. One was plump, very vocal and healthy, the other a bit thin, very quiet and had a hurt eye. The parents calmed down and disappeared into the trees to sleep.
Next morning, I hear squawking and thumping noises and go outside. One of the babies has been jumping out of the hole in the bird house and basically plummeting to the ground. James had already put it back twice when I came out. I put it back again and out it came. Okie doke. Now we know why it was no longer in the nest, it had jumped out and was ready to roam. Of course, last year we didn't have 4 cats attacking birds, so we never noticed baby mockingbirds running around. Rounded up the cats, with the help of the parent birds who didn't want the cats anywhere near their kids and set the baby down in the planter area. The thin one had made it through the night, but just barely. So I sat there on the patio holding it till it passed, while mom and dad flew back and forth feeding the other one sitting in the grass.
So the past couple days we have been keeping the cats in all day, then in the evening time, putting the baby in bird house (now with the hole covered so he wouldn't jump out) and letting the cats out for the night. Come morning, the parent birds help round the cats up to come into the house and we let the baby out. Really! They've been dive bombing them and chasing them which makes them run quicker than quick for the door. Maybe they'll quit attacking the birds now. Father called the Audubon society and a local nature center to find out info about the birds and hopefully within the next week, the baby will be flying and can get itself safely into the trees. This morning the gardener came and he didn't blink much when I told him to skip mowing and blowing the backyard due to our little resident. He just laughed, tipped his hat and took care of the front yard.
A bird in the hand
4 cats sitting and waiting
Checking each other out
Curiousity
An educational experience
Trusting little soul!Now...ask me if we've gotten anything done this week.
What great pics and what a great adventure.
ReplyDeleteBTW - you will love Adam Hurst's CD if you do get it. Just wonderful and perfect autumn music, too. Have a great weekend.
that is so cool!
ReplyDeleteOh wow!!! Sad about the one baby, but what an amazing opportunity for all of you (except the cats). I would have gotten nothing done at all.
ReplyDeleteI'd say you've gotten lots done, just not the things you'd planned on. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have to concur with JG, they're just not the things you planned on doing. It's sad to hear about the death of the other baby bird, but that's birds for you. (So I've been informed multiple times by a friend who takes them in on a regular basis.)
ReplyDeleteIt does look like an amazing little bird, though. We found a sparrow a week or so back, but the poor thing was injured and in no wise as calm as this little fellow.