07 December 2011

CHAPTER SIX


I was standing by the kitchen window yesterday evening when I noticed a tiny thing sitting on the cement floor looking up to where the cage was.

Tiny Tim may have been wondering how he could get back to his adopted nest but from past experience I know he is scared of me because perhaps I hurt him when I caught him.

I asked Hubby to do the honors of catching him this time, a task he performed amazingly without any trouble.   Perhaps he has a more gentle touch with birds.   He seemed to have no difficulty putting the butterfly net over Tiny Tim and lift him back into the cage.   The chick looked exhausted though and I was not sure if he would survive.
It was lovely to know he will be safe for the night at least.   We find so many unfortunate nestlings that died of exposure during the night, after they fell from the nest.

While we were not looking he must have recovered, and out of the cage he went again.
I was looking all over for him and then nearly tramped on him as I walked past his cage.

If he has been hiding in corners all day, I am not sure how much feeding he had.   Because of his stressed state, I decided not to force feed him and started making plans for a nest with higher sides today.   I just hope that Mary will be able to get to him and accept him in the new environment. How much interference will wild birds tolerate?
Suddenly his chances of survival are no longer very good.  If birds stress over a long period them often get ill and die.

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