He marks the fall of the sparrow

[trenchkamen]

Todd passed away this morning.

He was alive when I checked on him, then I left for twenty minutes to prepare his food, and upon returning, he was dead. No pulse, no movement, no response upon warming.

I know we did the damn well best we could to save the little guy, but I keep thinking, futile as I know it is, that if only I had been there with food twenty minutes earlier...

I've already notified Rachel, and she seems far more okay than I was expecting. We've made peace with the fact that he had very little chance to begin with. I still feel oddly empty.

I'm already running late for work.

Comments

[miwasatoshi.livejournal.com]

It's really, really, really hard to keep young birds alive. I never take them in -- I feel it's better to either hope the parents come back for them (they often do) or just let nature take its course. There are exceptions, and it is highly situational -- when you know the parents are dead, for example, or if the bird is noticeably injured -- in which case I direct-dial Liberty Wildlife and see if they can do something. I wouldn't even remotely attempt rehabbing a raptor or a heron ... those are for pros only!

In the case of European Starlings and House Sparrows, the answer is always no, as they're non-native and compete with native species for food and nesting space.

There really wasn't much you could've done ... but it was still worth the effort. *hug*

[trenchkamen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I usually don't try to take in sick little birds unless I think they have a chance to survive or would benefit from human intervention. Rachel is the one who found him in the middle of the parking lot outside her nail salon and brought him home. She has a huge soft spot for hurt animals. And, since she had already handled him and trussed him up in a box, the damage was done. His parents wouldn't take him back now.

Regardless of his species, of which I am still not sure, I can't help but feel he deserved a chance. I know from a population dynamics standpoint if he is an invader it is just as well he died before reaching reproductive age, but damned if I can convince myself of that when I see my sister and dad nursing him back to health in a cardboard box.

I know I did all I could. I'm not all that upset, just disappointed. I would feel worse if I didn't even try.