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9:29pm

First day of Flight

The other day my husband came home from work and I could hear him in the back yard. He had a shovel in his hand and was digging a whole. Puzzled, I ask him what he is doing. He points to a lifeless baby Cardinal under the bird feeder. As he lifted it onto the shovel to place it into it's burial spot, it lifts it's little head up. We didn't know if it was hurt or stunned. We looked to see if it had any injuries and it had none we could see. He was such an adorable little fellow, looking like an adult Red Bird but stubbier. His eyes were so cute and clear as he looked up at me. I was beginning to think that he fell out of his nest, but I could not see a nest in the tree, so I asked my husband if he would just leave it there so the mother could feed it. We went upstairs to eat dinner and kept an eye on him the whole time from the window. A Blackbird flew down next to him and started eating. Then he stopped for a second to look at the little bird, then pecked him on the head. I ran back down to chase him away and check on the baby. He had no injuries and looked fine. Came back upstairs and the Blackbird came back, repeating what he had just done. It was as if he was checking to see if he was dead, or possibly trying to nudge him. All the while, there was a Redbird flying over head. Just then, the baby's wings started to flutter, but he couldn't get off of the ground. He managed to work his way underneath a bush next to the feeder. He stayed there for awhile. I was starting to worry because the evening chill was approaching. So I went into the house to get a shoe box and towel to place him in. But something told me to just leave him alone. He knew enough to take cover under the bush and if I put him in the box, I might be harming him instead of helping. I went back into the house for a few minute, then went back out. Just then, I hear this flutter from the bush and he takes off! Boy was I relieved. A few minutes later while in the house, I look out the window and there is a baby male and two baby females on my feeder! I don't know if one of them was my little guy. I have been seeing them every day since then, only now there is another male. This is the first time I have seen baby Cardinals and they are the cutest little things! And I think the Blackbird may have been trying to help him fly away! Pretty amazing to see.