Cardinals are *very* territorial and will try to drive their own reflections away. Try hanging some streamers over the window to discourage the bird from the window or to at least let her know there's a barrier there.

A few years ago we too had a Cardinal who seemed possessed with his reflection in the picture window. We tried all sorts of things and finally stretched a sheet of plastic, such as used for window insulation over the outside of the window attaching it over the frame. This created a plastic cushion so even if the crazed Cardinal did go at it full force, he would bounce off without harm. Thankfully he gave up after 2 days of the plastic film. Perhaps it lessened the reflection of the glass?

You explained glaucoma very nicely! Thanks. We'll need to wait for a response to the treatment before we can say if Barry can be free to go. He's come this far ... We certainly can't give up on him now! Barry is getting Timolol Maleate every 12 hours.

Our Mr. Cardinal needed five months to recover from his car accident before he was released. We can't expect someone as delicate as a little bird to fully recover in less than two weeks from a hit and run.

Ah, C3D, I do hope it's temporary ..... but I know if he cannot be released that you will take good care of him. And at least the banana plant will stay de-wormed and well fertilized! Bless your heart for caring about our feathered friends.

It's ME! Hello.

My stark jail cell now has some vines on the branches and I can hide under a large fern for privacy. Everyone here is quite odd. Some form of human feels they need to catch me twice daily. So far they have not eaten me but appear to be preparing me with a special seasoning they instill in my eye.

I try to get away but cannot get far so I bite as hard as I can but it does not phase them. They try to calm me with a gentle rub on the neck. I caught myself stretching out my neck a few times because it did feel good! I corrected the trance like state I was in and bite the human again.

And how do they retaliate? I have a bowl of worms, some skinny things called mealworms and a special delicacy known as waxworms. These are very chubby and delicious. The bowl is always filled. A separate bowl of an assortment of chopped fruits of watermelon, two kinds of grapes, kiwi fruit, cantaloupe, honeydew, blueberries and strawberries are given twice daily.

A third bowl has moistened dry dog food and canned dog food. Can you believe it? In some respects these humans show some intelligence but I am a bird and they are giving me dog food. I only ate it because I wanted to be polite. They do seem to care about me but I am not sure why. I don't like this at all but am told this is part of my recovery and I will go free.

I tried to take a bath but just had a relaxing foot soak when no one was watching. One of the worms went for a bath but the smaller human removed him and put him back in the container with soil. No matter. I'll find him later.

They say they don't know what day I am to fly this coop. I hope they are not leading me along and I will be their captive like that guy in the speckled jacket. Although .... He doesn't seem upset that he is employed as a greeter of sorts. He visits my jail cell often and we talk then he goes back and tells the other captives.

He is an intelligent and very likable fellow. Sweet sweet I believe is his name. Oh, I need to go and poop now. Excuse me.

Barry

omg - lol! :) That was the best thing I have read in ages!
(ahem... composing myself...)

Dear Barry,

I'm so happy that you felt well enough today to write in your journal! I'm guessing by now you are done pooping, (and pooping some more) filled your belly with delicious wiggly worms and fruit, and you've settled under the fern for a good night's rest.

I'm glad that the humans are helping you feel better. I wanted to tell you - I was in what you bird-types call a jail cell last year. Us human-types call it a Hospital.

Well, let me tell you - they took me to this very cold room , stuck sharp things in my arms that made me go to sleep and the next thing I remember was having a huge belly ache when I woke up! I also had these things called staples in my belly that the humans said wouldn't hurt, but they did.

They gave me this button to push to make the hurting stop, but it just made my brain feel really stupid. I guess feeling stupid-weird and drooling on myself was better than getting annoyed at all the turning, poking, prodding, and these huge air-filled things they put on my legs that seemed to be breathing all by themselves!

Anyway, they did not rub my neck when they came to poke around on me every two hours, they didn't feed me delicious fruits or plump anythings! The only thing they brought me was this cloudy jello *blech* that had protein in it *eyeroll* I wanted *delicious* and they had the nerve to only bring me *blech*!

I didn't like them very much. I had a peculiar room mate, kind of like your new friend in the speckled jacket, only the one next to me didn't like to talk, she yelled for the humans a lot and snored so loud - all day and night!

