Late yesterday Boris was on the lawn, paying much attention to a bird nest that had blown out of a tree. I wandered over, and it felt heavy, but sometimes nests do have a base of dirt and mud. Lots of white wool fleece inside, feathers and soft moss. I left him, then a minute later huge squawking, and a baby bird trying so hard to hide, as the nest was slowly being untangled. A rescue, and brought it inside. I couldn’t identify it, and rang our local bird rescue lady, Dawn.
She arrived, and was so excited. This was a Shining cuckoo chick, the first she had rescued. Altough there had been adult birds, not a baby. So after a photo shoot, off they went, and today she is taking it with her to Massey University in Palmerston North, where you can study with a 5 year course for a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. The wee chick will get the once-over to make sure all is well and Dawn will give it heaps of TLC, and round the clock feeding, until it is old enough to survive out in the open once again.
This is courtesy of the Internet , both the data and photo.
Shining cuckoos are brood parasites, laying their eggs singly in nests of grey warblers (mainland) and Chatham Island warblers. Eggs are laid mostly in November, after which the adult cuckoos take no further part in breeding. Young cuckoos are dependent on their foster-parents for several weeks after fledging.
The tiny Grey Warbler feeding the much larger Shining Cuckoo chick.
The 150 Canadian Women Blocks are progressing, I am a long way behind, but finding all the information about these amazing women so humbling, and interesting.
A few more are finished,some of the group have chosen to use blue fabrics, others a variety of colours, and when I reach the #75, might switch to blues and greens.
We have rain, it is cold, the fire is lit, and this is our summer time. The family finally arrived in Vancouver, after an almost 3 hour delay on the runway with an engineering fault on the plane!!! 5Celsius over there, and one more flight to Kelowna. A very long day or night!!!
Quotation of the day, author unknown
“ Electronic communication across
oceans and countries
gives us all that sense that
we are still so close to each other”
Greetings from Jean
24 comments:
That's wonderful that you were able to save the little bird, Jean. Happy sewing on that quilt!
Hugs
Jane
A shining cuckoo - I hope it survives.
What a fabulous New Year find in your garden! Great that the wee feathery critter could be saved. Happy quilt making.
I love the quote, and that little fledgling is lucky that you got to him before Boris! :-) Glad he's safe!!
Happy sewing!!
That Shining Cuckoo chick is such a treat to get to see. Thanks for saving him/her!
I love your quilt blocks. Wonderful warm colors!
It was a few years ago that my daughter found a young owl. These days there are good rehab places and knowledgable people willing to give the needed care.In the summer we have "Little cuckoos" and they parasitise bush warblers, a much smaller bird.
I like those red blocks.
Well done you for rescuing the baby bird, I bet your cat wasn't pleased with you.
Hello, the Cuckoo chick is adorable. Love the photos. I am glad the chick was rescued. Your quilt blocks are beautiful. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!
How sweet to be part of a special bird rescue. :-)
Your quilting blocks are pretty.
Love, hugs & prayers ~ FlowerLady
Your blocks for the Canadian Women Sampler quilt are looking great! I've been in awe of everyone's progress. Good thing you got to Borris's little friend before he did. Such a sweet story of how you were able to save the little fellows life. And I love the fact that you actually have people to call that could help with the situation.
Congrats on rescuing the Shining Cuckoo chick! We have a pair of Bald Eagles hanging out on our farm. They are certainly beautiful birds but also a bit terrifying if you heard the loud swooping sound of them taking flight (from above my head and then diving in the air into the field in front of me.)In our rural county there have been small pets snatched from yards by the eagles. The next week Gracie,our new puppy and I found ourselves being watched by an eagle while on our morning walk. Your Canadian quilt blocks are quite lovely. Nothing can beat a red and white quilt.It will be interesting to see the other colors added.Hope you and Hugh are doing well.Hugs from Iowa!
Sadly we once had a Shining Cuckoo fly straight at our ranch slider on the deck, killed instantly. They are beautiful birds and it's good to know you have a bird rescue lady in your area, hope this little chick is soon back out into the wild blue yonder.
Your blocs are looking good Jean, lots more to go!!
How wonderful to be able to save a little bird, and especially one that is so interesting. Thanks for including the info about it. Birds are one of my favourite topics.
Your blocks look fabulous and I think your progress is great. It's not a race as someone said to me about the Farmer's Wife quilt. That batik maple leaf is gorgeous.
What a sweet little birdie, so glad he was rescued!! Love your blocks. Honey, are you feeling any better? I am praying for you...
I'm glad that you rescued the baby cuckoo chick from Boris, Jean. Not that Boris was doing anything bad; he was just being a cat. I'm glad that the baby bird will get a good start in life. One of my nieces is planning on going to veterinary school. She finishes her BA in Biology this year, will work, save money, and establish residency in the area where the university has the vet program she wants to take. Poor kid, her part time job this last semester is performing autopsies on coyotes that have died in western Nova Scotia! Better her than me. The photo of the tiny adult warbler feeding the huge cuckoo chick was really funny and amazing. Love your Canadian quilt blocks. Electronic communication with my blogging friends reminds me of having pencils when I was young. Have a good one, my friend!
I am so glad the bird was rescued! Your quilt blocks are looking good Jean! I hope you are feeling better.
How wonderful that you could save the bird. We have lots of Cuckoo birds in Sweden, not sure if they are the same species, but they do drop their eggs in other birds' nests. And you hear them all throughout the light early summer nights. Miss that, we don't have any here. I too wonder how you are feeling these days. I have missed a lot by not being around.
What a wonderful rescue! Good work.
We've snow today.
We took off for an overnighter! Photos to come! tee hee! xx
That rescue sure puts a smile on the face!
Your blocks are looking good!
Such an interesting bird story! Thanks for sharing the info about these birds too. I think I would like to run a bird sanctuary type of place... Interesting quilt!
Glad you were able to rescue the fellow! And that you know someone who has the rest of the know-how about giving care.
Your maple leaf block is very nice. Love the color!
What a lovely bird and also your blocks!
Nancy, so very nice to have found your blog now, and have spent some time this morning 'getting to know you.' I'm always reassured that quilters are much the same the world over. Caring people with a gift for stitch. I had a rare glimpse at your wildlife, and just loved it, too! Now I'll know the gal connected to the kind face on "150 Canadian Women". I hope to keep up with your adventures.
Never heard of a shining cuckoo; are they native to NZ? Glad you rescued it, well you and Boris! And yes, the blurb about each CA woman is so very interesting and humbling...such perseverance these ladies had, such guts and determination!
Post a Comment