Evening star., 1944-07-22
This and That
BY Charles E. TrdceUell.
FOREST GLEN. Md

".
Dear Sir:
Il have been raising robin which fell
out OF his nest and is now about a month
old. He is big bird now and can fly,
but still insists upon being fed by hand,
He has thrived on a ration of liver,
steak, bread, egg yolk, an occasional
worm and water by medicine dropper.
Now and then he will pick up some food
on his own accord.
Naturally, this bird has the impress
sion that all human beings are his
friends, which is dangerous psychology
for any bird or any other living creature
i 90 not wish to deprive this robin of
his liberty or of natural existence any
longer than is necessary for his own
protection. At the same time. do not
wish to turn him loose until he is well
able to take care of himself.
Gould you advise me in regard to the
proper time when 1t will be safe to throw
my little feathered friend on his own
resources?
Respectfully yours, M. K"
We would advise this correspondent to
keep the young robin until it can pick up
its own food.
Most baby robins raised by hand begin
to do this after about a month or six
weeks
Lifting up small rocks or stones in
order for the bird to find beetles and
others beneath them Is one of the best
ways to wean it.
This seems to appeal to the bird
nature, and will cause it to peck quicker
than any other method. Individual birds
differ widely in the way they respond to
hand feeding" Sometimes one will not
try to feed itself, whereas other speci-
mems try from the beginning to get bugs
for themselves.
Since the young. as well as old, birds
demand grit to help digest their food,
some sand or ordinary dirt should be
made available to it at all feeding times.
In reaching down for this, the bird gets
the idea OF feeding itself and will take
such small insects as may be placed
there, This IS bad year for flies, and
few defunct specimens might be fed to
baby birds on the sand or dirt.
What saves the friendly baby bird
brought up by hand is, of course, its old
friend nature.
The moment the bird is on its own, it
returns quickly to the natural state.
Only an occasional bird brought up by
hand remains so friendly that 1t is a
danger to itself through not being able
to recognize friend from foe. This will
happen, but probably not more than
once in hundred times
Usually the released bird, If it is not
kept too long-between a month and two
months is about right-will rapidly re-
vert to It's ancestral ways. It will retain
enough friendliness to recognize It's
friend who saved it's life, but in most
instances will not even return to his
hand. 1t may fly to a given limb on
some favorite tree and there talk" to its
friend, but will not often fly down to
hand
In August sometime it will Join a
small group of young birds and fy to a
nearby wood, where it will remain,
usually until late in September.
Then somes morning it will be back in
the yard, but not to be caught It makes
itself known, but that is all.
Then it joins the great bands of robins
flying South, and that is the end of
fine friendship until next spring.
II alive, that robin will, in all proba-
plilty, come back to the same yard next
spring.
Some morning little different robin
chlrp will come from favorite tree.
No doubt it will be the baby robin
grown up, splendid in full color, eager to
show off before old friends.
A sprinkle Of raisins in the grass will
do much to keep it around.
There are few finer natural friend
ships than with robin, and the best
way to work 1t up is to bring up one
which has fallen from the nest. Lilly
Belle, our own pet specimen, has re-
turned to the yard every spring for four
years.