I'm glad you have a speckled-jacket friend to talk to. It does make the day pass having visitors.

I know it's hard for you to understand why you have to stay in your bird-hospital-jail-cell, but believe me, it's better than where the humans go when they are sick!

I'm betting when you are finally released from your hospital-cage, you'll want to stay around there because those humans sure serve-up the good stuff to eat!

Well, I need to go and... sleep now (yeah, that's it! heheh!)

Hope you feel well enough to write more soon. I really liked reading about your day.

Linda

It is not good news for our dearest Barry Robin. He had his appointment this morning with the ophthalmologist and the pressure in his eye has not improved. It is still too high. Now there is no light reflex so it is thought that there is permanent damage to the optic nerve and Barry is blind in the left eye.

He is not someone who is considered releasable. I asked what was the next step for Barry and the ophthalmologist said: "Euthanasia!" EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!

Oh no. We're not having that! Not now. Barry is now on another kind of eye medicine which he gets three times a day plus continue the medicine for pain. He'll get the pressures checked next week. If there is no improvement then there are not too many options left.

He would either need pain medicine forever or get the eye removed so the source of pain is permanently gone. I can't imagine killing Barry. He sings, he flies, he eats and is a very charming fellow! If the worst comes to pass he would have his eye removed. We certainly don't want him to be in pain all the time! This is very upsetting and I *hate* the idea that he has lost his freedom.

On the other hand .... Mr. Cardinal was diagnosed as permanently blind too fairly early on but after living here 5 months he was released after he had been healed. Maybe Barry needs more time and he certainly deserves every chance he can get. So .... Barry will be living with us for a while longer and we'll see how things go. *~*~*~*SIGH!*~*~*~*

Hang in there, Barry! You have humans who are going way above and beyond what most humans do for you feathery guys.

To ChickaDDD - I hope that Barry will survive. Would it be so bad if he had to live with you? I belong to a forum for owners of cats with an especially intractable form of cancer, injection site fibrosarcoma. The policy now is to recommend amputation if the ISS appears on the limb in which the injection was given. We say that it is not just losing the leg, but also losing the cancer. So maybe you could think of this as Barry losing his pain, not just his eye.

What a loving thing you are doing for your part of the world. I am saving this very special thread, for inspiration.

Hi.

As it stands now, Barry has already lost his eye. That cascade of events happened with the initial impact injury. He is also considered too high maintenance to go to a nature center that houses unreleasable birds. He's now getting Pilocarpine 1% every 8 hours along with pain medicine by mouth. There's a whole host of other medications that can be tried should this latest rounds of meds not work. Since his pain is controlled the actual removal of the eye would be the last option.

Outwardly Barry seems 10000000% normal. Once caught he seems 100000000% OK .... except .... he has no ~menace response~. That is to say if you make a motion toward his face on the left side, he doesn't blink or react in any way. He cannot see. On the right side he blinks; he turns his head; he bites. He sees.

Sometimes the rescue and rehabilitation of a bird or other animal doesn't go as smoothly as would be hoped. He survived the initial concussion and skull fractures and bruising. He's made it this far and since he was brought to my door I need to make sure he is 100% sound to go back outside. That includes the very important ophthalmologist exam which all our refugees must go through prior to release.

Would it be so bad to live out his life here? There's a moral dilemma. I know he'd be happier outside flying free and running across the green grass. To be a captive in a small cage and being caught three times a day and get some drops in the eyes? Not so great. To be a captive, minus the painful eye, and free to fly in a huge flight cage with other birds safe from hawks, well fed and not getting caught daily, not too bad at all.

The number one priority is to have Barry pain free! The second priority is restore his sight if possible. The last would be the best. A release into the wild.

I think we need to try all our options to let Barry save his eye and perhaps have his sight restored before we make that irreversible decision to remove the eye and sentence him to life without parole. He's got an appointment with another ophthalmologist for a second opinion.

Injection site fibrosarcoma? What an evil cancer that is! Do you have a kitty with it? All cancer is evil! :*(

Well, that's pretty clear. I understand what you mean by saying that he's already "lost" his eye. Do birds have a way of compensating for lost vision, such as turning their heads farther, as humans would do?

