Garden

[Sadiesadie]

@SeaMaiden : Boy, do I know how you feel even though it was an accident.

Yesterday about 5pm I was out back doing a bit of watering. Debris had blown into the bird's water bowl so I sprayed it and suddenly see something crawling out. Omg it was a fledgling hummer. Tiny little thing. He was drenched. I held him in my hand to dry off and to keep warm hoping he wouldn’t die.

I assume he accidentally landed there. Held him for quite a while before he seemed to be coming to but then no clue what to do. I couldn’t feed him. 

After a while mama was buzzing around looking for him. I wasn’t sure he could fly couldn’t figure out how she’d feed him. I was sure he would starve.

Had my husband quickly call a wild bird store to ask them what to do. By then the little guy was peeping, calling his mama and she’s circling calling out to him.

the man told us to anchor a shallow box as high as we could to the olive tree where we felt the nest was. His mom would take care of him from there. I set him down on the blocks of the planter while honey and I worked on that. He was sitting there peeping and looking so darn cute. Mama still flying around.

i turned around to pick him up and poof, he was gone. He was able to fly after all.

We were so relieved. I could hear her close by but she wasn’t frantic anymore.

It's impossible not to get emotionally involved. While I was holding him I kept telling him to remember me and that I took care of him so when he comes to our feeder to not be afraid of me....you never know🥰

[Annabellethecat66]

@SeaMaiden   Oh!  I'm so sorry.  I understand.  I've read many of your posts and know something like that really bothers a sweet person like yourself.

Once when my girls were young we kept hearing tweets from the chimney.  My late husband managed to get partially up in the chimney and plucked out some bird eggs.

My daughter found a baby bird (so tiny) laying on the ground.  She brought it into the house and we put it in the laundry room.  It grew very quickly (can you imagine the bird poop and mess (Momma gets to clean it).  We named it "Birdie" (original, I know.  Ha).  

Anyway, it got big enough to fly...finally.  We took it on the back unscreened part of the porch.  My husband put it in his hand (kinda like 'fly birdie...fly".  The bird did fly and flew right back (U turn) and landed on his shoulder!

He tried over and over.  Finally, it took off and went over to the house being built next door!  We heard the construction workers laughing and talking about the bird that just sat and looked at them.

When they started the drills, saws, etc.  I guess it scared the bird and it finally flew away!

Over the years I/we have had many encounters with outdoor birds and animals (rabbits, squirrels, etc).  We live in a wooded area of 1 acre lots.

I once had a similar wreath hanging on my front door.  My girls had moved out and my husband had died.  I live here by myself but this was probably the first year after he'd died.

I went to open the front door and a bird flew in!  Scared me to death!  I think he was trying to build a nest in the wreath!

I used a broom to try to usher him back out the front or back door.  I was very calm about it until he kept hitting my flat screen TV (no one/nothing messes with my TV!  Ha!

I finally got him to fly BACK out the front door.  Once I had a bat in the basement where we used to live.  Again, my husband was at work and I was alone.  When he came home he was able to get it out a basement window.  

He would never kill anything.  Snakes, worms, you name it, he always took them to safety.

I'm so sorry you had to experience it.  I'm sorry you feel sadness today.

[Icegoddess]

I always worry about that when I get ready to trim the hollies.  The cardinals like to nest in them as well as some other birds.  I usually don't get to it until mid-May and I get underneath and look around really good for nests.  It's helpful to watch the birds going in and out to get an idea if there's a nest in there.  I had a nest last year on top of the security camera on my front porch.

The wrens are always trying to build a nest in the garage which I discourage becasue I know one of us will forget and close the door all the way if they do buld one.  I bought 2 birdhouses and put one up on the deck railing near the garage and another on the back fence.  A couple of chickadees were checking out the one on the deck several weeks ago, but I think they found another option.  I saw some stuff hanging out of the other one as I was cleaning out the garden, but I haven't seen anything going in and out, so I don't know if it's occupied or not.

[riley1]

@SeaMaiden - Oh, that is so sad. I know how you feel. However, it might still be early enough in the season for the bird to have another clutch which they sometimes do. 

Last year, a Green Heron's nest was raided and all the eggs disappeared. As it was later in the summer, we figured it was too late for her to lay the eggs and raise the young. Boy, did we get surprised - she had another clutch and we watched them grow up and fledge.

[IamMrsG]

@SeaMaiden   I'm sorry you're enduring the angst over this, but it is evidence to your having a good heart.  I hope the advice you got about letting the parents find the broken eggs so that they will start a new nest helps to give you peace soon.

[SeaMaiden]

@IamMrsG @riley1 @Icegoddess @Annabellethecat66 @Sadiesadie  And everyone who wrote such  helpful heart felt  posts

the parents are still outside chirping looking confused....I hope by morning they moved on and hopefully start a new nest🙁

I was not not able to put the eggs out there as was suggested to help the parent birds as they fell on the concrete and broke...

Thankyou for for making me feel a bit less heart broken.  

[Skyegirl21]

Awwwww, so sorry, it is upsetting... Don’t worry. It’s early in the season, they can roost again and have another brood- 

[SeaMaiden]

@Sadiesadie   Such a sweet story!

[JustJazzmom]

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@Puppy Lips wrote:

So sorry that happened to you, and I would feel sad too.

One time years ago, my husband ran over a bunny nest by the garden with the lawn mower.  I think he killed at least one bunny.  I picked up one of the other bunnies in the nest, and people told me that now the mother would leave them because my scent was on that one.  I hope that was not true.  I felt bad about that for a long time.

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That’s is an old wives tale. Bunnies will not reject their offspring if handled by humans. 

[Skyegirl21]

Similarly, Birds do not reject young or eggs or nest if touched by humans! It’s a myth! I literally learned this today, at a local talk on bluebirds. They have nesting boxes at this farm and the environmentalist weekly goes in and check the nest, eggs or fledglings and do any maintenance necessary-