# What a day I had



## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Hi All,
Well here's what I did all day today. I had to make a choice on do I save it from the cats killing this little one or just let it go and hope for the best and that it makes it. What I did today is something you don't normally do, but when you have a neigborhood of cats especially next door to you, I thought of h/her safety first and not let it die a horrible death. I sat outside protecting this baby mocker from my neighbors cats. First I put it in cage and hung it up in a tree and sat there making sure the cats didn't find the the cage. The parents watched me with their baby and knew I put the cage, but the stayed in the middle of the cage with its mouth opened and parents couldn't feed it through the bars. I took the cage down and had the baby on the ground, but the little stinker decided to run as fast as h/she can to back to where the cats were, so I couldn't have that and brought the baby close to my house where it finally stayed so the parents could feed h/her. Just before supper time I put it back in the cage outside and hung it up close to the house, but the parents still couldn't feed it through the bars no matter how hard they tried, so I put it back on the ground and stayed out there with it because the cats started coming in my yard. Even though this took up my whole day the was feed by the parents. I brought the little one in for the night and is sound asleep, head tucked in h/her feathers and is the cutest sight. Tomorrow I will take it outside first thing in the morning so the parents can feed the little one and hopefully maybe it will start flying. Keep your fingers crossed it does so I don't have to stay outside all day long. Well anyway! here is the little cutie.




















This is one of parents watching the baby and me


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## Jazicat (Oct 31, 2005)

You are an angel!!! Rainbow is sending lots of pigeon snuggles to thank you for caring so much about all birds!


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

What a cutie  I sure miss hearing and seeing the mockingbirds here. 
Good luck with this little one.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

What an adorable baby. 
I would have done the same.


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Thank y'all so much.

Jazicat, You know me always helping a little birdie out. Rainbow is one beautiful baby. Give Rainbow and Tesla both a kiss from me.

Mary, I have tons of mockers here, and even have one that tries to come in my house. If it can't get the back door, it will go to my front window and peck the screen. One of these days I'm going to open the window and let it in, (LOL).

Charis, I knew if I didn't step in this little one would of never made it through the night with cats around here. I figured if I had to hand fed it, I have the right food for h/her. I'm surprised the parents didn't try to attack me, they do attack the cats.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Good job, Mary Ann.
What a sweet little face. Good luck with him today, hope the parents will feed him.

Reti


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Reti, Thank you. The parents are feeding their little one. I took it outside and put it large cage so I has room to walk, run, and hopefully start flying and the parents also have access to get in and out to feed the little one. this morning and the baby started calling to be fed and out come the parents, so everything is going well.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Maryann, what a heart-warming story. He sure is a cutie and deserves to live. The parents seem to be trusting you to help their baby. 

You did great! What's a day if you can save one like this little guy.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Cats, huh? Get a machine-squirtgun and have a little fun... they won't stick around long but it won't hurt 'em at all.

Pidgey


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Maggie, Thank god they trust me enough to realize that helping them keep their only baby alive. I'm not sure what happened to the other ones, but I can stake my life on it that the neighbors cats got them. My one daughter is as also helping keeping the cats out of the yard along with the parents. This morning I watched the parents attack the cat went it started coming in my yard, and I'm bad because I let the birds go after the cat. 

Pidgey, I love cats, but right about now I not fond of them. That little baby is doing so good and the parents are making sure its fed all day long.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Pidgey's idea of a "machine-gun' type water pistol, is a good one! A good thing about something like that is the cat may not know where that water is coming from, hence, the element of surprise. Of course, one has to be vigilent too.

I am a cat person also, but there are times when a squirt bottle or pistol comes in MIGHTY handy!!

SENDING ALL THE BEST for the little one! Sounds like the parents have everything under control!

WELL DONE, Mary Ann!!

