Baby birds everywhere!!

[Buy A Paper Doll]

I was in the cafeteria at work when I overheard a couple of the workers talking about finding a baby mockingbird in her yard. The nest was blown down in a thunderstorm, apparently. The lady was feeding it, but the guy was saying they had to find someone to take it right away because it wasn't supposed to be in the building and no one could take it home because it was crying for food every half hour or so.

So I told them I'd see what I could do.

I called my vet's office, got the number for the closest wildlife rehab place, and went back down to the cafeteria to take the baby to this place where they could take care of him until he was ready to go back in the wild on his own.

She wouldn't give me the bird. She decided she wants to keep him. I pleaded with her, told her the bird would die if she didn't feed him every hour or two. Was she really going to get up every hour and feed this bird? Who's going to do it while she's at work? <Blank stare.> But she still wouldn't budge. She wouldn't let me take the baby bird to someone who could do this. I wasn't going to get into an argument with this woman, in the middle of the cafeteria, over a baby bird. So I wrote down the number and address of the place where she could take him and left it at that.

But I'm still upset.

[zlatushka]

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :mad:

people like that make me mad. We can only hope she'll take it in herself, rather than keep it out of jealousy or pride or whatever makes people do that sort of thing.

here's a prayer for the baby bird......

rachel

[bellarains]

Jennifer,

It is against the law to harbor a wild bird without a license. I don't know how strictly it is enforced, and I have myself weaned a wild bird and releaesed it but only because I didn't know any better at the time. Knowing what I do now, I would take one to a rehab center. I really hope this lady thinks twice about this as mockingbirds are bug eaters and she will have a very hard time taking care of it's nutritional needs.

You did what you could do, I just hope she takes your advice.

[LauraO]

This lady is

STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SELFISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IGNORANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She is obviously only thinking about herself and her "feel good" moment, and has not thought one iota about the baby bird and it's needs and rights to be treated with respect. I hope the high likelihood of this bird dying in her care does not really happen because it would have been for absolutely NOTHING :mad:.

[linda040899]

Jennifer,
Lori is correct that it's illegal to keep a wild bird for a pet. I don't know if animal control would handle this or the humane society. She can get in a world of trouble for keeping this baby. I usually take wild animals to my vet's office and they put them in rehab.

[Janie]

Jennifer, it is most definitely illegal to keep any native wild bird. It would not be illegal to keep a starling, a house sparrow or a pigeon since they are non-native. A wild bird can be kept by a rehabber until it's ready for release and if for some reason it can't be released into the wild due to some kind of permanent injury, there are sanctions that will take them. I would have turned her in! :)

[Buy A Paper Doll]

it's illegal to keep a wild bird

You're preaching to the choir! ;) That was a whole other side of the conversation that I didn't even want to get into with her. I just wanted to get her to understand that she wasn't equipped to care for him herself and she would probably do him more harm than good.