I have seen some pretty amazing accomplishments in the critter world . Like a couple years ago I watched  a starling drill a cavity in the top of a wooden lightpost, then she made several trips down to the ground below and back up to the nest above carrying  beakfuls of grass that she lined the nest with. Some of the birds build very elaberate homes and I  am always amazed at how they do it, but what made this birds nest so amazing was that it had only one leg. One leg was missing from the elbow down. Perhaps it had been snagged by a predater cat or hung up in some kind of fencing or maybe even a hawk attack, I imagined.

What inspired me so much was seeing how this bird acted as though it had no handicap and did everything that the other (unchallenged) birds did. It took a little longer to make but when it was finished , its nest was just as good as any other , maybe even better. When it came to drink from the habitat waters she perched right up there with all the other birds  useing her partial leg to balance herself. She wasn't detoured by anything and she was very competit at everything she attempted and even made a very good mom , rearing two healthy chicks that year.

I have seen other birds that are handicapped as well. Like cardinals that are missing part of their sight , missing an eye due to injuries from a stray cat or other circumstances. It always saddens me to think of them living in a dangerous environment with one of their main senses compromised. But a couple of weeks ago  I saw something that was just so heartwrenching,  it deeply effected me .

There has been a group of about 20 cardinals of all different ages comming to the habitat , many are the younger ones from this years' broods. I started noticing one of the younger males always seemed to loudly announce his arrival to the habitat and he was kind of clumsy too. And there was an adult male cardinal that stayed close by the younger one at all times , even though the younger bird looked like a yearling and well old enough to be on its own.

Then I caught the two hanging out in a pomogranit tree that is just four feet away from my back door and  was able to see up close the reason for their unusual behavor ...  at first it appeared that the young one was missing its right eye, but then when he turned his head in the other dirrection, I saw he was missing both of his eyes. I couldn't tell for sure what was wrong with his eyes but could tell both looked like they were sealed completely shut.  Oh, my heart just sank to see this poor frightened bird ! I wondered how he may have occured the injuries , or how long ago,  but mostly I wondered how this poor guy had survived at all, with no sight.

 

When a hawk passed overhead the mature bird actually got on top of the other one and pushed him down to the safty of the lower branches of the tree. Later  I saw that the mature male was actually directing the blind bird  around the yard, luring it with short choppy chirps, (sort of like a seeing eye dog, only a "seeing eye-bird" ). Instead of flying from branch to branch the young bird would leap and then just put his feet out to catch any thing he could. Some times he  collided into  larger branches but most times he would  be caught by the smaller twigs and they acted like a safty net catching him. If nothing was there to catch his fall he would just keep on dropping down all the way to the ground. Once he was down on the ground the older bird  would be there calling him to the prime feeding areas under the feeders  where the seeds had fallen to the ground.

 I realized this must also be the cardinal that we had been hearing in the evenings , chirping well after dark when most birds are still and quiet. And probably the same one that was in the Mexican Heather bush early one morning  before daylight. I thought it was very unusual for him to be so close to the ground because they usually roost much higher up in trees.

 I couldn't bear the thought of the bird being at the total mercy of all of his predators. And I was worried that he could have a contagious disease and was concerned  of it being spread to the other  birds via contaminated feeders and waters. I contacted  my game and wildlife authority for help and sugestions, but he was temperarily unavailable. I researched on the internet but didn't have much success there either.

I was affraid the vulnerable little guy may attract a stray cat so I left  my dog (Suger) out in the habitat to secure it from predators. Suger is 88 pounds of lovable pitt bull. She was never able to have pups of her own but she has nurtured and mothered alot of critters, including baby birds. The birds are used to her and know that she poses no threat to them but she will definately keep stray cats at bay.

 A couple of days later  I was able to get another close-up look and I could clearly see that he didn't have a disease, he had been injured and had jagged cuts around both eyes. But there was a little slit opening that the bird could peek out through on one side and the other side was scabbed over but looked like it was trying to heal. I was so relieved to see that the injuries may not be permanant and that he was regaining some of his sight back. And this morning  both eyes are partially opened and healing real well. It will take a while for this little guy to completely heal but the older male is still accompaning him everywhere he goes.

Knowing what this brave little birdy has been through has really inspired me. The hardships that the wild critters  must face and conquer daily are remarkable. And the great lenghts that they will go through  to help each other out are truley amazing .

If you ever encounter any battles in your life, may you have a friend  like this "seeing eye-bird", that will guide you through it safely.

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I'm in awe of your writing. I submitted your journal to http://www.bravejournal.com . Maybe you should submit it for Journal of the Week too. I've always thought this journal should be read more.

This summer several baby swallows were hopping across the drveway and grass. The nests were on the under side of the eaves of a shed and in a barn. Cats are in the area and I put on leather gloves and picked them up (they just hopped and could not seem to fly) and put them on the bird feeder. One flew off shortly to the west. THe other sat there for hours long into the dark of the evening. Just and looked around stunned like. Other birds came into feed and the bird just sat. About 10 I looked out and the bird was gone. I think I saved them by putting them up on the feeders platform as the cats would have surely got them. I did see a baby swallow in the cat food dish - they had gotten one that fell out of the nest. They just put in in the dish and sat around the dish looking proud. I don't understand why that one pair of swallows built their next on a light right above where the cats eat.

Birds do not have an easy time of it, and it is quite amazing to read of this cardianal helping the other. You certainly have an eye for catching these things.