I hope that Barry will be able to live with you if he can't be completely free. That's a decision that only you can make though, as only you know the whole situation. Boy, how many times have I written that sentence to cat owners dealing with I.S. Fibrosarcoma! What would we like, as opposed to what is best for the animal. And yes, I had a cat with ISS. She lived very comfortably with it for 3 1/2 years, but we finally had to say good-bye to her. It was in her scruff, so there wasn't the possibility of amputation, and am not sure if I would have done that to her anyway. Cutting way back on vaccinations is the primary reason - aside from their safety - that my two cats now are indoors only. And we can now have a bird feeding area without feeling that we're raising dinner for the kitties.

Wishing you and Barry much good luck!

When our Cardinal was recovering from his run-in with a car, the chamber of one of his eyes was filled with blood and it took months to have the sight restored. He was *very* fidgety and was constantly turning his head and changing positions to check his blind side. As the sight improved in his eye his need to constantly change positions decreased. Barry doesn't do that constant turning. He seems more mellow. Maybe a species or just an individual difference? His pain medicine (Metacam) doesn't make him sleepy.

If Barry's condition calls for it, he is more than welcome to have an extended stay here. There's no plans to kick him out and certainly euthanasia isn't in the plans at all as long as he isn't in pain. The worst is that he is annoyed by us having to catch him three times a day and he does thoroughly scold us when we are done each time as only a Robin can do! He *really* likes his blueberries, watermelon, blackberries and strawberries. Guess we should have named him Berry. LOL!

Another Barry update with the next appointment.

Sorry to hear about your kitty ... but OMG! Three and a half years with an aggressive cancer like she had is amazing! To be able to decide what is best for your fuzzy family member and put their needs first. That is the ~ultimate~ act of love and courage isn't it? It is the hardest thing to do and the kindest because there does come a point when you just *know* it is time and your pet lets you know it's OK.

I've had several patients with the IS Fibrosarcoma. Fortunately they are less and less seen as vaccination practice as well as the vaccines themselves have improved. There is research on the horizon that microchips may cause an increased risk of cancer at the chip site.

C3D

Hmmmmmm .... How you say in English?
WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!
Barry CAN SEE!

Just now I went to give him his medicine and checked if there is any response to movement on his left side. He turned his head and nipped at me! Maybe he got a cue from something else so both Mike and I tried to approach his left side from different ways. He saw us coming each time! He can see from both eyes!

How well can he see? I have no idea but it is a HUGE improvement with just two days of the new medicine. The pressure in his eye must have reduced at least some allowing the optic nerve to function. Would his glaucoma resolve completely and he can be off the medicine? Don't know that either but at least we are on the right track again. The rollercoaster ride continues.

I've **NEVER** been so happy to get my finger pecked! :-) x 13!

I don't post often, but I just had to jump in and tell you that I love reading about Barry. I've been checking this thread every day. :-)

We have a pair of robins nesting in our courtyard, and I find myself worrying about them just as if they were family pets. Glad to read that Barry is getting such concerned and thoughtful care.

Why does the caged bird sing? This morning we have been treated to two hours of Barry's sweet Robin song! How cool is that? :-) He's given us snippets here and there but this was the full blown lilting early morning song they sing when all is dark.

Yesterday's afternoon and evening eye treatment was met with the same reaction to seeing motion on his left side. He turned and bites! It was not just a fluke or delusions of hopefulness. Barry can see. How well? Time will tell. He's *got* to be feeling better if he feels well enough to sing. That's the most important aspect of Barry's imprisonment ... that he is comfortable and on the mend.

It took a couple of months before our Mr. Cardinal would serenade us with his songs. Eventually we heard four distinct melodies from him. We do hope Barry just needs more time for things to heal and he can get off his eye medicine and go free.

Hooray for Barry! :-)

Hi everyone.

Well it has been a week since Barry was switched to the new medicine to try to treat his glaucoma. We went for the scheduled re-check appointment with the ophthalmologist this morning. The fantastic news? The pressures in BOTH eyes are normal!

The pressure should be in the 20s (like for people) and Barry had 24 in the right and a 27 in the left eye this morning. Last week Barry was at 24 in the right and 49 in the left. Hooray for Barry!

