Thursday, May 21, 2009

What I Did on My First Day of Vacation...By Ellie May

This has been an issue my entire life. God must have given me a scent that attracts hurt, lost, or abandoned animals to my front door and to my husband's dismay, into our home. Da Hubby calls me Ellie May which I suppose if I were feeling defensive I could be offended at. Realistically, it's the truth. I have a very, extreme soft spot for animals.

I can't help it. It just happens. I seriously don't go looking for them. They find me. Lots and lots of them know where I live and deliberately plop themselves into my life.

Personally, I think it's my mom's fault. Although she would NEVER admit it, she has the same tender heart towards critters that I do so it must of been one of those inherited genes thingys. I will admit I am really bad. I bring home anything - snakes, turtles, squirrels, chinchillas, dogs, cats, bunnies, and an occasional opossum or two. I know it's crazy but they just won't leave me alone! And they know I just don't have the heart to leave them! (Oh, wow. I just realized that I am beginning to sound like the crazy lady at the end of the street with all the animals. Really, it's not like that!!! Much.)

Case in point, we found this on our back porch on Monday.


So sad looking isn't it? We think another bird must have stolen the egg from a nest but when it found out it had a baby in it it was dropped. Right on to my back porch. Literally it was minutes old. It's hiney was still attached to the egg. After detaching the egg from the baby, I took it inside and began to figure out how to save the little guy.. how could I have not? Look at it! It was one wiggly, little critter and seemed to have alot of strength so I thought maybe it would have a good chance of surviving.


Things were going just dandily as I was educating myself in the ways of baby sparrows. The site I found said to wrap it up in a soft cloth (Check!), put in a small container (Check!), put on a heating pad (Check!), and place in a quiet room (Check! Well, sort of, except for the sound of the back door slamming as the kids were in and out. And in and out. And in and out.). I was up with this! I could do this - baby sparrows are a breeze!! That's until I went to check on it and it was doing this.



Uh-oh. MAN! And to add to it's tiny patheticness, it was peeping! Aww! So heart wrenching! I had to do something! Well, after researching a bit I found out you can give it some softened dog food. Apparently, it works because she ate it. (That was a whole other ordeal.) I began to think that maybe I could rehabilitate the little guy here at our house and set him free when he got big enough. I had visions of releasing it to the wild to be with it's brothers and sisters. It was a beautiful thought... until I read that you have to feed it every 15-20 minutes, 24 hours a day for 2 days and then every hour to hour and a half for the next 7 days (No wonder mommy birds are so cranky!). Umm. I don't think so. Time to find "Tweety" a new home.

I found this great lady in town that takes in baby birds and does get up and take care of them 24 hours a day, God bless her! So we packed the little birdie up, kept it nice & warm on a heating pad plugged in, and headed to her house. Poor lady - she already had several birds she was helping and I am sure I added to her misery,but she was excited to see how tiny and strong the "hatchling" as she called it was. Poor thing, hadn't had a bath or been to sleep for an hour straight in days. Now THAT is dedication!

Here we are on the way to the nice lady's house all warmed with a heating pad and my footsies (I just love that color toe-nail polish!)

After dropping it off, I walked out of her bird filled home and I felt a huge sense of relief knowing that the little guy was going to have a chance with someone who knew what she was doing, and Da Hubby was breathing a sigh of relief that his wife wasn't going to be occupido taking care of a baby sparrow for the next few weeks.

Sadly, the baby birdie did not make it. She/he/it died the following day. But, I feel good that in its short little life it was comfy, warm, and fed by people who cared about its little existence. I can live with that.

Now I await the next little creature to come a knockin'. I'll be ready with a like I always am. :)

6 comments:

maribeth said...

okay, so this may sound so insensitive, but eewwww!! i, too, have been known to take in whatever random mammal shows up at my door. my poor parents still have a cat i took in when i was 16 and they were on vacation. oops! but we all know i have an abnormal fear of real birds and while the picture with it's little mouth open is slightly adorable, i don't know what is worse-the pictures of a bird with no feathers or the thoughts of the scary bird lady!!! oh, i might pass out or vomit just thinking about her bird filled home. yuck!

Sonya @ Balentine Bliss said...

I thought about you during this whole thing! It wondered what would have happened if it would have landed in your backyard. Made me LOL to think of that! You and your fear of birds and Jen and her fear of fish! You guys crack me up! I don't think I have a fear of animals. Well, maybe with the exception of wasps, but that's only because if I get stung by one I could blow-up and die. :)

Hope you are having a great day!

Anonymous said...

Actually, I've found that a sparrow's diet best consists of: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, or Central Bar-b-q, or blackened talapia or grouper nuggets, followed by a great Rocky Patel 1990 Churchill or Torano Exodus 1959 cigar. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Sonya @ Balentine Bliss said...

I will remember that the next time you show up on my doorstep! :)

jennifer said...

oh. this story is soooo sad. bless it's little heart. it did have a nice life with you though...

Shaydie said...

Bless your heart for taking care of it and comforting it! I'm so sad that it didn't live! I had to call my little girl over and show her the pictures and tell her what happened. Sweet little bird. (Sorry for the posts from a stranger. I can't sleep and am web surfing and I think I got here from I heart faces.)