Hugs and Scritches

Shi & Squeaks


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## flitsnowzoom (Mar 20, 2007)

I have 4 feral cats that come through my yard. I've never seen them take a bird, but I do feed them to help prevent that. They are very shy though and run off just at my presences.
There is a nasty owned cat that comes through that gets the water hose treatment. I WILL NOT tolerate a cat in my yard that hisses, yowls, and tries to strike at anything that comes near. I tried the sweet approach so I could read its tag, but no go, so that cat is immediately chased out whenever I see it now.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Mary Ann,

Thanks for all the hard work, securing this little cutie's safety, I know it took alot of time but well worth it.

....and we got to enjoy the pics and cuteness overload.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Thank you for helping this baby out, he sure sounds like he needs it! It's amazing that the parents tried to feed him through the cage.  And a blessing that they will still feed him even with you helping out! Good luck with him.


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Youe welcome and thank you.

Shi, I took the hose to cats and sprayed them, he! he!, I'm bad because I did it while my neighbor was there. 

Mary, I don't think the sweet approach will ever work with that cat, it sound to nasty.

Treesa, It does take a lot of time, but is worth every minute if I can save a baby or adult bird. 

Maryjane, Most of the time the parents will feed the baby(s) as long as you can keep it outside to let the parents take care of it, but it also can be touchy too.


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

*Update on the little mocker*

Hi everyone,
UPDATE ON THE BABY MOCKER 

Well! the baby mocker lost h/her fuzzies on the head and started to fly, but I waited to release due to it wasn't flying good enough. I had h/her outside in a avery during the day and letting the parents feed it and at night I brought it in to keep it safe. The parents had no problem with my girls or me being near the outdoor avery when it was feeding time. Yesterday we had some bad weather, so I had to bring the little one back in, in the afternoon and wasn't able to put h/her back out the rest of the day. Why I had to this is not because it didn't have shelter because it did, but the neighbors cats kept trying to sneak up to the cage and I was not able to sit out in the storm. When I had the baby inside I had it by the screem door so the parents could hear their baby, but also see h/her. They actaully was on the screen and I did talk to the parents telling them their baby was safe, and they stayed right there and never flew away or was startled by me, but then of course I have a mocker that tries to come in my house, if it can't get in the back door it goes to my front window and pecks at the screen trying to get in, (LOL). I did get this baby mocker to eat the ST diet while I had it inside, but I also was giving it the same berries that the parents were feeding h/her. I knew were the parents was getting the berries from so I had my daughter bring me some. What the parents did was they brought the baby bugs and worns first, then gave the baby a berry or two after the main meal, so I just feed the baby like they did and it worked out really good and had the baby eating with no problems. I DON'T RECOMMEND ANYONE DOING WHAT I DID because it doesn't always work out like this. 

As it was yesterday my neighbors cat caught a baby Chick A Dee and my girls brought it to me and I gave it an antibiotic, but the cat did damage to it internally, but I did try to save the poor little thing but died about 20 minutes later. Sometimes it's not an easy job, more heartbreaking than anything else. 

Everyday the little mocker's flying improved, but it finally started flying 5 to 6 feet in the air, and that's when I knew it was safe to release. I let the baby call for it's parents and when the parents heard their baby they came and that's when I released the baby and it flew up in the tree, I was happy to see it back with h/her parents, but very sad too. I'm going to miss this little one so much, but I know I did the right thing. I was outside a little while ago and saw the baby flying and both parents watching it and keeping it safe. I took some pictures of the baby today in the tree and one parent standing guard protecting h/her, so I wanted to share them with everyone. 

Here is the baby in the tree, and if you look back at the first pictures I posted you'll see how much little one changed 



























Here is the one parent standing guard today close by to their


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Mary Ann, are you the pied piper? lol  This has been one of the sweetest, most interesting threads I've read. It is like you and the parents had some type of communication going and they knew you wouldn't hurt their baby. You would think they would have just given up. Just goes to show us that birds take their child rearing seriously.

You did a marvelous job with this little guy and I'm grateful you shared his story with us.


