Whether you spend a lot of time outdoors, or if you simply remember the old Chiffon margarine commercials from the 1970s, you know that “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” But maybe, just maybe, it’s sometimes okay to give her a helping hand.
Last week’s windy weather brought just such an opportunity. It was late in the day on Wednesday, and I was getting ready to head home. But my plans took an unexpected detour when a family walked into the Parks Department office at the Pottawatomie Community Center.
We typically get visitors throughout the day, and most are people looking for information about our parks or how to reserve a picnic shelter. But this family was different. They came bearing a baby robin.
The little ball of bird, all fluff and pin feathers, had been found in the community center parking lot, the mom and kids explained. It was clearly several days away from fledging, or being ready to leave the nest. Could we do something about it?
Well, at that time of the day, “we” was just me, and I’m no wildlife rehabilitator. But luckily, the little bird looked uninjured. And the family said they could show me exactly where they found it.
Knowing that the best care for a baby bird (or any other sort of healthy, young wildlife) comes from its own parents, I crossed my fingers that we’d find a nest near where the little bird was found. I also hoped that the nest would be easily accessible, and that the parents would be near by.
Well, like the song says, two out of three ain’t bad.
We could hear mom and dad robin chattering as we approached the area where the baby was found. And the family’s sharp-eyed children quickly pointed out the nest. Alas, it was situated about 12 feet up in the tree, at the end of a thin branch. Reaching it would be no easy feat.
Plan A was to climb the tree. But a few feeble attempts to swing onto the lowest branch only served to prove that my tree-climbing days are well behind me.
Plan B was to get a ladder. But the 6-ft. stepladder from the utility room was about six feet too short. On to Plan C…find a bigger ladder!
Luckily, a 16-footer in the Parks Dept. garage filled the bill. The family politely agreed to brace the legs while I climbed up. After pausing just a moment to get some leaves out of my mouth, voila! Baby robin was back in its nest. Mom robin (or was it dad?) chirped from higher up in the tree, and all was right with the world.
Or was it? I looked at the nest, all cockeyed on the branch. No wonder the baby had fallen out! The one small twig that had supported the mud and grass structure had broken away. With more wind in the forecast, it probably wouldn’t be long before, rock-a-bye baby, that nest was going to fall, and down would come robins, baby and all.
However, just a few millimeters away from the precariously perched nest, another, stronger twig grew from the branch. If only there was a way to curve it around the base of the nest…
I expressed a wish for some sort of wire to secure the twig. The kids down below patted their pockets and shrugged. But then, yay! Human mom came to the rescue with the perfect solution: dental floss!
Good old Glide—turns out it’s not only shred resistant and easy on the gums, but it also does a great job keeping ash twigs fastened around a bird nest. Who knew?!
That night, at home, I worried just a bit that the robin parents wouldn’t approve of our housing amendments. Maybe the nest was no longer at the proper angle. Or maybe the white floss would somehow seem threatening. First thing the next morning, I went straight to the tree to survey the situation.
Mom robin came by first, with what looked like a mulberry in her mouth. She stuffed it into the baby’s gaping beak and flew away. A few minutes later, dad robin came by with either a worm or caterpillar—more breakfast for baby. Shortly thereafter, mom returned again with another juicy morsel. The robin family was just fine—thanks be to Glide!
Pam Otto is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at potto@stcparks.org or 630-513-4346.