Day 1..Two Grackles attacked one of the cats..I laughed my ass off. I hate Grackles, but, I also hate that cat. Then they attacked Lissa on her swing set. It pissed me off. While I was cussing them, I looked down. Ohhhhhh.A baby Grackle on the ground. The nest is too high to reach. I made him a box nest and put it in the tree. There. I did my good deed for the day. I'm done. Right?
Wrong. He's dumb and thinks he can fly so he climbs out. Lands on his head and flaps. 7 cats move in for the kill. I grab him and put him back. This goes on all day.
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Day 2..Same thing, all day long, exept now I realize he won't stop climbing and he is no where near flying. He still has pin feathers in his wings. He likes perching. So, I put him on a branch under the tree canopy and watch with binocs. He has two parents, they feed him sporadically, but, pay more attention to their precious nest. I keep picking him up..the cats keep watch.
Day 2..Same thing, all day long, exept now I realize he won't stop climbing and he is no where near flying. He still has pin feathers in his wings. He likes perching. So, I put him on a branch under the tree canopy and watch with binocs. He has two parents, they feed him sporadically, but, pay more attention to their precious nest. I keep picking him up..the cats keep watch.
Oh, no. He imprints on me. Now he thinks I'm a parent bird. He squawks when he sees me, begs for food, tries to follow me. When the sun goes down, he settles in. I check on him with a flashlight at midnight.
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Day 3..Parents are mostly ignoring him. One feeding today. Pisses me off..so I dig worms and one grub and throw up in my mouth while I shove them down his throat. It's raining..he's okay on the limb as long as it doesn't storm. Dark clouds move in, raining for real now. Sigh. I move him to a pot of scraggly petunias under the porch. And dig more worms..eww. Why is it that a baby dumb thing looks twice as innocent as a regular baby thing? It's a contest now, between me and the cats. Anyone want a pet Grackle?
Day 3..Parents are mostly ignoring him. One feeding today. Pisses me off..so I dig worms and one grub and throw up in my mouth while I shove them down his throat. It's raining..he's okay on the limb as long as it doesn't storm. Dark clouds move in, raining for real now. Sigh. I move him to a pot of scraggly petunias under the porch. And dig more worms..eww. Why is it that a baby dumb thing looks twice as innocent as a regular baby thing? It's a contest now, between me and the cats. Anyone want a pet Grackle?
14 comments:
aw.....how sweet!
We had a baby robin in our yard last week, exact same scenerio. We would leave him dishes of water, that was when it was 100 degrees out. He kept hopping all over the farm yard! His parents were dive bombing us all week. The pups wanted to play with him, which would have killed him! We saw him picking & eating all along and his parents were never far off. Then we stopped seeing him. I do't wanna know what happened to him :(. But then last Friday a big robin landed on my husbands truck while he was standing there and it started "talking" to him. We think he was thanking him for taking care of the baby. He wasn't afraid or mean, just so sweet & talking. So, y'day I see this newish bird up by where the baby used to hang out, scarred up a bit. It had a worm. I talked to it, it didnt fly away and walked & hopped all over just like the baby did. I think it was the baby but now able to fly! Hooray!!! I was so happy and told it so! Good to see you Mr Robin! Grackles will eat all your little sprouts from your garden. Snip-Snip away! & no garden. I do not like them. They get so big and vicious.
rox
He managed to fly about 8 feet a bit ago. Then he crashed. If I can keep him out of harms way for another day or two, he'll make it.
Grackles don't bother my garden..but, they shit out mulberries on my clean laundry. OMG, they piss me off.
Hate Grackles but love what you're doing. I'd be compelled to do the same thing in your place.
Pat is a good egg! I will say that again and again.
Speaking of Boobies..Anybody watch Kate plus 8 last night. I dont have any desire but just wondered what you thought if you did.
Heidi ~ I had no desire either, then I saw the promos --- gag me. "15 minutes " has a recap of the show. I watched HGTV and Food Network. They were more interesting than Kate squacking like a chicken. "Z on TV" might have a recap, too.
Pat, you are a good soul. Feeding him worms and going out there at midnight with a flashlight to make sure he's alright... You are OK, more than OK, not that we did not know this already... Really sweet post.
I love him and I will take him off of your hands
literally !
Kiki
:)
What a sweet person you are to take such good care of a little guy like this. It would be easy to look the other way and let nature (the cats) take its course and he would be gone in an instant. Instead you are mothering him, and giving him the only chance he will ever get, to survive. That's such a sweet mental image----you going out there at night to check on him with a flashlight. You do have a heart of gold.
aw - that really is very sweet and kind of you.
He's still alive. And screeching.
So you can be born with shitty parents, even in nature.
No L
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