Lesbian Bird Aunties
We have robins nesting in the cedar trees in our backyard. Yesterday was day one of tossing the fledglings out of the nest and teaching them to fly.
Unfortunately a group of grackles has also shown up to the neighbourhood and they've been trying to take over our backyard all spring. My wife heard them all singing one day and commented on all the bird song, to which I replied, "That's a territorial dispute, my dear." She had no idea.
We don't know where the grackles came from. One or two in the yard over spring and summer is normal, if that. So I've got no idea what part of this area was put in discord for them to all up and move to the lower part of Yorkville, but here we all are.
Grackles and robins do not get along.
The little fledglings were no sooner out of the nest then those buggers flew in and started harassing them. They forced the parents away and proceeded to peck the ever loving shit out of the tiny birds.
My wife scared them away. She called a wildlife rehabilitator and to make a long story short, we chased the two fledglings in and out of our backyard and the neighbours, and herded them into an upturned laundry basket with big holes and put one of the pavers on it. I slipped a small bowl of water under the lip and after a few minutes the shenanigans stopped.
According to the wildlife people, the fledglings can live in the laundry basket for a week while they gain strength and practice flying. The parents can feed them through the big holes and when they figure out how to get out of the holes -- which will happen -- hopefully they'll realize it's a safe space to return to.
We checked on them this morning and all seems well. Everyone survived the night.
So now we have expanded our repertoire from simply rescuing cats to becoming lesbian bird aunties. How does the week find you?