Thursday, May 13, 2004 Baby bird is very weak and only taking a few bites of food before wearing out. The reserve is about 1½ hour from home (through downtown Pittsburgh) and I question whether she will even survive her trip due to how weak she is. I take the advise from the aviary personnel and return the baby bird as close to the nest as I possibly can. Mother bird wonâ??t return to the nest when I am on the porch, so I leave for about ½ hour. When I returned, baby bird is lifeless on the porch, directly under the nest. I lay her in her cushioned home and bury her in our back yard.
Friday, May 14, 2004, Lynsi finds yet another baby bird on our porch, hopefully just the result of a very hyperactive baby bird, approximately 3 days old. Mom had apparently been feeding this one, as it seemed to look itâ??s age. I had seen a cracked blue egg on Monday, therefore making the assumption that Momma bird had success hatching her eggs three days prior. (I had to figure out the age of this one) Starlings have been nesting there for years, but this is the first time Momma has let any birds get out of her nest.
I researched the net to find that baby starlings will eat canned dog or cat food, high in protein and egg yolks. Both must be soaked in water before feeding, to keep the birds from getting dehydrated. The thought of cutting up earthworms and feeding them to our new family addition seemed extreme, although I admit doing it one morning at 6:00am, before the rest of the winged community was finding food for their young.
Although, our little bird, now named Zazu, seemed to like the worm, it was hard to keep the slimy worm on the small utensil we were using as her baby spoon. She gobbled up everything in sight, so she didnâ??t care about her diet, just that her belly was getting full. She squawks constantly for food, especially when she hears our voices. Her eyes are closed and it is a battle trying feed her moving mouth. We cover her up with an old rag at midnight, and hope she sleeps well in her new environment. She survives her first night. She is strong after 6 hours of no food, while we slept.
Saturday, May 15, 2004 Zazu awakes mouth wide open. Actually her beak is huge, as I believe that her beak probably doesnâ??t grow, which makes it look disproportioned to her tiny pink body. Her head seems to be too heavy for her to lift at times and she rolls around quite a bit. We question if she got injured when she fell 7 feet from her nest onto the concrete porch. Her feathers are starting to grow on her wings, but barely recognizable.
We have her in a shoe box for the time being, using torn up paper towels as a cushion. She moves around her new room all the time, squawking at our slightest movements. Lynsi gently picks her up and cradles her when she feeds her, however, she gets cleaned and just food when it is my turn to feed her. We have turned on a light with a 60 watt bulb close to her (about 12 inches from her box), because we have seen her shiver. The rag is still over her and we only remove the rag during feeding time. So far, so good. Tomorrow, according to the website on starlings, she should start to open her eyes.
Sunday, May 16, 2004, Zazu awakes with plenty of energy and you can see the slits in her eyes opening. She is starving for food and quickly gets satisfied. Thank goodness they say you canâ??t overfeed these little things, because she is a hog. We have made quite a dent in the dog food can. We have stopped feeding her egg, because we thought it would spoil if kept too long. We must find a babysitter for Zazu tomorrow as Lynsi and I are both in school all day. We feed Zazu her midnight snack and cover her up for the night. Light is left on for warmth.
Monday, May 17, 2004 Janet (my cousin) happily takes the challenge of babysitting and I donâ??t worry about Zazu, but find I canâ??t wait until class is over to go pick up my baby. Janet tells us that the dog food we are feeding might be spoiled after 2 days being opened. We throw out that one and we open a new beef and liver flavored can. Zazuâ??s eyes are fully opened, but still donâ??t know if she can see us clearly. She can hear us very well and is still squawking at us entering the room. We have been keeping the air conditioning off in the room, sacrificing our comfort for the life of this baby bird. She is getting more active in this little box, and I feel we have to come up with something more protective if she should happen to start using those strong legs and begin jumping. The box and light are sitting on a table about 3 feet from the wood floor. Perhaps a larger box would suffice. She seems to enjoy her new flavor of food, although she never really spit out the other flavor. She is still quite the pig. We donâ??t have a feeding schedule; we seem to just spoil her by feeding her as she begs. Nighttime gets easier, as she begins to get the routine down pat. Bedtime at midnight, breakfast served at 6:00am.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004, Zazu awakes anxiously for breakfast, as I poured warm water in a dish and took the dog food out of the fridge. I was hoping the cold food dipped in the warm water would make a nice temperature for her. She didnâ??t care; she about swallowed my spoon as I rapidly tried to quiet her down with food. She is starting to turn from pink to a light gray, as you can see signs of feathers. I had to work today and Lynsi had school. I usually work until 1:30 and Lynsi goes to school until 3:00. We had to have a plan, to keep her alive. Although she can go 6 hours at night without eating, I know Momma birds are constantly feeding their young during the day. I had agreed that Lynsi could go to school and take a required test, and call me at work to come get her for she was going to be â??sickâ??. This worked out okay because the man at my office that gives me my work was on vacation, so I was able to leave there at 11:30 and rush home to feed Zazu.
