Broken hearted and a nervous wreck

[Nik]

Yesterday we had a brief but giant storm and I did not think much of it other than to marvel at how impressive and strange it was (90 degree weather).

But today when I took the dogs out I found a broken egg beneath our robin nest. And my heart hurt. I tossed the egg over the fence after determining the weird goo inside couldnt possibly be alive. (I didnt want the dogs eating or messing with it.





I couldnt stop thinking of that bright blue egg and its contents and wanted to be sure there werent more lying about my yard so I hunted around and the dogs kept sniffing at what i thought was leaked goo from the egg.... only i discovered a baby bird lying on the ground looking beat up bruised and with a little bloody spot. I told the dogs to go upstairs and for once they obeyed instantly. They never touched that little bird which I am so proud of.



And then I saw his little chest moving up and down and him attempting to move. He was very much alive. I panicked not knowing what to do or how to help. I had no ladder and i am way too short with my step stool or a chair.

Then I remembered a neighbor has chickens. I ran down the street to get help from that neighbor. The wife was home with her kids and her sister and the whole lot of them came over. She ran back to the house to get a ladder and using a tissue put the bird back in the nest. There were no other eggs or babies in there.

During all of this I found the remnants of another baby. This one was very broken and dead.

So I have one baby back in its nest. I am praying my robin returns. I am praying the baby makes it.

And I am so so heart broken. I have been watching our robin pair since they started building that nest. They were such good parents guarding that nest faithfully and I was so delighted and happy.



This was a huge tragedy that I am feeling deeply. Husband left for california saturday and if not for our kind neighbors I dont know what I would have done. The robin got used to us over time and stopped being scared and defensive around us. I thought of them as our robins and our babies.







I just want that baby to make it so badly.

 

[Sheila Braund]

Yesterday we had a brief but giant storm and I did not think much of it other than to marvel at how impressive and strange it was (90 degree weather).

But today when I took the dogs out I found a broken egg beneath our robin nest. And my heart hurt. I tossed the egg over the fence after determining the weird goo inside couldnt possibly be alive. (I didnt want the dogs eating or messing with it.
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I couldnt stop thinking of that bright blue egg and its contents and wanted to be sure there werent more lying about my yard so I hunted around and the dogs kept sniffing at what i thought was leaked goo from the egg.... only i discovered a baby bird lying on the ground looking beat up bruised and with a little bloody spot. I told the dogs to go upstairs and for once they obeyed instantly. They never touched that little bird which I am so proud of.

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And then I saw his little chest moving up and down and him attempting to move. He was very much alive. I panicked not knowing what to do or how to help. I had no ladder and i am way too short with my step stool or a chair.

Then I remembered a neighbor has chickens. I ran down the street to get help from that neighbor. The wife was home with her kids and her sister and the whole lot of them came over. She ran back to the house to get a ladder and using a tissue put the bird back in the nest. There were no other eggs or babies in there.

During all of this I found the remnants of another baby. This one was very broken and dead.

So I have one baby back in its nest. I am praying my robin returns. I am praying the baby makes it.

And I am so so heart broken. I have been watching our robin pair since they started building that nest. They were such good parents guarding that nest faithfully and I was so delighted and happy.

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This was a huge tragedy that I am feeling deeply. Husband left for california saturday and if not for our kind neighbors I dont know what I would have done. The robin got used to us over time and stopped being scared and defensive around us. I thought of them as our robins and our babies.

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I just want that baby to make it so badly.

You're such a softy Nik, not saying that bad.....I do hope your robin friend makes it. I would be very surprised if it does....I'm surprised it was still alive and didn't die of hypothermia....who knows maybe the parents kept it warm on the ground.... time will tell. Wishing your new robin friend all the best

 

[Nik]

You're such a softy Nik, not saying that bad.....I do hope your robin friend makes it. I would be very surprised if it does....I'm surprised it was still alive and didn't die of hypothermia....who knows maybe the parents kept it warm on the ground.... time will tell. Wishing your new robin friend all the best

I am assuming they all fell out in the storm but I have no idea how this one possibly could have made it over night and no idea how it would have fallen out today with no storm. I also don 't know how he survived a fall that killed the others. The blood worries me, the bruising worries me and him not crying for help or food worries me. But if he somehow survived the night maybe he can make it now that he is back in the nest.