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Maggie, Your welcome and thank you. I sometimes feel like the pied piper . I think these birds sense that they can trust me. I had to laugh though, everytime the mocking birds saw the cats next door come over by my yard they went right after them and really pecked the cats. Mocking birds are really amazing parents, but so are all the other birds. I wish that some people in this world would take a hint from birds. Birds can really teach us so much. I have to tell you about a story the other day in our newspaper, it was sad but this how amazing a mocking bird really is. The story was about a hawk who had a pigeon, it was deceased, but the mocking bird saw the hawk with it and attacked the hawk trying to save the pigeon, this is what an amazing bird they are because most would only defend their babies. I love mocking birds, I love when they stand and all of sudden they spread their wings really fast, and how they flick their tails. I sit here thinking about that little baby and miss h/her dearly, and I know the parents will watch out for this little one, but I also hope and pray h/she stays safe and has lots of babies, and hopefully brings them by to show them to me. If I had brought the baby in the house for a couple days instead of staying outside that same day letting them know their was alive, I don't think the parents would of fed h/her.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

CONGRATULATIONS, Mary Ann! You did a TERRIFIC job and the baby looks great!

I have always loved the Mockers! I would imitate and watch them when I did my early morning Scavenging walks.

At ASU, we had a sidewalk lined with trees on both sides and the stories people would tell of being "dive-bombed" when the parents were protecting their nests and babies, were quite funny!

Even the last few days, I've had a Starling dive bomb me outside my apartment. Must be protecting a nest. I've seen no baby in danger. 

I enjoyed following your thread and hope that you will always be able to rescue these little ones from the cats who want a snack!

With gratitude, love and hugs

Shi


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Good job, Mary Ann! I, too, love Mockingbirds .. totally cheeky and fearless birds. I've seen them join with the crows to chase away the hawk that sometimes visits my yard.

Terry


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## littlestar (May 11, 2005)

Thank you Shi and Terry. 

Shi, I love to watch them dive bomb, I think it's awesome especially the cats . I have a lot of trees by me with nests in them and my daughters and I are always checking in case a baby falls out. Well! my daughter saw this baby over where the cats like to hang out, so I couldn't let it stay there because the cats would of had this little one. It's funny about the starling because I've never seen them attack anyone, but they will protect their young. I'm going to try my best to rescue the little ones here, I just wish my neighbor would do something with her cats like keep them in her house.

Terry, I noticed they are fearless especially when they go after the cats, they fly right into them. It makes me neverous though because I'm afraid the cat is going to turn around and claw them. The birds around my house don't have to worry about a hawk when I'm around. The other day a hawk flew down on a log on the side of house, I know it had to be after something because it didn't see me. Well! I started to get close and it spotted me and that's when I throw my hands up in the air, started running towards it and screamed really loud at it, and it took off like a bat out of you know what. It came back later that day and when it saw me it took off and haven't seen it since .


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Hey, Mary Ann, we are going to have to call you the HAWK ROUT lady!

That hawk probably thought, "Man! That is ONE WEIRD BIRD!!" LOL

Well, I THINK the bird was a Starling, that was diving at me...could have been a female Grackel...I only know it was not a Mocker...

Keep up the GREAT WORK!!

LOVE, HUGS and SCRITCHES

Shi & Squeaks


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## michbird (Jul 5, 2007)

Good story- Glad the baby is doing well!

Cats? I have 4 of them and love them dearly...However...I love my birds too (No pigeons yet, but working on it). 
I might sound horrible here, but it is not meant to be offensive...
Pet owners need to be responsible. I keep my cats inside, and do not allow them to run freely outside. Yes, fixed cats CAN be trained to stay right with you in the yard, even with a bird chirping closeby. Those who can't be get the leash (2 of mine have to be leashed). Within the boundries of my yard, I expect no kitty cats but my own, and the neighbors respect this. There is a stray once in awhile, but if it keeps coming around after I chase it out... 
I own a livetrap and am not afraid to use it. If I should catch a cat in my yard, I place a found ad in the paper (It's FREE) and give the owner every chance to claim before taking it to the humane society...
Where did my cats come from? You guessed it  Sometimes I'm just a sucker, but the point is: I have birds, and I have a responsibility to ensure their safety as best as possible. Too many people get cats and let them roam- terrorizing birdfeeders, houses, coops, LOFTS, ... and breeding freely more to do the same.


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