Monday's Internet Edition, October 06, 2008.
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| Joyce Hardister and "Baby" the robin |
Joyce Hardister, a resident of Old Meadowbrook in Clemmons, got the chance a few weeks ago, and she took it. When a newborn robin fell from its nest in a neighbor’s backyard, Hardister came to the rescue. Now she is the proud “mother” of one amazing avian named “Baby.”
“It’s too soon to determine if the bird is male or female. I’ve called him everything from Gertrude to Vern to Scooby-Doo, but he responds best to Baby,” Hardister said.
Baby’s remarkable journey began last month. Hope McGee Harris discovered the bird on June 11 in the backyard of the home she shares with her mother, Mary Lou McGee, in Old Meadowbrook.
“We were getting ready to have a party, and I had gone out to clean up the yard,” Harris explained. “I noticed something in the grass under our pecan tree but couldn’t tell what it was. I looked closer, and the bird’s head popped up and its mouth opened. It looked like a tiny bobblehead doll.”
Whether by accident or as a result of recent thunderstorms, the bird had tumbled from its nest and fallen some 15 to 20 feet to the ground below. Harris’ first thought was to call Hardister for help.
“I knew Joyce was into birds because a few weeks earlier she had brought us a hummingbird she found in her own yard,” Harris said.
When Hardister arrived, and she and Harris scooped the bird up with an abandoned nest found beside the McGees’ garage.
“The bird had survived a tremendous fall,” said Hardister. “His mouth was open and he was hungry, and I thought ‘I have to try to save him’.”
Despite the fact that she had never cared for a baby bird, Hardister took the robin home and asked her husband, Greg, to dig up some worms for food. She used a small basket lined with towels and a heating pad for the bird’s bed.
“I told my husband that if the bird made it through the night then I would do everything I could to keep him alive.”
To her surprise, Baby slept peacefully through the night- “Better than any baby I’ve had,” said Hardister - and was still breathing when the sun rose. Hardister placed some calls to various wildlife experts, hoping to find a bird rescue center.
“I couldn’t get anyone to call me back. I did talk to one lady who advised me to put the bird back in the McGees’ yard so the mother bird could find him. However, she told me not to do this if it was raining.”
As fate would have it, rain showers covered the neighborhood for the next few days. Baby remained indoors, and Hardister, determined to keep her promise, logged onto the internet and searched for any information on bird care.
“I found out that I should feed him dog food soaked in water, so I got a pair of tweezers and placed the food in his mouth.” Baby ate every 20 to 30 minutes, forcing Hardister to take him with her everywhere she went.
“I couldn’t leave him alone. He’s been to the swimming pool at Winston-Salem State, KMart, a wedding and reception, and a garden party.”
One afternoon, Baby accompanied Joyce and Greg to Greg’s aunt’s home. Baby went exploring in the trees and refused to answer Joyce’s call when she prepared to leave.
“He just wouldn’t come, so I left some food for him and Greg and I went home. The next morning, I got a call telling me that Baby was back and I drove over to get him. He chirped at me as if to say ‘Why did you leave me?’”
Baby also traveled to Goldsboro with Joyce and her daughter, Abbie, age 12.
“I was taking Abbie to her grandmother’s house, and since I was busy driving Abbie had to feed Baby and look after him on the trip. She has really helped a lot with his care. All I have to say is ‘Go check on the bird,’ and she does.”
Caring for Baby has been a full-time job for the Hardister family.
“It’s really kept us busy. We have to bathe him, keep him clean, feed him- just like you would a child. He can’t fend for himself yet, although he sometimes eats ants he finds on the porch railing. I need to know how to teach him to find worms.”
Now almost three weeks old, Baby shows no signs of his traumatic ordeal. He appears healthy and happy as he flits from Hardister’s hand to the arm of her chair and then to the porch rail.
He is beginning to show signs of independence as well. He takes an occasional hop inside the house, but most of his days are spent outdoors. He no longer sleeps in the basket beside Hardister’s bed. Instead, he spends the nights out in the trees and returns to the porch when she calls him for breakfast in the mornings.
“He’s learning how to take care of himself at night. Maybe one day instinct will kick in and he’ll be at one in nature with the rest of the birds.”
For now though, Baby is content to relax on the porch with his adoptive mother and enjoy frequent visits from the neighborhood children. They call him “Lucky,” a fitting moniker for this feathered friend who weathered a big storm and lived to chirp about it.
“He’s a trip, and it’s been really fun having him around,” said Hardister.