I did end up calling some wildlife services having felt like I really didn't do enough at all. Nobody answered the phone and the two that did said they couldn't help. If the parents can't save it I don't know what else I can do short of going to the feed store and getting an incubator and trying to feed and care for it myself.

 

[Boxergirl]

Nik, just keep watching. It's great that you got it back in the nest. It's a wive's tale that birds won't touch a baby after humans have touched it. A baby that size would be difficult to rehab, but not necessarily impossible. You are right about the bruising and the blood. That's not good. If you want to try, I can give you some tips but you should know that baby isn't likely to make it, but I totally understand if you feel the need to try.

 

[Sheila Braund]

Oh and Nik I should have added....I would have done the same thing. Nature is harsh....but every once in a while she is gentle....really hope it works out for the robin family.

 

[Boxergirl]

Nik, any news?

 

[April Nicole]

Aww... I'm so sorry Nik. Poor thing didn't quite look ready to be hatched. I hope it makes it.

 

[Nik]

I have not seen the robin come back to the nest. I am not holding out much hope. I was very sad last night and basically just laid in bed hugging Diesel, drinking tea, eating junk food and watched a terrible romantic comedy.

One wildlife center finally did call me back. They told me that I had done the right thing but not to hold out too much hope. They said that there was a good chance the robin would return because they are excellent parents but with the baby injured not so much hope it would make it even so but that it is early enough in the season that if the baby doesn't make it she would lay more eggs since that baby was the only survivor. I asked if I would need to remove the dead baby from the nest if that is what happens and she said no that the mom would throw it out herself and that predators would likely take care of it after that.

The robin still wasn't there this morning and Diesel was acting extra weird in the yard this morning. I did check to see if the baby had been thrown out again and found no sign of it. Diesel kept going to where the baby had been on the ground sniffing and then nudged me and ran to this bush clear across the yard, crawled under the bush and didn't want to come out. When I finally got him upstairs I tried to give him a cookie which he refused (never happens). And now he keeps interrupting my work to try to jump into my lap while stress panting. Oh and he is shaking as well. He is clearly trying to get me to go outside and look under that bush. I am not crawling under that bush to see if I can find more nests, eggs, baby birds, baby bird parts, etc. I am hoping he calms down soon and lets this go. I could use a calm productive day today as I still feel fragile from yesterday but I have a big conference to prep for at work so I can't afford to give myself more sad or stressed time today.

 

[Nik]

okay so after typing my update I felt bad for refusing to listen to Diesel and looking in the bush. Selfish. So I went out and looked. I even poked my head under as well as I could. I couldn't see anything for his panic but it seemed to make him feel better. He is less panicky now that I went and looked with him. He is still a little anxious but no longer shaking and seems much more settled. I did hear a ton of birds in there so perhaps there is a nest in the bush but nothing has fallen out of it. That would be a nice thing.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

Diesel really feels your distress, Nik. He wants to make you feel good. Perhaps because the little bird disturbed you so much, he dragged you to the bush to find you some other birds to make you happy.

We had a similar circumstance this week when Bailey stuck her nose in some black stuff on a lawn we were passing and came up startled. I thought, "Oh great, she's trying to smell poop again." But, I looked closer because of her strange reaction and there in the grass, curled up was a little baby squirrel...the size of the palm of my hand. It's eyes were still closed. At first I thought it was dead, but as we looked, it's little chest rose and the little legs quivered. Both my friend and I looked around for the nest and spotted one high up in a clump of birch trees. And like you, we couldn't reach it (probably not even with an extension ladder.) We couldn't leave it there so my friend scooped it up and put it under her jacket. The little creature climbed up into a warm and dark spot and clung to her...trying to nurse. Poor Thing!

