Baby Bird Nursury

Hi everyone! I fell heir to two baby blue jays- naked as can be - absolutely no feathers. I was sitting at the kitchen table, and two adult jays kept flying down by the rosebush beside my kitchen window, making a lot of racket. When I went outside, I found that the neighbor's cat had already killed one of the babies. Two others were still hiding under the rose bush, and the parents kept harassing the cat, in an attempt to protect their babies, but weren't having much luck. As I have a crape myrtle, that I have enclosed in chickenwire as a makeshift nursury, I picked up the babies and moved them to this enclosure, so the cat couldn't get to them. The top of the tree cage has a 4X4 foot wide opening, that allows the parent birds to get to the babies to feed them. The last 2 days, the parent jays have been flying down on a regular basis, and feeding the babies. They seem to be doing o.k. so far. It seems that every year, about this time, somehow I fall heir to some babies.

What a rescuer you are Ladyhawke! Were you also able to retrieve the nest for the naked babies to snuggle in?
Jean

[ Removed per member request. - Admin]

Glad your babies are doing well. I'm a veterinarian, and we always get a few orphans in this time of year. Its so much better if the parents get to feed the younsters. When we try to feed them sometimes they make it and sometimes they don't (and its so heartbreaking when they don't!) Yesterday I received an orphaned baby squirrel to hand raise. So far its not eating on its own and has to be tube fed. But we'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Several years back we raised 3 at the hospital. Eventually our office maager took them home to release in the woods by her house. For years she would see three wacko squirrels running around the trees together and she knew they were "our babies"!

Jean,

I wasn't able to locate a nest, but there is a beach blanket in the bottom of this 7 foot tree cage to keep the babies warm at night. I live in central California, and the nights have been fairly warm, so they seem to be doing o.k. Will keep you all posted on their progress.

Kat,

About 5 years ago, I had the opportunity to raise 3 baby gray tree squirrels. The parents had built the nest near the top of a 40 ft. elm, and the nest had fallen through. I just happened to be walking by, when I found 2 newborns (eyes not yet open) spread eagle on the ground. The third was hanging on for dear life to a small twig about a foot below the nest. I just had enough time to run into the house to grab a pillow, and place it in the box. I ran outside and just caught the baby in the box as it was falling. We put the box up in the tree, but the mother never did come back for the babies. I bottle fed a baby formula of canned milk and Unilac. At first I would try to get 4-10 cc's down them every 2 hours, and all three thrived. Later on, I used to get a kick out of watching them fall over backwards, as they tried to crack open a nut.
The crape myrtle tree cage was originally built as a nursury for them. At 5 months, all 3 (2 females and a little male) were released, and took up residence on our street. I wish you the best of luck with your baby, and I am sure it could be in no better hands. Please let us know how things go.

Ladyhawke