When I walked in the door, she was extremely upset and hungry. I got Lynsiâ??s â??sickâ?? call and went up to the school to pick her up. She and I took care of Zazu for the rest of the evening. Zazu has pooped all over her box. We will be looking for a new home for her shortly. She is starting to move around her box and getting under the paper towels. This isnâ??t getting support for her feet and I think she gets upset when her legs get sprawled out. Putting sticks and twigs in there seems to be the answer for her grasping problem, but would be quite difficult for me to clean up after her.
We had to go shopping for more food, as this was the second day the dog food can was open and we questioned its freshness. This shopping trip had us searching for the small cans and we opted for the small cans of cat food, another suggestion from the website and a variety, I thought, could not hurt. We picked up three cans, beef and liver, beef and chicken, and liver and chicken. At home we chose the beef and chicken and much to my surprise, she spit it out! I tried again. Again, she spit it out! My daughter reminded me that I did choose the one that had â??chickenâ?? in itâ?¦ a bird is a bird, so she informed me. I told her that was nonsense and opened the beef and liver can. She ate it right up. Serves me right for feeding one bird to another. Looks as if the neighborâ??s cat will get a nice treat of Friskies chicken dinners. I have to search for cat or dog food with no chicken.
I called a friend and asked to borrow a bird cage. Zazu is starting to stand up on her legs really well now, and I fear for her safety in the shoe box. Tomorrow I will get her a cage.
We also decided, since Zazu looks to us as her â??Adopted Mothersâ??, we will start calling out her name when we feed her, hoping she will associate her name with food. After we teach her how to fly (which should be interesting), and we call her from our porch, we hope she will be able to hear us and return home to see her Moms. Maybe, she will bring her babies to see us too. Hopeful, but not probable. Fourteen more days until our first flying lesson. Doesnâ??t seem possible that she will look like an adult starling in just two short weeks.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 Zazu awakes hungry again. She seems to like the cat food very well. She notices the spoon as it approaches her and opens her mouth just as wide as possible. She is leaping into the spoon, which tells me her legs are getting stronger by the day. I will be staying home today to care for her. Lynsi gets home from school at 3:00pm and I will leave around 1:30pm to go to work so she will pick up where I left off until I return home at 7:00pm. Before I left for work, I had to figure something out fast. Zazu was slipping like she was on ice skates. I had a great idea. I taped Kotex mini pads to the bottom of the box to keep her legs from slipping. I still tore up the paper towels and laid them down. It seemed to work like a charm.
Zazu didn't like the 2 hours we weren't home, and let Lynsi know it the minute she got off the bus and in the door. I had to run out and get more dog food, because the consistency of the cat food gave her diarrhea. That wasn't fun to clean. Zazu can see the spoon now come down to feed her and is anxiously waiting, mouth wide open. I held her today and she seemed very content. 13 more days until we take her out back for flying lessons.
Thursday, May 20, 2004 Zazu doesn't wake before me, as I sneak in the room to get ready. She must feel the vibration on the floor, because she immediately starts chirping loudly. The dog food is MUCH better for her. I think the cheap dog food from the dollar store is great because it has a lot of fillers that she enjoys as well. I stay home with her until I must leave for work at 12:30. Lynsi gets home at 3:00, so she will pick up where I left off.
Friday, May 21, 2004 Zazu is getting stronger and when she stands, she looks like a real bird. Her feet are usually unbalanced and you can see her struggling to stand still. We put an old towel down on the floor and let her walk around. She loves that. She will walk over to me (not very well though) and climb into my hand when I hold it out. Her chirps are now different, just like a different cry for a baby. If held a certain way, she will flap her wings.
