Baby bird rescue, flying the Israeli flag

I’n not sure where to start, there’s been so much going on, and I’m talking about just today.I guess I’ll work backwards and hope nothing else of note happens this evening! I’m still in shock over this morning. I’ll post about that next.

I’ve got a baby bird in my closet. It is a ‘hopper’ — that is, it is in that 24-hour space between being able to hop about and to fly. A couple of hours ago, I heard one of the outside semi-feral rescue cats making unusual cat sounds. At the same time, a momma bird was in the pecan tree making frantic ‘come to Mamma” sounds. Then I heard a baby bird make a very, very not-good sound. I ran out of the front room, off the porch, and discovered Liberty with a bird in his mouth. Clap, clap, ‘shah, shah’ and, thankfully, he dropped his prey and retreated. With the Mama bird still shrieking her lungs out above, I collected little Hopper and brought it inside. It does not appear to have been injured but in the morning it will go to a Wildlife rescue as soon as they open at 9am. Unfortunately, they had just closed when we called but they can take the baby in the morning. They will give the baby a course of antibiotics (in case there was a bite puncture or scratch) and release it when they are sure it is ok. In the meantime, it is in an enclosed cardboard box (with air holes) and some water and ensconced in my closet.

My huge Israeli flag is in the wash. Tomorrow, after Baby Hopper is delivered to the bird experts, I’ll be hanging it up to fly off the porch in preparation for Yom Ha’Atzmaut.