The box held four chicks: two yellow ones, one buff one, and one the color of crackerjacks. I got permission to handle the latter.
I scooped him up and cupped him securely in my hand. It snuggled down without fear.
I scooped him up and cupped him securely in my hand. It snuggled down without fear.
I'm not sentimental, but the chick had powers. Suddenly it was the most adorable creature: So sweet. So innocent. How could I put it down? Could I smuggle it home?
The thought of explaining the "live chicken running loose in my apartment" situation to my landlord gave me second thoughts. Then there was the threat of having "chicken trafficker" on my permanent record. I put it back in the box.
I thought about the chick all afternoon. The soft down, the unconditional trust....
Then this occurred to me:
There have been a couple of little baby birds who fell out of the nest near our house this week.
ReplyDeleteHi sal,
ReplyDeleteDid the parents still keep an eye one them? At my birdfeeder I've noticed that even babies old enough to fly and feed themselves still shake their parents down for food.
Oh I'm sure that wasn't it. (Playing dead.)
ReplyDeleteDon't know! They looked scared and lost. We were afraid if the parents smelled human on them, they would disown them; however, web searches suggest that might be incorrect.
ReplyDeleteLinda,
ReplyDeleteIt's possible it was incubator-hatched and imprinted on humans.
The vibe I get when I handle most birds is either "put me down or I'll bite you" or "Okay, I'll stay here, but any funny business and you're getting beaked." It was unusually to handle one who seemed content!
Hi Stray,
Most songbirds can't smell, so you don't need to worry about contaminating the nestlings. As long as you put them back and don't loiter too close (which potentially could spook the parents) they'll be fine.
Stray-
ReplyDeleteI hit the "publish" button too soon. How are they doing?
Only saw each one time and not again. Hope they're OK!
ReplyDeleteStray,
ReplyDeleteI hope they're okay too. From what I've seen, parent birds do a pretty good job of keeping an eye on the kids after they leave the nest, so they certainly have a chance.
I laugh out loud when I read your blog. This one really got me going. That's hilarious!
ReplyDeleteThanks John!
ReplyDeleteI didn't think any of my coworkers read this thing. I'm glad to hear I'm wrong.