baby bird

the other day i came home from work and everybody was outside staring at the ground. a little birdy had fallen from its nest and nobody knew quite what to do. around our place the birds have been busy all spring and summer building nests that will protect their little guys. these mommas are pretty good at it too. many have opted for leaving the traditional tree branches where predators can still climb and have picked out more creative spots.
last year a momma bird built a nest right outside our front door under the stairwell above us. there was no way anything without a ladder was getting up there. this little guy's mom built her nest in the corner of a carport roof frame where it sat perched on a piece of electrical conduit. (maybe that kept it warmer) as i inspected the little home i couldn't believe how small it was. and there were still 3 other baby birds up there. this little guy must have gotten pushed out.
well i didn't want to just stuff him back up there without knowing he was ok and i also wasn't sure if the old stories i've heard over the years about the mother abandoning the nest because the scent of man is now there were true also. so i carefully cradled him into a dishtowel nest, stuck him in a soda can box and took him over to the local animal rescue. apparently they'd been seeing a few of these incidents that day as i heard someone say "oh, another one"
i don't know what happened to our little lost birdy. they don't really do follow ups. if he checked out ok i was told he'd be released in a little preserve with all the other fallen angels. it's a funny thing. i'm not really sure if i did a good deed or just screwed up the whole survival of the fittest deal. either way i do hope this little guy gets a chance to fly someday.