I had to take this poor baby fledgling away from MK (aka Monster Kitty) the other night. He wasn't trying to kill it, but was playing with it on the front lawn. Rather disturbing that our orphan kitty is a potential murderer though. *sighs* I'm wondering if it will take years of rehabilitation for him to mend his wanton, bird hunting ways.

The poor little bird was naturally scared to death. Death being the incentive I was trying to prevent! I did a quick google search to try and find out how to take care of it - or at least what to do. Following the bird rescue advice, I eye-droppered (a blonde word if your wondering *grins*) a combination of of water and sugar down his little beak (called emergency food), brought Kitty in the house, and put the little fledgling out on a rose bush in the back. He wouldn't go back in to the closest tree where I found him.. *sighs*... I'm so at a loss here.

The information online said I should place him as close as possible to where I found him (but who knows where Monster found him). The site info also said it could take 5-15 days for him to be able to fly away.

Well, the next morning when I went out to the back patio to water, I saw the little guy hopping along the outer edge of the bark laid against the back wall of the complex. But, he seemed to be holding one wing in close to his chest and I'm thinking, "damn, the online info said that could be a sign of a broken wing," so I immediately walk through the apartment and around to the back wall to further check out the fledgling.... and I can't find him! He was just there!!

So, I have one of my "Thank You God" moments, wanting to believe the little guy is all right and actually flew away.

No such luck. Two days later Galen found him. Ack! Not alive!! Galen had something in his mouth and I made him drop it, thinking it was a piece of bark. No such luck, it looked like a fried baby bird! I don't know what killed him. If it was our heat (112 at the time), not having his mom to feed him, maybe getting dehydrated (which was another reason I tried to find him... he loved the emergency food)... all I know is I flunked bird rescue and felt totally awful!! *sighs* (ok, I still feel awful. I should have just kept him in that box and taken him to ... some where that knows about birds!)