I rescued a baby bird from our garage!
By mentalward
@mentalward (14691)
United States
June 8, 2009 11:52am CST
We were working outside yesterday and had the garage door open. Our front door was also open for the fresh air since this past weekend was the first good weekend we've had without rain; actually, the first two days in a row without rain in what seems like months.
Anyway, I was upstairs in the kitchen when I heard a very constant chirping sound coming from downstairs. I thought it was one of my husband's electronic gizmos alerting something or other. (Remember, he's an electronics geek.)
I followed the sound to the garage. As soon as I walked in, the sound stopped. So, I froze. A few seconds later, it resumed. I followed it to the corner. Aha! A baby bird. It's momma was out front, teaching them to fly. I know this because I had just cut the grass earlier and baby birds were running for cover. They obviously have a nest in our big oak tree in the front yard. That may have been how this bird got into the garage: through the front door when the lawn mower scared it. We have a split-level house and when you come in the front door, the stairs are right there: to the left and you go up to the first floor, to the right and you go down to the basement.
Anyway, as garages get, ours has "stuff" against every wall. Some of you know that my Mom died just as we were moving here so I had to bring all of her things here as well and I still have boxes and boxes of stuff to go through, some of which are in the garage.
So, I'm moving things from one end to the other, then back again. This little bird was QUICK! Finally, with help from my husband, we managed to corner the little fella and I scooped him up in a plastic flower pot. (I didn't want to touch him, leaving my scent on him since he still obviously needed his momma.) I took him out front and let him go, where he immediately hopped off towards the woods. I heard him calling for his Mom, and I heard her answer so all was right with the world.
Have you ever had to trap a bird or animal that had accidentally (or intentionally) gotten into your home but didn't want to kill it? I'd LOVE to hear your stories. I'm sure some are quite hilarious. Please share!
4 people like this
13 responses
@pupupd (1515)
• India
8 Jun 09
wow you have done a great job by saving that innocent little bird. There should be more people like you who really care about lives of animals and consider their lives as much important as a human's.
I myself do not have any personal experience in saving animals but would love to read other's stories.
Thanks for sharing!!
2 people like this
@emma412 (1156)
• United States
8 Jun 09
Awww what a cute story! Good for you, for helping this little bird out. I can't even count the times I have helped some helpless animal. When I was a kid I would actually patrol the neighborhood in the spring looking for helpless animals to save. My parents got sick of it pretty quickly as I was always bringing injured ones home!
I don't know why but one time there was an injured squirrel in our back yard. I approached it and it didn't move or make any noise so I decided to pick it up and put it into a box I had brought out with me. Wouldn't you know the darn thing bit right through my finger!
I have helped countless baby birds from similar situations that you described. When they're just learning to fly and get stuck somewhere and just need a little help to get the hang of it.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
9 Jun 09
Good for you! Birds are so sweet, I will always rescue them when I can but haven't had the chance for years. By the way, your scent won't drive the mother off. They found that out a few years ago and the last little guy I rescued proved that to be true.
When I lived in the southwest I was always catching and releasing tarantulas, scorpions and other little critter that wandered into my house. I even found a bull snake in my kitchen once! As you can see, I'm a pushover for wild things and I would never kill them unless they were endangering my children. My boys grew up learning to catch things without injuring them, too, and they carry on my tradition of relocation instead of destruction. 
I'll kill cockroaches, though. With a spray can. I can't stand to even crush them, they are so repulsive to me.
I'll kill cockroaches, though. With a spray can. I can't stand to even crush them, they are so repulsive to me.
@thenextnoel (396)
• Philippines
9 Jun 09
I got a small lizard trapped in my refrigerator accidentally. It was midnight so I didn't want to move all the stuff around and I just waited til morning (they are cold-blooded anyway) and the fellow felt very cold to my skin as I rescued him...Ok maybe I didn't rescue him I asked for help from my sister because I was afraid to touch it but still..
@cbeee3 (2061)
• India
9 Jun 09
That is such a sweet story.Such a wonderful thing you guys did!It actually brought back memories. :)
When I was about 5-6 yrs old (not sure how old ..lol), I remember a similar incident happened at home.
One day a baby sparrow flew in through the open window and it flew right onto the blades of the fan that was switched on. Luckily, the fan speed was slow, else the bird would not have survived.
The baby sparrow just feel down as it had a visible wound on its wing.I saw this and yelled like mad.Then my mom came over and sprinkled a little water on the bird. It moved around a little and then we took it on one of those plastic scoopers and left it out on the window sill, so we could keep an eye on it.
I sat there looking at the sparrow waiting patiently for it to fly and finally after a while it took off.The best feeling ever!
Thanks for reminding me of this incident :)
@sushinoms (1)
• United States
21 Sep 10
I hear so many of these stories but somehow each one has a certain charm to them that keeps me interested. This story is no exception, thanks so much for sharing. I myself have yet to have an experience like this, but when I do I'm sure to be ready. http://www.tigarddoor.com/index.html
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
8 Jun 09
We had a bird in our house about a month ago. My son cornered it and had to knock it down. I have a wire trash can that he used to put over it and slid a board under it and took it outside. Watching them trying to get it was funny, but it pooping all over everything definitely wasn't.
@enola1692 (3323)
• United States
8 Jun 09
I swear I have the words sucker on my mailbox or my cat walks around the neighborhood passing out flyers if you need help go to my mom she will help it seems I am always helping out some critter my favorite one was we had a hurricane go though cocoa beach whewre I use to live an a nest of brown pelicans were thrown in the water they were recued an the small one didnt make it though the nite but the one that did I called Rocky I kept him in the bathroom an believe it or not my cat would pick up rocky an carry him to bed my cat was a push over when it came to helping critters to an when rocky was big enough to put back in the wild I knew a man that had pelicans in his yard all the time cause he use to feed them an i put Rocky in his yard an we watch an before you could say fish he was hanging out with the other pelicans he lived happily by the beach for awhile
@chriss121 (80)
• Thailand
9 Jun 09
We are regularly evicting birds from our house. There is a specific breed of bird here in Southe East Asia called an Asian Magpie, similar to the Europena Magpie and has similar habits.
If they get into the house they steal anything they can pick up, this includes coins, jewelry, food etc etc. A real pain in the bum but we have to have the windows and doors open to get some air flow through the house. wW do have fly nets over the windows and doors but the kids are always leaving them open.
@flzmlady (418)
• China
9 Jun 09
I do have some kinda of this experience, when i was little.
my mom came home one day with a very small sparrow on her hands.she said she found this little thing on the street losing its mother and mocking bu some boys, so she brought her back.it was a very clever bird, it learnt to eat rice and drink water very quickly, and it knew how to avoid coldness by hiding itself behind a blanket we put on bed.but we lost it two months later for a bird flu.that's still sad to me even today.
@wwssggwwzz (2)
• China
9 Jun 09
When I was a little boy, my home was in a little chinese country. In some days, one sparrow family made their nest in our kitchen--the sparrow made a cave under the eaves. You know, the sparrow always dirty the food in the kitchen. My uncle was annoyed of this, one day he brought some clod and blocked up the sparrow's cave. In the following days, I heard the tweet of the little sparrow in the nest and see the sparrow parents hovered around their nest. I felt pity of the sparrow family, and I removed the clod which blocked up the sparrow's cave. a few days later, I didn't see the sparrows again, they may removed.
It's true story in my childhood, and I remembered it till now.