Saturday, May 22, 2004 Zazu is having more "towel time" and she is getting around better today. She goes thru alot of dogfood and alot of paper towels. She likes to sleep in my hands, but I am trying not to get her too used to humans because she shouldn't be dependent on us. She grabs ahold of my fingers, so tomorrow we will teach her to perch.
Sunday, May 23, 2004 Zazu gets her first perching lesson. I grabbed a twig from the back yard and put it in her cage. She was only 2 inches from the bottom of her cage and my hands were close to her. She lost her balance a few times and fell backward. I was there to see she didn't fall or hurt her wings. When she finally perched and balanced, she looked at me and chirped as if to tell me "Mom, lookee at me!" We clapped..LOL She definetely needs more practice. I put some twigs on the bottom of her cage. As she gets better we will put a branch in her cage. We have had her for a little over a week now.
Monday, May 24, 2004 Zazu is losing her "baby" fuzz and getting real feathers. She is still eating very well but doesn't seem to walk well in the cage we have for her. Her feet keep slipping so she looks as if she is doing a split constantly.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004 Zazu was without any food for 3 hours today while I worked. There just wasn't anything I could do this time. She was very upset, but survived. We start putting her cage outside so she could hear the sounds of the other birds. She seemed to enjoy that. Her "Mom" spotted her and did a double take, went up to her nest, I guess to count her young and then just flew away. Zazu is getting ansy in her cage.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004 Zazu is staying longer outside in her cage. I hope she can adapt to the outdoors and that we can spot her and "call" her name when she gets older. Her beak is getting pointy and is turning black. She is charcoal grey right now.
Thursday, May 27, 2004 We are going away for the weekend camping. Zazu is making the trip with us.
Friday, May 28, 2004 Zazu goes camping with us. We take her out of her cage and she flew about 5 feet. I didn't want her to fly away, so back in the cage she went. She did well up at camp. She stayed in the camper for the most part. Our hosts thought we were crazy bringing her but she was no trouble at all. Except when she needed her 7:00am feedings.
Sunday, May 30, 2004 Zazu has been climbing up the side of the cage. More like flying up the side of the cage. We took her outside as soon as we pulled in our driveway. I tossed her to my daughter who stood a few feet from me, but much to my surprise, Zazu flew up to the top of our huge apple tree!!! She was sqawking and I found her on the ground. I really wasn't expecting such a flight. I put her down on the ground and started digging her some worms. She cocked her head as if to see them, but just opened her mouth expecting them to jump in, I guess. It was quite comical.
We stayed outside a few hours, and she flew a short distance a few times. I had to go fetch her quite a bit, but can tell she really likes the freedom. She was sitting in the middle of our yard, when she darted off, flying into the neighbor's yard, which is abandoned and weeded. I really couldn't go in there and get her. I felt she had to fend for herself from now on. I called out her name and heard a squawking noise from inside the yard. I spotted her moving around on the ground and sat down next to the high grass. I kept calling out her name and pretty soon she spotted me and that feathered butt shook and darted into my lap.
That is when I called it quits and put her back into her cage. Her flying lessons ended for the day.
Monday, May 31,2004 Zazu went back outside in her cage. I checked some information and found out that she really shouldn't be outside flying until she learns to eat on her own. Just opening her mouth hoping for something to fly in it won't cut it. I bought some dried fruit and nuts and put them in the food processor. I put some on the bottom of her cage and mixed some in her dog food. Hopefully she will figure out how to eat soon on her own. I noticed her sisters and brothers are gone from their nest, but their mom is with them to protect them.
I also put a dish of water in her cage, but she doesn't do anything with it but walk in it. Her right leg is not normal. I don't know if it is just because she is still a baby, or if it is an injury from flight, or a birth defect. This could be the reason she was found in the first place. It doesn't make her move any slower so I am hoping she will be a perfectly healthy adult bird. Her diet now consists of ants that I find crawling outside. She does seem to pick those up and eat them. I have to step on them first, because they are much faster than she is.
I am looking into finding a birdhouse and feeder that I can continue to keep food out for her even after she flies away. I want her to be able to get food at any time. I know eventually she won't need me for that, but you know us Moms... we have to take care of our babies.