Now the plan is to cut back on the eye drops from three times a day to twice a day. We'll do that for about 2 weeks then cut back to once a day for about two weeks. If all seems OK we will try going without the eye drops for a week and check the pressures in the eyes. If they stay normal .... he is free to leave and be a wild bird again with LOTS of stories to tell his friends.

Right now all that would keep Barry here would be if the pressure goes back up as the medicine decreases. So far, so very good!

C3D :-)

I have the same problem. What is Barry using?

It's been awhile since I've been here, so a double WooHoo for him! Normal pressure in both eyes AND he's singing! Fingers and paws are crossed here for him to continue thriving and to eventually return to his good bird life. I am wondering - do some birds become so accustomed to people and all that good food that, even though they're released, they stay around? Or would that be counter-intuitive for a migratory bird?

Just to wrap up the ISS story of our cat: she was on prednisolone for the entire time that she had the disease. Even during the 25 months from its first appearance to its first recurrence. She was always underweight and our vet was concerned about this, as she had to battle the cancer. So he put her on 2.5 mgs of pred every other day for the duration. About 2 1/2 months before she died, she went to every day, and then at last to 5 mgs per day. We've always wondered if the pred didn't slow the tumor growth. There's a bit of research that suggests that it might.

Happy recovery to Barry and congrats to you for a job well-done!

Barry gets Pilocarpine 1% solution. He started getting the new solution on May 5th and we saw he was better within two days! He was scheduled to have his recheck a week after starting the new medicine which was today.

Today's exam .... The ophthalmologist put eye drops into Barry's eyes that are an anesthetic for the corneas. She then turned off the lights and examined his eyes with a light and various lenses to see the details of his retinas and other eye structures. All was normal as it has been from the first exam.

The lights were turned on again and Barry had something called a Tono-Pen placed on his eye repeatedly and that instrument measures the internal eye pressure. The doctor repeated the measurments three times on each side to make sure they were a true reading.

Here's a site that kinda describes the instrument:

http://vet.reicherttonopen.com/

The ophthalmologist did not see much of a light reflex from Barry's left eye. That is to say the pupil did not get smaller when a light was shined in the eye ... yet ... he did turn and try to peck at her on the left side! Just like he did with us!

Hmmmm! Maybe he sees motion or shadows? Maybe he needs more time for the optic nerve to recover now that the pressure is normal? We have lots of time for Barry to recover. We won't try to rush anything but are pleased as could be that he truly is getting better!

Some of our hand raised Robins, the Bobolink, the Chipping Sparrows, and one of the Flickers did stay around our yard for many months or longer. One of the Robins came back and showed off her chicks and the Flicker came back *demanding* another meal! LOL!

Our Mr. Cardinal was released last July after recovering here for five months after a run-in with a car. He and his Mrs. now have chicks in the front garden. :-)

If Barry can be released, he is free to do as he likes. We would love for him to stick around but if he moves on we wish him only the best. He's always welcome to come back.

So we started Barry on a reduced frequency of the eye medication Monday going from 3 times a day to two times a day. I don't know if it is time to panic and cry. Barry did not sing Thursday or Friday. Does he just not have anything to sing about or is his eye hurting him since we went from three times a day to twice a day for the eye drops?

We gave the drops three times Friday. If he starts singing again .... I guess we know he *NEEDS* to have his eye drops. A veterinarian friend will let us use his Tono-Pen to check Barry's eye pressures but we can't get that until next week.

Just after one day of back to three times a day for the eye drops ... Right now he's singing as happily as can be.

From a non-scientific data type of observation I'd say that means he is more comfortable with the three times a day schedule. The last two days also we noticed Olive, the parrot, was very quiet too. Did she know Barry was in pain? Did he tell her something? Is she just madly in love with him? Right now she too is merrily chattering away.

Just thinkin' out loud here .......

* Maybe he needs the drops 3 times a day longer before we start to cut back?
* Maybe we gradually go down with an alternating 2x/day - 3x/day schedule?
* Maybe I am insane and over reacting and Barry is fine on 2x / day?

I am *really* hating this rollercoaster ride!