 

[Bailey's Mom]

Half of my post didn't print:

We got puppy replacement formula, and heavy cream and I found a medicine measuring device and a 1 mm needle to give to Lisa. She took on the role of mother. I took on the role of obnoxious, pacing, anxious neighbour. But little "Blackjack" (black squirrel) took to Lisa and the eye dropper and nursed away. Precious baby. Finally, one of the rescues called back, BUT, insisted that we return to squirrel to where we found it and wait for two hours to see if the mother returned. We tried that, not a squirrel anywhere for 1.25 hours. I couldn't take it and caved. Lisa took the little squirrel back under her shirt where he shivered and snuggled close. The rescue said they would take him, and on Saturday, Lisa drove to St. Thomas and surrendered him. She Bawled Her Eyes Out! Such a mommy!

One little creature gets a chance at life...a small miracle!

 

[April Nicole]

Half of my post didn't print:

We got puppy replacement formula, and heavy cream and I found a medicine measuring device and a 1 mm needle to give to Lisa. She took on the role of mother. I took on the role of obnoxious, pacing, anxious neighbour. But little "Blackjack" (black squirrel) took to Lisa and the eye dropper and nursed away. Precious baby. Finally, one of the rescues called back, BUT, insisted that we return to squirrel to where we found it and wait for two hours to see if the mother returned. We tried that, not a squirrel anywhere for 1.25 hours. I couldn't take it and caved. Lisa took the little squirrel back under her shirt where he shivered and snuggled close. The rescue said they would take him, and on Saturday, Lisa drove to St. Thomas and surrendered him. She Bawled Her Eyes Out! Such a mommy!

One little creature gets a chance at life...a small miracle!

Aww.. I bet little Blackjack is so grateful that y'all happened to find him. Yay for Bailey and her awesome nose! And how great of you and Lisa to take him in. I bet it was so hard to surrender him. But it was the right thing to do.

 

[Nik]

Half of my post didn't print:

We got puppy replacement formula, and heavy cream and I found a medicine measuring device and a 1 mm needle to give to Lisa. She took on the role of mother. I took on the role of obnoxious, pacing, anxious neighbour. But little "Blackjack" (black squirrel) took to Lisa and the eye dropper and nursed away. Precious baby. Finally, one of the rescues called back, BUT, insisted that we return to squirrel to where we found it and wait for two hours to see if the mother returned. We tried that, not a squirrel anywhere for 1.25 hours. I couldn't take it and caved. Lisa took the little squirrel back under her shirt where he shivered and snuggled close. The rescue said they would take him, and on Saturday, Lisa drove to St. Thomas and surrendered him. She Bawled Her Eyes Out! Such a mommy!

One little creature gets a chance at life...a small miracle!

That makes me so happy that you and your friend were able to save that little squirrel. <3

 

[Nik]

I still haven't seen the robin in the nest again. But, when I just went down for a potty break. and walked under the tree to check once more I heard a bird fly out in a rush of wings... Didn't get a glimpse so I don't know.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

Sweety, this gives our life meaning...loving all God's creatures. I love them all, but I fear a few...Bears...Moose...Wolves...Coyotes. God gave me a sense of self preservation, and some critters, I won't take home and nurse better.

Recently at work, one of my co-workers told me that there was a dead baby bird nearby. I took a bag and picked the little one up. The father was walking back and forth above "screaming"... I can only call it "screaming." I rolled the little bulged-eyed featherless form back and forth gently, looking for some sign of life. There was none. My heart was broken. So, Nik, I know the feeling of pain...of failing to rescue some small, innocent, creature. No matter what it had taken, if it had been alive, I would have tried to replace it in its nest...but there was no life. The father paced and screamed above...his child was gone.... I wrapped the little one up and disposed of its body. I think that settled the male down. I never saw the female...probably guarding what was left of her brood.

Life is crazy. A human father grieves the loss of his child...and as I have seen, a small sparrow cries and cries for the loss of his featherless baby bird. I felt his pain.

