Scary Baby Birds

This is a Western Scrub Jay I actually got to feed today.
He was a sweetheart. (Pic courtesy of PAWS)

So a while ago I promised to post some more stuff about the scary baby birds I get to feed.  Well here they are.  Terrifying aren't they?

They're actually a lot less scary when there isn't a teacher breathing down your neck.  After about two shifts, I actually feel comfortable feeding most of the birds.  Though it still makes my heart skip a beat and die a little inside every time I see a baby bird get taken away because it isn't going to survive.  I know it's for the best if they're not thriving but you want so badly for all of them to survive and be rehabilitated.  So far I've only seen three birds be taken away and not come back and that was more than enough for me.  It's easier when they are hatchlings and look kind of gross and featherless and not like cute little birds but when they look like adorable tiny birds, it's hard to separate myself from them.  There were a couple that were in questionable condition today that I'm trying hard not to think about before my shift next week.

I decided to volunteer to make a difference and already I'm starting to notice that I have to force myself to shut off emotions.  That's extremely unnatural for me because I generally feel so much, all the time that it's overwhelming.  It's hard to not feel like a heartless bitch when I tell myself to not get emotionally attached to the baby birds.  I tend to let everything in and affect me, I'll chalk it up to one of the affects of my mental illnesses.  But I guess that's one other good thing that might come out of volunteering with wild animals: I'll learn to separate myself emotionally from what is going on around me.  I actually didn't even think of that when I signed up to volunteer but I think it was meant to be because if anything is going to train me to protect myself a bit more, it's going to be learning to let baby birds go when it's their time.  Huh...who woulda thunk that would be a bonus.

But to end on a cheerier (sort of) note.  Here are some things I've learned about birds so far:

1. Robins are the messiest freaking birds ever!  They shit everywhere and constantly.

2. Stellar Jays are jerks and try to escape every single time they can.

3. Crows are adorable but smell awful.

4. Chickadees are my favorite so far.  They totally just chill on your fingers while you're trying to feed them and land anywhere they please when they do escape...like the top of your head.

This is a Stellar Jay.  These guys are seriously jerks...though apparently not
as much as Blue Jays.  Freaking escape artist. (pic courtesy of PAWS)