We'd *never* end Barry's life because of his eye problem. He's too precious! We would consider ending his pain permanently with the removal of the eye if he tells us he doesn't want to be caught multiple times a day forever ... knowing he would be in jail forever after that decision.

For now .... Barry sings his sweet song and we'll give him the drops three times a day. Next week when we get the Tono-Pen we can measure his eye pressures frequently at home when he's on the drops two times a day and hopefully have the data to back-up my insanity plea. We'll need to see what the ophthalmologist thinks about this too.

I'll letcha know what Barry, Olive and the Tono-Pen have to say about this.

C3D

I am patient and know that body parts take time to heal. If ya think about it ... Tiny bird VS huge speeding car. He's lucky he wasn't made part of the pavement. If it was a person who was in a car accident it may take close to a year to recover. I can't rush his healing but do get frustrated that we have set-backs.

Barry has been singing and today's eye pressures were both 25! Hooray! He gets the drops three times a day. Tomorrow we'll do the eye drops twice a day and measure his eye pressure. We'll repeat the same the next day and figure out if his singing and apparent happiness / comfort really does have anything to do with the eye pressure.

We'll figure it out ... I hope!

Not much going on here.

It's basically the same routine for me these days. I start singing around 4:00 AM after having some worms. Those waxworms are very tasty and go down really well with raspberries, blueberries and cherries.

The worms have been changed. Nightcrawlers had more of an entertainment factor when the humans would find them in the carpet. Especially the smaller one. I loved seeing her hair stand on end! Now I have the smaller red worms. While they are easier to toss out and I can fling them farther they just don't create that same surprise reaction as did the nightcrawlers.

I think Olive has tired of me somewhat. After three to four hours of morning song she tells me ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT, SWEETHEART! She is still polite about it and does come over to visit as does the speckled fellow, Kramer.

Unfortunately the humans have not tired of me. They annoy me several times daily. I am caught, some cold eye drops are given to me, I get a neck or head scratch and then released again. (I do like the neck scratching part but don't let them know.) For some odd reason I feel better when the humans annoy me more often. Don't get me wrong. I *hate* being caught! I am still a wild bird but have grown to tolerate the intrusion into my routine.

Sing. Eat. Sing. Nap at around 1:00 then eat some more, toss some worms to repopulate the carpet and sing until dark. Pooping ALL the time.

I heard the humans discussing my imprisonment and think the parole board will not authorize a release yet but I remain hopeful that they will see I have been a model prisoner. I haven't pooped on the jailers ~that much~. Seems we are in a hold pattern for a release date.

I demand a lawyer! I've done my time and not even a crime!

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!

~Barry

Barry - good to hear you're hanging in there and enjoying life.
Tell the small human with her hair on end that she should have a show on Animal Planet. I would certainly watch it.

: )

The Barry boy update:

The pressure in both eyes is 23 this morning. He's gotten the drops only once a day for 3 days. The last time he got them was 24 hours ago.

He *NAILED* my finger from the left side too this morning! :-)

When we get brave enough we'll try an every other day schedule for the medication and keep our fingers crossed as the dosage gets decreased.

C3D with too many things to do ..

A photo or video clip of Barry and Olive interacting (as it were) would be so precious! I hope the opportunity presents, but will completely understand if it doesn't. Have you ever posted a photo of Olive? I think I'm so interested because my friend and his brother had pet parrots and they provided us with much entertainment. I think of Barry sometimes when I see robins around the yard, driveway, garden, etc. here. Thanks for the update.

OY!!! A Barry boy update ... :-)
FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!!!

I took Barry to the ophthalmologist today. We have not given him the eye drops for 5 days and thought it best to have a proper evaluation.

Barry has NORMAL light reflexes in both eyes. :-)

The edema / swelling / blood in his left eye have resolved. :-)

Both eyes appear 113% normal. :-)

Most importantly is the pressure in the right eye is 22 and in the left is 28! :-) The pressure in the left was slightly higher due to the stress of being held. In reality the pressure is likely about 5 points lower.

Barry doesn't need the eye drops any more. :-)

So great to hear especially after the tragic news from besiedawg in the pet forum! Good for Barry! He is looking forward to freedome I am sure! God's blessings Barry.

Such good news.

