June 27, 2008
by Terry Michelotti
I was very happy to read the article about the rescued baby fawn at Bell School the other day. I really commend the New Castle Police Department for their quick response and caring efforts. I also would like to say thank you to the school nurse for her help.
Michelotti with Bob
This could have been a fatality if people had not stepped in and rescued the baby. It’s very hard to know what to do when a wild creature is in trouble. And when it’s a baby, a mother is not far away and some animals could really get nasty while protecting their young—and rightly so.
If you see an animal that is hurt and needs help, by all means get the help it needs immediately. If you want to feed it, leave the food in a place out in the open where the animal can get to it but will not feel threatened. Then, sit back and enjoy the beauty of nature. Please don’t scare off babies such as fawns, bunnies, raccoons or anything that can’t fly because it can very easily run into the road and be killed. I think that everyone should have respect for all life. No matter how small or insignificant you may think it is, it’s somebody’s baby or some baby’s mother.
I am very passionate when it comes to the welfare of animals here at Greeley. I am lucky to work in an area where wildlife abounds and every spring the sound of baby birds chirping can be heard in all the covered walkways – in fact, the rafters of those walkways are a popular nesting place, especially for starlings who like to live in large groups, almost like in a condo association. Over the years, when baby birds have fallen from nests, students and teachers immediately try to care for them and come to me. They know that I’ve learned a lot about caring for these baby birds, what to feed them and how to release them. First, I will try to put it back in the nest, but if that is impossible I will take it in and give it a temporary home. I do name them, and I do get attached, but I know they will be better off in the wild.
Recently, our assistant principal, Mark Bayer, and science teacher, Trudy Gessler, found an orphan baby startling. From matching him up with photos on the internet, I determined that he was approximately eight days old and a fledgling, a young bird that is ready to leave the nest but still dependent on its parents. Sometimes we’re able to spot a bit of straw showing where the nest is, and a few times our custodians have gotten me a ladder so that I could put a baby bird back into the nest. But this baby bird’s nest was nowhere in sight. Mark and Trudy could hear the chirping from what they thought must be his nest, but it was so deep into the rafters that they couldn’t reach it. So they did the next best thing: they brought it to me. I named him Bob, after a science teacher here at the high school, Bob Oddo.
Improvised nest
I’ve had him a week now. Bob is doing great. He eats constantly and he recognizes my voice and face. I feed him egg yolks, wet cat food, cherries, grapes and watermelon pieces every 45 minutes. I know what to feed him because I went on a bird site that explained the care of orphan starlings (each species eats differently). I introduced sweet potatoes yesterday into his cat food and he loved it. These birds are so smart, they can learn to mimic other birds and also humans. Some people make pets out of them, but they do live for a long time, so you have to be committed to the relationship and have a huge cage and allow them to come and go. They are very noisy birds and in nature they are a very aggressive species. They are known to take away other birds’ nesting grounds. They will fight for their home in the trees and rafters and they usually win. They eat a lot of bugs that are annoying in the garden. They eat beetles, ant eggs, and grub worms as well as fruit and seeds. Bob eats every 45 minutes all day long and as much as he wants. It’s impossible to overfeed a bird; they know when to stop. The books all tell you to give it as much as it will take.
Cat food on the menu!
Once the sun goes down, I give him his last feeding for the day and he is in for the night. He nestles in the cage, usually under an old sock or soft cloth and tissues. He instinctively goes to sleep and does not make a sound until morning. I keep him near the window so that he will hear the other birds chirping and hopefully, he will hear his “song.” When he is ready, he will fly out of the cage himself, hang around for a month or two and then, with a little luck, he will be on his way to make his own family and my job will be done.
There is a very special feeling upon seeing a baby survive out of the wild and knowing that you helped it. Out of the wild and into your hearts.
Terry Michelotti has been a receptionist for Horace Greeley H.S. for almost 15 years. She is a mother of three and grandmother of 11-month-old twins, a boy and a girl, and a ten year old girl. She has two dogs and cat at home but has always had a love for all animals, domesticated or wild.
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