The fledgling stayed in the nest box all day being coaxed out by his or her parents. At 4:00 it was still peering out. At 4:30 it was on the ground and Lucy was being literally dive-bombed by Papa. She was also being scolded by a set of Goldfinches and a couple House Finches along with Mama from the overhead wire. Poor Lu! She honestly had no idea what was going on and had this "I've been bad?" look on her face. Just as she saw the reason for the alarm and started heading toward the defenseless little bird, I opened the door and screamed "LU!" which immediately diverted her attention and she came happily inside. I noticed that she was not only covered in mud, but a terribly offensive odor. Bath time, I thought. But there was still the issue of the little one out in the yard.
I was able to keep Lucy contained in the laundry room while I headed out to check on the little one. Large dark storm clouds were approaching as were strong winds and I thought to myself that I needed to get the bird tucked in safely before the storm. I picked up the bird and noticed that not only was it a lot drier than before but also feistier. So, I thought, I'd try out the test that rehabbers do with birds (especially raptors) to see if they can fly. While the bird clings to your finger, and keeping that as your only point of contact, you gently move the bird up and down. The bird will do one of three things. It will just sit there meaning it's not anywhere close to flying. It will spread its wings to take hold of the air, but will not release meaning that it's close to being ready to fly. Or it will spread its wings, take hold of the air, release its grip and fly away. Whether or not it gets very far will depend on its condition as well. So, guess which of the three options happened. Number 3! She started off, flying low and I thought she'd touch down, but no, she started to climb and climb and flew as high as tree limbs. I thought s/he was about to alight on a limb, but s/he kept on going, across the road, dodging a fence and landing in the field. I ran to see if I could find the little one, but didn't, so I got back inside just in time before large raindrops started to fall. It was just bliss holding that bird and then seeing her fly free. I can't express how incredibly moving it was, an object of grace flying from ones hand, hope unleashed and all of that.
The rains have eased up a bit, so I am hopeful that the little one is not drenched and has made it into the shelter of limbs with his/her siblings. I saw Papa just now at the feeder grabbing worms, so they must all be together. In a couple of days, we'll know the final tally of fledged birds. I have hope that those wings are strong enough to keep her safe. I'll write more once there is more to write :)
Posted by Elizabeth at April 26, 2005 05:26 PM