Week 6

Here is a pic I took earlier today...



Glad it's not bald any more.. I was about to special order a wig for it.. LOL
It is even getting tail feathers now!!!!!
Still working on learning to fly.. it follows me around the yard looking for bugs.. it hops and goes about 3 or 4 ft.. so far longest flight was about 7ft off my hand to yard.. Landings are ROUGH too.. the 7ft ended in tail over beak roll.. it just got up shook it's head and started hopping around the yard..
Gina *BabyBlue*

2 BIG thumbs UP for GINA .. Absolutly awesome My Friend ..
So is it GINA MOMMA BIRD NOW ? Tammy

How cute is that! Do we know what it is? You should be a very proud Mama! Congratulations!

I am seriously thinking it is Indigo Bunting.. (breaks out in song *bye bye baby bunting poppas gone a hunting*)

here are a few links..
Photo of a female indigo bunting..
http://www.critterlight.com/Indigo-Bunting-3-092004.jpg

Excellent info page.. even has bird sound recording you can listen to..
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Indigo_Bunting_dtl.html
clip from that page...
"Habitat
Breeds in brushy and weedy areas along edges of cultivated land, woods, roads, power line rights-of-way, and in open deciduous woods and old fields. Winters in weedy fields, citrus orchards, and weedy cropland."

CITRUS ORCHARDS!!! no wonder it likes to hunt bugs where I keep the citrus trees.. or maybe that is because that is where I go and it follows?? LOL

I read that Indigo Buntings are caught in Mexico and kept as song birds..

My baby is finding it's song.. have caught it "singing" a few times now.. Wish I knew when it was going to sing.. I'd record it and share.. it is a sweet little song..

Not sure I will ever find out with out a doubt what it is.. There is the possibility that it is a Blue Grosbeak.. they are similar to the indigo bunting.. but I don't recall if the birds that I have seen out at my mom's have the wing band that the grosbeaks have.. also my bird looks closer to a female I Bunting than females B Grosbeak.. and juveniles tend to look like females no matter what sex the baby bird is..

Maybe I should change my name to MammaIndigoBlue?? LOL

Gina *BabyBlue*

Dear MammaIndigoBlue,
I like it LOL

thanks for sharing the links with us all i really have been fallowing this thread . very interesting if you can get its song id love to hear it .
Gina thank you for this its insperational .Tammy

This is.. OH NO!! HERE COMES THAT BRIGHT FLASH AGAIN!!!




Not sure where to go from here.. Still not a 100% ID on the bird.. and it isn't all that afraid of ppl or other animals..(Just flashing cameras!! ) I'm thinking letting it go would not be good for it..
Up till now I've always been real good about raiseing them and turning them loose.. But I've never started with something SOOO young..
Do I just let it go and HOPE instinct kicks in?? it still doesn't like to fly.. it prefers to hop or walk.. But it has been days since I have had to feed it the dog food mixture.. It just stopped "begging" one day.. every so often it flutters it's wings when i walk by the cage but it is so I will stop and pick it up.. I think it is just TOO spoilt!! It doesn't care to bug hunt any more.. why when it has yummy seeds in it's cage?? Hunting bugs with mom is just too hot and too much work.. I'd rather be inside munchin on seeds I don't have to work for..
Looks like I might just see it as a 1 yr adult.. and if it is a male maybe see some pretty colors..

It still squeeks out a little tune now and then..
Just thought I'd give an update on how the bird is..
Gina *BabyBlue*

Great Job Gina !

Been meaning to get on here & ask if it flew away. I just think it's amazing that you nurtured it for this long! You should tell some wildlife society your story & show pics.
What would it do if you let it loose in the yard? You mean it wouldn't fly away? If not, that's even more amazing. That bird loves you, Mama!

Patty, I take it out and try to get it to fly.. It flutters to the ground.. if I walk away it hops behind me peeping it's complaints all the way till I stop.. then it hops over under me.. if I set in a chair it will set under the chair.. some times it ventures out.. but usually only a few feet and then hops back... It is rather attached to me.. Grooming in the animal kingdom is a sign of great affection.. this bird will sit on my shoulder and groom my hair... It loves me for sure..

Laaz, Thanks!!

Gina *BabyBlue*

THAT is just totally amazing, & one for the books. Keep us posted.

Just a quick update on how the baby bird is doing...

Still about the same size but is getting more and more black feathers that when the light hits just right they look blue..



Going to have to get it a round cage or larger one.. I have tried to adjust the bar it perches on move it our from the back wall but it is still some how managing to keep it's tail feathers and wing feathers terrible looking..
I am hoping that by next spring all of it's feathers will be adult feathers and I will be able to tell better what it is.. still a few types of birds it can be.. I'm still thinking Indigo Bunting.. still not 100% sure.. it still likes to hop around following me around the house and yard.. if it gets startled it flies up about 3 ft.. but I haven't seen it go any further than that.. Maybe just a momma's boy?? when not in the cage he doesn't wander far from me..

I'll keep you all posted..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Here are latest photos...








A few weeks ago hubbies conure desided to teach the baby to fly.. So now the bird flies around the house and fav places to land are back of the couch or in my citrus grove.. Now to teach it to pick bugs off the citrus trees and I'll be set!!!

In the am if I forget to open the curtains the bird reminds me.. it chatters at me untill I do.. Then when ppl or animals walk by it sings to them..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina
I am about 90% sure that you have raised a male Cowbird. It is a parasite in that it throws out the eggs of other birds such as the Cardinal and lays its own eggs in the nest. After this it flies away never to see it’s young again. Once in a while the host bird realizes what has happened and abandons the nest.
Even though this bird is hated by many, it does not take away anything from the kindness and help that you have given one of God’s creatures.
Karl

Karl, these animals are known as "freeloaders". We have them in most animals such as fishes, and more prevalently humans.

I think Gina has turned this bird away from the "dark" side of the force and has taught the bird the right way, with all of those kindness being showered, who would not be converted over?

Joe
I agree. The way it is growing and pampered it will probably be to fat to fly anyway.
Karl