The Care of the Wild
James, my husband, is quite an animal lover. Twice a day he feeds everything that visits our yard, especially the birds, squirrels and cats, but also the frogs, flies and opossums. I spend a good deal of time pulling weeds that grew from the seeds these animals didn't eat or buried away for fear that James might go on vacation and forget to feed them for a week.

When James drives down the street, he is constantly scanning the yards for squirrels, cats and dogs that might wander into the street. When I'm driving, he is constantly yelling out, "look out! look out!" He keeps cans of cat food in his car in case he sees a hungry cat. Indeed, I suspect he seeks out cats who might need a snack.

Arriving home from work this evening, James spotted a baby bird in trouble at the edge of our drive. We scooped him into a box and called the WildCare Center right away (James had done some volunteering for them a few years back). While James was on the phone, I fed the little guy some water from a straw and some softened cat food pellets. It was amazing how quickly he took to us and how very hungry he was. We all fell in love immediately.

WildCare told us to bring him down, so I packed him up and the two of us drove to the countryside east of Noble after a teary good bye from two little guys who had already adopted the bird and named him. The little guy fell asleep on the way. So. Very. Cute.

Rondi examined him and said she thought he would be just fine. They'll keep him fed and protected until he's ready to fly, and then he'll be released to the wild. I hope he comes to visit.