SO FAR, SO GOOD

The baby bird seems to be holding his own. I'm calling him "Twigs", because everything that has been rescued around here must have a name. I won't attempt to tame Twigs nor make a pet of him. He's a wild thing who will gain his freedom as soon as I'm sure he can fly and find food on his own. That might be a tall task but I was able to successfully raise an orphaned robin nestling (no feathers at first) and that gave me a bit of confidence I could raise this little one. Twigs has more going for him than Cheepers, the robin, had in the beginning. Twigs is a fledging. He has feathers and can walk, hop, and flap his wings. He's much smaller than the robin was when I found him, but maybe Twigs is a sparrow, I don't know for sure. I do know he eats heartily and has a very loud chirp. Those things are in his favor. He looks and sounds healthy so I continue to assume he will survive. I fed him every hour for the first 24, and now he's becoming accustomed to every-two-hour feedings. If his chirps sound frantic, I feed him on demand until he stops holding open his mouth. I took him outdoors today and let him sit in the grass. He flapped his wings but didn't try to fly. I provided a small shallow pan of water to see if he'd splash around in it, but he hopped out of it and sought sanctuary in the shadow of his carrier. Birds need Vitamin D so I'll be taking him out in the sun for short intervals every day. I'm not an expert on birds or their babies - not even close - but I search for information online and do the best I can to provide them with the needed shelter and nourishment. Some years ago I rehabilitated a pigeon that had been injured in traffic and he not only survived but completely recovered to fly again. There must reasons these animals and I have crossed paths. I may never learn what the reasons are, but there's much satisfaction in helping living things survive and thrive so I'll continue to do what I can to help them.