| Wild Birdies (sorta OT) - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| jmcquown |
Hi all! I just got back from a trip to Lenexa/Prairie Village, Kansas USA.
Was working an outdoor art show there. Thought you might enjoy this little
story.
We set up on Friday, 6/4 in a small, very quaint old-town shopping center.
The booth/tent was facing the sidewalk of shops and we were directly in
front of the Tower Dry Cleaners. Well, up in the R of 'Tower" was a common
brown sparrow nest with 2 just about to fledge little ones. We watched for
2 days as Mama bird came and fed them. Daddy was around too, but he mostly
just loafed and ate the food for himself :)
Sunday morning we got there early to open things up. Hmmm, where are the
babies? Daddy bird is going into the nest, stuffing tissue and fluff in
there. But no sign of the babies.
Wait a second! There they are, on the sidewalk! I called to John, who was
touching up a painting at the back of the booth. John! The babies are out
of the nest!
He came and looked. They were huddled in a corner wall next to the Hallmark
shop. Mama bird kept flying down to feed them and ostensibly to show them
how to fly into the tree behind where we were sitting.
I nicknamed the fledglings Frick and Frack. Frick was a real pill and kept
waddling off, trying to get into trouble. When she wandered down towards a
sidewalk cafe I was terrified she'd be stepped on if she got under the
tables. So I went over and 'herded' her back to her sister. Someone called
out "You're a bird herder!" :) Yeah, I guess I was. Frick was able to fly
a little; about 5 feet but not far off the ground. Frack was the slow
learner. I kept those little devils out of trouble all day. Kept away the
kids that wanted to poke or prod at them. Pointed them out to more polite
people with well behaved kids who were just in awe. More than once I had to
'herd' Frick back and Frack would follow sometimes. But Frack was smaller
and more shy. All the while Mama bird was coming around and I think she
knew I was protecting her babies. She wouldn't come close if others were ar
ound but if it was just me, she'd fly up and feed them and do the "this is
how you do it" flight demonstration.
I have no idea what happened to the little ones. When we packed up the
artwork and the booth on Sunday evening, they were still sitting by the wall
on the sidewalk with Mama bird still coming down. Sadly, we had to leave.
I'll always wonder if they ever made it to the tree or back to the 'R' nest.
Wish I'd had a camera. I never do when I run across stuff like this.
Jill
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