Saving a little bird storytime - Show Me A Photo Contest Round 275

One night I noticed something unusual: a small bird perched on a branch near the busy street. It caught my attention because these little birds usually sleep at night.

---

So I carefully picked it up, and when it didn't resist, it was obvious to me that something was wrong. From that night on, I did what I could to save it.

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

This is the chosen photo for the contest.

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

I thought it was a chick, although even now I'm not 100% sure if it was a baby bird or an adult. I fed it fruit puree and gave it water with a syringe. On the second day, it was much more lively, fluttering and singing, but it still didn't look completely well.

On the third and fourth days, it declined again. Even though it was eating well, I could see its health deteriorating. Nevertheless, I cared for it for about four days.

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

I kept it in a small cage, and in the afternoons, I placed it on the windowsill. On his last day, he sat at the window for a while, singing peacefully as the breeze blew. He gazed up at the sky and the trees.

His energy was lower than usual, but he still seemed lively. By late afternoon, he couldn't hold on any longer; he grew weaker and his chirping grew softer and softer. I held him in my hands until it passed away.

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

It was a sad moment. I placed him on a table and prepared to bury him in the garden. A little while later, before taking him away, I saw a terrible scene that explained the cause of his illness.

Several larvae had emerged from his small body, from an abscess on his neck, which I had noticed before but didn't know what it was.

I assume they were larvae of some kind of fly or other parasitic insect; they even had the color of the food I gave the bird, meaning they were feeding on it directly. Of course, I didn't take any pictures of that moment. I cleaned the area and removed the larvae, then left it in the garden.

Although this is completely natural, including death, it was a sad moment not being able to help this little bird, but at least it had a few last peaceful days instead of dying that one cold night.

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦❀◦

I haven't yet investigated what kind of parasite it had, although it's surely common among many types of birds.

I'm sorry to share this sad and maybe long story, but I wanted to remember the life of this little bird and how it fought for its life. I wish it could have returned to nature and I could have photographed him in its natural environment and not in my room.

Rest in peace, little friend.

Have a great day and thanks for checking out my post ♥︎
By Kitsune Fer @kitzune 🌸

---