Letting go is hard to do
Mood:  happy
Well the little bird has flown away.

After a weekend of constant feeding and care he had put on some weight and his feathers had come in nicely. I took him to Dr. Mark yesterday and he said other than the broken rear toe on his left foot he seemed to be doing well. He gave me some exercises to do with him to see if maybe I could get him to fly. We practiced last night in the backyard but the little bird didn't seem to really want to go anywhere.

This morning after his 10 o'clock feeding he was very active so I took him out into the woods to practice some more. He finally flew up into a tree and refused to come back. A very good sign. I was worried that maybe he was starting to imprint. He still wasn't eating on his own so hopefully he can figure that out. I released him in the general area the woman had picked him up from so hopefully his mom can find him.

Good Luck Little Guy!!!!

I just want to remind everyone out there that this is the time of year for fledglings. They are anxious to try out their new features, but just like when we learned to walk, they may stumble. They are not in need of rescuing. The mother will continue to look after them. If you do see one on the road side try to chase him back in the trees. It is important that they remain in the wild. Their mothers teach them important skills they will need to survive. Even though I can hand raise baby birds I can't teach them these skills.

Remember that nature has a way of taking care of itself. I know it is hard to watching them struggle but it is important for their development.

Some of you have asked me about how to attract birds to your backyard. The answers are simple and cheap.

You can buy an inexpensive feeder at Walmart or Target (If you are trying to attract a variety of birds avoid the long plastic tube feeders. These are mainly for finches). If you don't have a tree to hang it from you can purchase a Sheppard’s hook. Just make sure it is high enough to avoid cats on the prowl. You can purchase straight sunflowers seeds but I found that Kaytee's Nut and Berry Blend attracts them in droves and will also attract small woodpeckers.

A great craft for kids is to take pine cones or empty paper towel/toilet paper rolls and coat them in peanut butter. Some suggest the chucky but I think it works best with the creamy style. Once it is coated rolls the pine cone or roll in the bird seed of your choice. Once again I like using the nut and berry blend. You can also stick a few dried cranberries to it as well. Attach a sting to your creation and have the kids hang them in the tree. Buy a bird ID book and have the kids identify the birds they see. This is a great way to get them into nature.

Now for humming birds. You don’t need to buy the expensive nectar from the store. You can actually make it at home. It is 4 parts water to one part sugar. Boil the water and then add the sugar and stir till it dissolves. Once the mixture has cooled, pour it into the humming bird feeder. You can store the remaining mixture in the fridge. Make sure you clean the feeder and put fresh nectar in ever other week or so because it does have a tendency to mildew.

Humming birds also enjoy flowering plants. Some that I found not only attract humming birds but butterflies as well are; butterfly bush, purple cone flower, trumpet vine, and oregano.

Hope these ideas work for you. Good luck and happy birding!