Tuesday, June 1, 2004 Zazu was put in basement out of her cage. She flew to the back of the couch and fell asleep. I thought she would enjoy her freedom more. We put a tray of nuts and fruits in her cage, but not sure if she is eating them or just spreading them around in her cage. She is still begging for the dog food by hand. We mixed the fruit and nuts in with the dogfood. She will still eat the creepy crawling insects if I catch them for her. I put her in a little water today. She didn't seem to like that very much, but I tried it anyway.
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 I have been taking Zazu outside in her cage for the majority of the days. Today, another starling paid her a visit next to her cage. Don't know what they were saying to one another, probably figuring out how to get that poor baby out of jail. Zazu is really upset she is in her cage. She flies to the top and hops back down all day. If she could eat on her own, I would introduce her to the outside world, but as long as she needs handfed, she must stay couped up.
Thursday, June 3, 2004 I took Zazu out of her cage in the dining room. Had to make sure all the ceiling fans were turned off. That could be disasterous... ouch.. She sat in the middle of the table on some old rags and fell asleep. She stayed there for about 1/2 hour while I cleaned her entire cage out. When she woke she flew up to the top of my curtain rod but fell to the floor. She just isn't getting this down pat yet. I picked her up and put her back in her nice clean cage.
Friday, June 4, 2004 I took Zazu out of her cage again to tidy up. I gave her a saucer of water and she start drinking it up. Yikes... I probably should have introduced that to her a few days ago. I put one in her cage now, but know she will destroy that cage. As much as I like that bird, I know she is wild and I am very willing to let her go at any time. I just want her to be ready to go on her own.
Saturday, June 5, 2004 It is much too cool outside to keep Zazu outside. She is inside talking constantly. Only in bird language. When she sees me she squawks louder. Don't know what she is trying to tell me. I see her sitting in her water dish, but probably by accident or lack of room in her cage. Still haven't actually seen her eating from the dish. Still begging for food from us. Tonight we have a wedding to attend, so we will feed her before we go and pray that she can learn to nibble at those nuts and fruits in her cage. She will go without a hand feeding for at least 5 hours. I might try putting towels over her cage and have her think it is night time.
Zazu did well for the 5 hours we attended a wedding. She didn't like the fact we left her without her hand feedings during that time, but she survived.
Tuesday, June 8, 2004 I took Zazu to the "babysitters" so we can enjoy an entire day at a locul amusement park with our family. The sitter has a huge Cockatiel worth over $1,000 and she is definetly a bird person. She immediately told me I should have a perch in the cage so Zazu doesn't have to climb the cage bars.
When I went to pick up Zazu from the baby sitters, she informed me that Zazu was too tame to let go out into the wild. I have tried really hard NOT to tame her, as my intentions for her care was to release her. I was puzzled, because the only time we handle Zazu is to remove her from her cage to clean it. And even those times, she flies out on her own.
The babysitter then procedes to remove Zazu from her cage and snuggle her up to her face. I was shocked at Zazu as she snuggled back and chirping happily. NOW I knew Zazu was not meant to be left to fend for herself in the nasty dangers of my backyard. I felt bad, but I can't keep her and told the babysitter that. She told me she would keep her. That was it. I turned over custody of Zazu, then 4 weeks old, to the babysitter.
I went to take the rest of the food I had made for her to the babysitter. I took some dried fruits and nuts and put them in the food processor and mixed them with the dog food. I had no need for the food mixture now and was happily willing to give it to Zazu's new mom. When I arrived, She had cleaned out the cage I had (it was borrowed and needed returned) and had Zazu a brand new cage, equipped with mirrors, bells, a birdbath and 3 perches. I went up to Zazu and said her name, however her new "mom" was on the other side of her cage, and I swear Zazu snubbed me!!
Zazu was in her glory. Safe and sound in a wonderful new environment. I do get to "babysit" her when her new mom goes to Texas the end of July. I can't wait to have her back temporarily.
I am extremely sorry for all who was hoping to get some insight in instructions on how to set one of those baby birds free. I noticed that even at 5 weeks old, a mother starling (possibly Zazu's mom) was showing her baby how to peck at the ground, but she was still dropping food into the baby's mouth. I have a new insight on these birds after raising Zazu. My thoughts on this whole thing would be that it is extremely hard to raise one of these birds and push them outside. Maybe because the attachment you have for the bird, or the attachment the bird has for you, the only mom it knew.
I would definitely try to find a bird aviary or wildlife reserve who can set these birds free. But after living here 8 years, and never having to experience this before, I hope I don't find another bird on my porch for a long time.
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