How can you tell his vision is intact and good enough to hunt bugs? Do you release crickets into his cage?

We got it covered as well as we can. Lake Erie is literally a stone's throw from our front door so there's ample supply of fresh midges and Mayflies for us to provide Barry.

Barry is very good at catching midges, Mayflies, crickets and schtuff in general. He's been getting fresh compost to rummage around in for a while and hunt for creepie crawlies. In the last few weeks we noticed he's better able to grab for things on his left side. He had only been hunting with his right eye and now he'll even grab a midge or something that is in flight. He does a short hop and nabs his snack. :-)

He reacts to seeing something moving on either side and it appears to be equally good close up and farther away. Of course this is a subjective observation as we don't have a birdy eye chart for him and he tells us how many caterpillars or nightcrawlers he sees.

Now that he's in the free flight he can hone his dexterity even more but he seems to be doing fine. One step / the last step to his long awaited freedom .... :-)

How sad for besiedawg! Our GSD Bosco died 2 years ago after going through cancer surgery and 12 wks. of chemo. But he was an 11 month cancer survivor and 11 years old so it wasn't totally unexpected. It's hard enough to have one pet die but two within minutes of each other? And they were just youngsters. I cannot imagine the weight of the loss. :*(

Lake Erie is literally a stone's throw from our front door

Hey CD3, where in Ohio are you? I'm in Willowick.

Great news about Barry. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about his rehab and I'm pulling for him.

Willowick? If you ever needed to go to the Animal Emergency Clinic East in Mentor on Tyler Blvd. we may have met! :-)

Yes I was there once. It was tragic, but yes I had to go there once when I lost my first dog Annie in 2002.

I guess we're neighbors then. My friend Cyndi and I have taken critters to Penitentiary Glen for rehabbing. Is the avian rehabbing you do connected with them or with the Tyler clinic?

Sorry about Annie. :*(

I'm not really sure who I'm "connected" with for the rehabbing. I guess everyone. LOL! Various emergency clinics and vet hospitals contact me and ask if I can take care of a ____________. (Fill in the blank.) Plus ya never know who will walk in the door at my hospital. I've dealt with the fine folks at Penitentary Glen, Great Lakes Nature Center, and Raptor Rehab., in Medina for the final release coaching for the little Screech Owls. The Raptor Rehab people from Medina are soooo much fun to hang out with at the rehab conferences too. :-)

I've never heard of Raptor Rehab in Medina. Do they have public programs we could go to?

I don't know if there are public programs at the Medina center. *Lots* of behind the scenes stuff though! All good! :-)

I see no sign of tail re-growth yet for Barry. There were 12 Robins on the patio yesterday eating some fruits and moistened dry dog food. I felt soooo sorry that Barry could not join them ... yet. He was promised he'd be going outside to be with his friends as soon as he's gaining altitude with his new tail! ~*~*SIGH*~*~

Are your Robins there year round? Ours are not. Just wondering if he will have to wait till spring for relaese?

The majority of our Robins leave around the end of September / beginning of October and return in February. There are some brave souls that hang out all year.

We've been patient with his trauma and recovery but do soooo want him to take his flight to freedom as soon as he can! We just gotta wait now. Maybe some Rogaine on his butt? LOL!

Can you believe it? More good news from this side.

Barry is molting. He's looking rather scruffy and moth-eaten at the moment but hopefully he'll be covered with bright new feathers and be on his way with his friends soon. I don't know how long a Robin's molt takes but will keep an eye on his progress and perhaps we can refrain from putting Rogaine on his rump. :-O

What a marvelous thread...I'm so glad I happened to stop in to this forum today. I've just sat and read every post in this thread, enjoying them all.
C3D, Ellie, you are amazing....I've nursed a few birds back to health and raised some featherless ones to adulthood also, along with caring and rearing several tiny orphaned squirrels and other small mammals along the way, but your devotion is uplifting. I applaud you and all you do for God's creatures. Thank you so much for this uplifting story and I can see I'm going to be a regular around this forum from now on. :) I've been into birdwatching and feeding for years...love every minute of it, so this is a good place for me to be hanging out.
Again, thanks for the wonderful story and for your devotion to what you do for all the injured birds and animals you come in contact with.
Jan

It had been an intense battle to save Barry's life. It was an even longer struggle to save his eyesight.

