We had a young man and his father come into the store this weekend with a freshly fledged cedar waxwing. The father was doing some work in his shop when he found the young bird sitting high on one of his tools. They wanted to help the bird but didn't know what kind it was and came to the bird store.
I showed them that the bird was a cedar waxwing and that he was fresh from the nest, learning to fly and needed to go back to their yard and wait for the parents to come take care of it. The little boy was so adorable and it was the cutest thing to see this earnest young man walking around with his trusy cedar waxwing but if the bird is going to survive, it needs to be with its parents.
When I see a young boy like this, ready to do what it takes to care for wildlife--especially doing the hardest part of all--letting it go back to the wild, really gives me hope for the future.
In other news at the bird store we have released 23 monarch caterpillars so far with at least another dozen to go! Friday morning when I came into work we had six monarchs that had come out during the night ready to go. I wonder what it must be like to have spent two weeks as lumbering blog eating nonstop and then hanging upside down as a green blob for another two weeks and suddenly a light breeze comes and your airborne? When ever we let one go I always hear a little butterfly monologue being read by Jerry Lewis in my head to the effect of, "Holy crap, what's going on? Hey nice lady, what the heck am I doing?"
Cinammon has been on a ristriction of treats (vet's orders) and so all the deer blocks around the store have been picked up except for one which is only minerals (the others had lots of corn and grains held together with molasses). She has comandeered the last remaining block and has become down right defiant about not giving it up. In the photo at right she looks as though she's saying, "Don't even think about moving this block or I'll (the rest omitted to the graphic rabbit profanity)." Is my rabbit a mineral junkie now? It's sometimes a hoot to watch her furiously licking the box to get her daily mineral fix. She does appear to be smaller so I do think the diet is working.