NOTE: BETWEEN DECEMBER 2013 AND JANUARY 2019 NEW POSTS OF SERIOUS DIVREI TORAH WERE POSTED ONLY AT Beis Vaad L'Chachamim, beisvaad.blogspot.com AS OF JANUARY 2019 I PLAN TO POST IN BOTH PLACES


For private communication, write to eliezere at aol

Thursday, August 07, 2014

Our Adopted Fledgling

Walking from my mother's house to ours, my grandchildren found a young bird hiding in the bushes.  It had fallen out of its nest, and although it had feathers and wasn't injured, it couldn't fly. I warned them that it is almost impossible to keep fallen birds alive, and that most likely it would die within a few days, but they brought it home anyway.

We decided that it was a cedar waxwing, and the kids spent a great deal of time finding bugs and berries, including pieces of cherries from our refrigerator.

Remarkably, it did survive the week, somewhat bedraggled, and began to fly around the porch.  When I would go outside in the morning, it would be there impatiently waiting.  Once, it hopped on to my shoulder.  When I tried to wave it off, it hopped on to my yarmulka, and it was in no mood to get off.

Finally, we convinced the kids to let it go, and after a few days of false starts and hops into the neighbor's back yard, they put it into a basket wedged into the crotch of a mulberry tree, and it seemed to settle into its wild life.



This morning, I went outside to clean out the barbecues, and I heard a high pitched warble from above my head.  Our waxwing was sitting on the door frame and expecting to be fed.  It fluttered down to the barbecue, and my granddaughter came out.  It got very excited, fluttering its wings and opening its mouth, and it consumed several cherries.  Between the demands of our newest grandchild and this waxwing, it's been lively around here.  From other waxwings that I've seen, they're very social birds.  I do hope that the bird eventually meets others of its kind and accepts the fact that it's not a human.






After breakfast, it went back to its nest, and had brunch there.


8 comments:

Leah said...

Wow! What a kiddush Hashem! I have always wanted to see a cedar Waxwing, yet have not yet. These pictures are great. I will share them with my daughters.

Eliezer Eisenberg said...

Thanks. Right now, it looks kind of plain, but when they mature, they're striking.

Leah said...

Yes, I hear you. Oneof my daughter's and I were ornithologists in another life. She will be boarding with a family to go to high school and they said they had a bird and that they hoped she likes birds. My daughter and I looked at each other with a smile. They said that the bird only goes to the husband and son. I was like, uh, yea, sure. My daughter holds out her finger. Plop Right onto it.....

Anonymous said...

Sweet!!!

LondonMale said...

Kol Tov.

Neshama said...

Its so cute. Can you post an update photo so we can see its development, each week. Until that is it wants to fly away.

Eliezer Eisenberg said...

I would be happy to update...but the call of the wild was irresistible, and our young guest hasn't returned since it began flying with confidence. If it does, I will update the post.

Leah said...

Ohhh, it flew away? I was hoping also to get an update on Mr. or Ms. cedar Waxwing. Too cute.