Saving A Sparrow

Early one spring as I was leaving my townhouse to go to work for a short day, I saw a baby sparrow on the lawn near my car and patio. There'd been a wild storm during the night, and I'd surmised he had been blown out of his mother's nest. He had most of his feathers and having been a bird breeder at one time I knew there were enough feathers there for his parents to have already begun flying lessons. It was a miracle none of the cats who roam around all night got him. I did not want them to get him while I was gone either, so I grabbed a plastic grocery bag from my car, and scooped him up and tossed him into my patio. It was enclosed and I was growing a lot of vegetables and flowers, so he had places to hide. When I came home I found him back there and left him, to see if one of his parents would come looking for him. I sat inside and watched. I eventually saw one of them on a low branch on the tree on my patio. He was trying to encourage the youngster to fly up. he made several attempts but has too weak. His parent left so I feared he would be abandoned. I went out and scooped him up, put him in a metal mesh basket inverted and put some baby plant pods inside so he could feel secure. I gave him water by dipping my finger in a glass of water and letting it drip into his open beak. He was so gentle and seemed quite tame. but I couldn't get him to eat. I knew I needed to help him get his strength back so he could rejoin his parents. I tried some dog food but he resisted. Finally I took a strawberry out of the refrigerator and squeezed juice into his very receptive beak, then I placed him outside on a table, in the basket. A short time later I saw the sparrow's mother on top of the wooden fence above him and he was going bonkers trying to get to her. I went out and I told him "you look strong and good to go now, so go on" I let him go and he flew off. A couple days later when my husband and I were getting ready to sit out on the front porch we saw a small sparrow sitting on our porch. Of course when we went out he flew off, but to a tree across the street as we sat on the porch we could hear him chirping loudly as if to thank us. We believed this as then he flew toward us, chirping gaily. He came back a couple times after that. I try to help animals in trouble when I can.

Milt & Linda S.
Oklahoma City, OK