King Arthur

Photo of young baby Robin by mlorenz | Shutterstock

I wrote this a couple years ago. Every Spring when the Robin's come back and I see them in the yard I think of the one I raised right out of his shell. The night before we had a bad storm, next morning branches and leaves were all over the yards. I noticed a bird nest and in it was a broken blue egg and a baby still half in the egg. I knew immediately it was a Robins nest. He was peeping so softly, I didn't know at first what to do. I proped the nest up and watched it for half a day and no mom came to his aide. I put the nest inside the house. I really was at a loss as what to do.

I was in luck, I remembered an article in our newspaper the day before on birds. I called the name of the man that wrote it. He said try to feed him cut up worms and if that did not work, try hamburger. I had a home made cat carrying case, I tipped it up on end, put some towels in and a heating pad under it, he was very cold and hungry. I fed him cut up worms, with a tweezer. I remembered to make sure I put them on top of his tongue and a little ways down his throat. His little mouth flew open as soon as I touched him. This worked great.

His little body turned from pink to a dark colored body as he started to grow. I put him in our bedroom window so he could hear the birds outside. To my luck a mother Robin had built in the tree outside the window. He could hear the babies chrip every time she came and fed them.

I made a nest for him when he was bigger, he was doing great on the worms. When he had all his feathers I hung the cage outside. Soon I let him outside with me to find worms, when I called him he came over and I threw him a worm. I would bury it in front of him and he would cock his head and dig it up. He always flew to the top of our garage roof and waited for me to call him.

I put him back in his cage at night and made sure I got up just as it was getting daylight. I was letting him free during the day and when he saw us sitting on the swing he would fly and land on our shoulders. I put water out and he would bath in it.

He was full grown but had his spots. One evening before I could put him back he flew to the neighbors trees. The next morning I went out back and before I could call him he came flying to me and I put my hand out and he flew to it. We had a neighbor cat that always hung out in our yard and I was affraid he would get him. I had to make a decision of what to do with him and to this day I wish I would of let him stay, I get tears in my eyes every time I think of my decision.

I called our State Park and ask them if I could put him there and they said okay. So we took him to a path that was less traveled. I opened the cage door and out he fles. It was like letting one of you children go away from home forever and never coming back. We went back a couple times during the week but no King Arthur, a very fitting name for a brave little Robin that show us his courage to survive in this great big world..I am ashamed I did not take pictures of his progress, the only one taken by our newspaper when he was half grown.