My experience with nature

There is a relationship between man and nature, and in some cases, you really get to see it for yourself. It's an incredible experience and in the end, you feel blessed. It is something not everyone gets to experience in their life, but when you get that chance, never walk away from it, or else you will really miss out.



Everyone knows what a bird is, and everyone has seen them in the wild. I've always loved birds, but back then I was more of a dog or cat person. I didn't get to really see how wonderful birds truly were, until I had the opportunity of taking care of a wild baby. My mother had previously found and nursed some baby sparrows back to health. I was always amazed at how she was able to do it, and I wondered if I would ever get that chance, but I did. One day my mother had found another baby bird on the ground, he was much larger than the ones she was used to finding and she brought him home. He wasn't the cutest looking thing yet, and when he stood up you could see these really long legs. It turned out he was a baby Scrub Jay. So my mother took care of him for a few weeks, and then I started to help, and before I knew it the little guy seemed to really like me a lot.



My mother would feed baby birds little bits of break soaked in milk to soften them, and I learned from her how to do this. Feeding a baby bird for the first time was very exciting for me. My mother could see that I seemed to really enjoy taking care of this guy, and so she let me take on the full responsibility. Since it was Summer and I was out of school it was no problem at all. I kept the cage in my room, sitting on my window sill, and whenever he was hungry he let me know. My mother started calling him Goobers because of the dried milk he often had stuck to his face, and so that became his name. Goobers was the sweetest bird, while spending time with him, you almost forgot that he was from the wild. I spent a lot of time with him in my room before he could fly. I'd let him explore my room, but for the most part I kept him on my bed just to be safe.



My mother did have a bunch of cats, but I kept them away from him, and out of my room. Goobers became very attached to me, and would follow me everywhere. He always wanted to be a part of whatever I was doing. As a young artist, I would be coloring some of my sketches and he'd be right there on my desk, trying to play with my colored pencils and markers. I loved watching him, he was just so adorable at times. He liked to sit on my shoulder too and nibble on my ear, or if he was sitting on my hand I'd give him kisses and he'd nibble my lips. But I think the sweetest moment was the time when he was sleeping. I had a television with a built in VHS player in it, and I'd lay on my bed watching movies with him. I'd be lying on my back and he'd be right there on my stomach. I'd have one hand cupped over him to keep him warm, and he'd snuggle under it. I remember just looking at him while thinking to myself.............you're so precious, how did I ever become so lucky to have you in my life?



We had an incredible bond for sure, one that is a rare one. It continued to last even when he started to fly. He would fly around in circles in my room, and by then I had stopped feeding him the break and milk and now started feeding him live meal worms. They were disgusting and I'd often use tweezers to do it so I wouldn't touch them. He loved those, but also found the spiders in the corners of my ceiling delicious as well. I didn't even know I had spiders there, and I'd see him fly to one of the corners and I'd hear a little snap of his beak as he snared one of them. I hated spiders and so Goobers was doing me a huge favor. His flying got better and better, and it wasn't long till I started taking him outside and letting him explore, flying from tree to tree. You'd think by then he would have flown away and that was the end, but that wasn't the case at all. He'd fly around outside during the day, but at the end, his cage was out there waiting for him and he'd always return back to me. He'd always try to land on my head for some reason, and I'd put him away and take him back inside to my room.



These daily flights continued for several weeks until the day came when he finally left. It was a sad day for me, because I had gone outside and called him, knowing he usually showed up about then, but this time he didn't. My heart felt very heavy and deep down inside I knew he wouldn't come back. I also had to tell myself that he was a wild bird and he belonged with the others, not in some cage. I loved him so much, and it was hard to let him go. Needless to say, he was the only bird I had ever really bonded with like that. I did eventually end up with another baby bird, but this was many years later. And while I enjoyed taking care of him too, it wasn't the same as it had been with little Goobers. Because of this experience in my life, I discovered how wonderful birds truly are and I ended up liking them more than cats and dogs. I even got my first parakeet after the last baby bird I nursed back to health took off. I wanted my own bird, one that I would never have to release into the wild, but always care for. Even to this day I still have a special bond with birds, and I realize that I need them in my life, no matter what I'm going through, they're always there to love me and make me feel at peace.



Birds are a wonderful gift from the lord himself, and I feel truly blessed to have been able to care for wild babies. It was an experience I'll never forget, and it is also one I would like to do again someday. The last time was the year of 2003, and here it is 2011. It makes me wonder if I'll ever get that chance again. Life has been kind of dull and hectic, I think it's about time I found another little guy to take care of.