 

[Boxergirl]

Nik, you did your best. Returning to the nest is always the best option.

I try my hardest to not rehab baby birds anymore. Of course I would never say no just to spare my own heart, but I do try to stick with mammals only. Birds are so delicate, and I'm not that confident with them. That being said, I did have a visitor for several hours last week. He required heating and syringe feeding every fifteen minutes. Baby had already imprinted on his caregiver, so he didn't want to eat for me, lol.


I'm much more comfortable with small mammals. This guy has been in my basement for about three weeks now. We found him in the back yard on an extremely hot day. No other babies around. I have no idea how he got separated from his family. He was dehydrated and not doing well at all. Luckily #2 daughter was able to give him sub Q fluids. He's properly nasty now, lol, just as a baby opossum should be. I'm looking forward to releasing him. We opted to not take him to the local facility because we disagree with how release is handled. His name is Popsicle. I hope he makes you smile.

 

[Nik]

Nik, you did your best. Returning to the nest is always the best option.

I try my hardest to not rehab baby birds anymore. Of course I would never say no just to spare my own heart, but I do try to stick with mammals only. Birds are so delicate, and I'm not that confident with them. That being said, I did have a visitor for several hours last week. He required heating and syringe feeding every fifteen minutes. Baby had already imprinted on his caregiver, so he didn't want to eat for me, lol.
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I'm much more comfortable with small mammals. This guy has been in my basement for about three weeks now. We found him in the back yard on an extremely hot day. No other babies around. I have no idea how he got separated from his family. He was dehydrated and not doing well at all. Luckily #2 daughter was able to give him sub Q fluids. He's properly nasty now, lol, just as a baby opossum should be. I'm looking forward to releasing him. We opted to not take him to the local facility because we disagree with how release is handled. His name is Popsicle. I hope he makes you smile.
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I love popsicle! I completely understand feeling more comfortable with mammals. A newborn kitten I can handle. That baby bird was terrifying.

 

[April Nicole]

Nik, you did your best. Returning to the nest is always the best option.

I try my hardest to not rehab baby birds anymore. Of course I would never say no just to spare my own heart, but I do try to stick with mammals only. Birds are so delicate, and I'm not that confident with them. That being said, I did have a visitor for several hours last week. He required heating and syringe feeding every fifteen minutes. Baby had already imprinted on his caregiver, so he didn't want to eat for me, lol.
View attachment 61010

I'm much more comfortable with small mammals. This guy has been in my basement for about three weeks now. We found him in the back yard on an extremely hot day. No other babies around. I have no idea how he got separated from his family. He was dehydrated and not doing well at all. Luckily #2 daughter was able to give him sub Q fluids. He's properly nasty now, lol, just as a baby opossum should be. I'm looking forward to releasing him. We opted to not take him to the local facility because we disagree with how release is handled. His name is Popsicle. I hope he makes you smile.
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Popsicle is a cutie!

 

[Jarena]

I also have a weakness when it comes to trying to save animals. About 8 years ago I found a baby abandoned squirrel in my back yard. So I took her in and researched what to do. I had her for two days feeding her and learned how to stimulate her bladder. Then I decided it would be best to find a wild life rehabilitator. I cried for the rest of the day. I get attached too easily, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to release her into the wild if I bonded with her any longer. I’m glad I surrendered her, she’s wild now. She liked to snuggle in my hair under my hoodie.

 

[April Nicole]

I also have a weakness when it comes to trying to save animals. About 8 years ago I found a baby abandoned squirrel in my back yard. So I took her in and researched what to do. I had her for two days feeding her and learned how to stimulate her bladder. Then I decided it would be best to find a wild life rehabilitator. I cried for the rest of the day. I get attached too easily, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to release her into the wild if I bonded with her any longer. I’m glad I surrendered her, she’s wild now. She liked to snuggle in my hair under my hoodie. View attachment 61017 View attachment 61018 View attachment 61019

She is too cute! What did you name her?