Then we were at a stand-still because of his tail feather loss.

And we waited....

We consulted his avian specialist ....

We waited some more .... OMG!!!

I caught our dear Barry-boy yesterday and HIS TAIL FEATHERS ARE GROWING IN!!!!!!!!!! WoooooooHooooooo!

Will his tail be back in time for a safe Autumn release? This I do not know. We'll need to see how quickly his tail returns and then consult with his avian vet.

I literally was in tears yesterday when I saw his tail is coming back in! He's endured us for soooo long and the reality of his release is now assured! Would he go in a few weeks or maybe next spring? This is on Barry's and God's time-line. Not ours. What ever is safest for our long time guest!

We have been so blessed to have met Barry and help him through his ordeal!

Letcha know when he is ready to return to his true home. The wild! :-)

Chickadeedeedee

Cool! How about a picture???

The Barry Update

Barry is doing great! His tail is coming in *very* nicely ... but ....

He missed the boat. I spoke to the avian specialist a week or so ago and asked if it would be better to keep Barry until spring or allow a release in a few weeks. We already knew the answer but the avian vet. confirmed it.

It would be best for Barry if he were to be our guest until spring. He's been inside since April and the nights are too cold and the weather too dreary now. It may be difficult for his body to abruptly adjust to real life conditions and he may develop pneumonia.

We've always wanted to celebrate Christmas with a Robin!

That's it from this end.

So glad you gave us an up date on dear Barry...I've been curious about him lately. We'd all like to see him so I hope you can post a current pic.

BTW, what will you have under the Christmas tree for him?!!

Donna

It will be so nice to not really need to worry about Barry ... rather he's just hanging out in the free flight until Spring. The man who owns the bait shop said he will special order worms for Barry throughout the winter. He normally does not carry the smaller red worms but he will for Barry! How nice is that?!?!? :-)
As the Tail Grows....
{{gwi:172310}}
August
********************
{{gwi:167942}}
September
********************
{{gwi:173445}}
Wednesday /October
:-)

Too bad he didn't have that nice tail LAST month! Oh well.

Christmas with Barry? I dunno. Our Dark-eyed Junco used to ~help~ us decorate the tree every year and he would sing almost all night from about Thanksgiving to late Spring. We'll need to see what Barry needs or wants, short of an early parole.

Hi again. Just me.

I spoke to the avian specialist about our Barry and he agrees it would be best for Barry to wait just a couple more weeks before release. The primary population of Robins is still south of us but is making its way north. He won't miss out on finding a Mrs. Our extreme winter temperatures may not be over yet either and since Barry has been in captivity almost a full year ... it would be best to let him acclimate to the great outdoors when better temperatures are about.

At the earliest Barry will leave the first week of April. We'll need to watch the weather forcasts and hopefully make a safe decision. I'll let you know when Barry is once again a free bird. :-)

I wondered how your boy was now that the Robins are making their way back. I hope he pays a visit to us Canadians!! ;) Lorena

Oops. Forgot to post a piccy. Here's Barry hanging out in one of the trees in the free-flight ... just counting the days to freedom. :-)
{{gwi:173469}},

What a great story with an even greater ending!

Waiting ...Waiting ... Waiting ....

Waiting for at least two days of nice weather so Barry can be released. We were hoping this week but it's raining on and off. We were hoping this weekend but Sunday it is supposed to get very cold and rain and then SNOW Monday / Tuesday.

I don't know who wants the release more ... me or Barry! He remains 113% a wild bird. He is NOT the least bit tame. He's very cautious and still thinks we might decide to eat him although he has not been touched since .... early October when we were photographing his tail. LOL!

I'd like him to get out before his 1 year anniversary but ... I guess a few more days to ensure a better transition is BEST for all. :)

Dearest Barry, you are free. After 363 days in captivity your interrupted life continues as it should. Wild and free. While here you blessed us with your strength to survive and overcome the many obstacles that were the result of your car accident and a tail loss.

You blessed us with your beauty and your beautiful songs. You blessed us with nightcrawlers crawling outside your enclosure too.

May God bless you now so you may continue your life healthy and joyous as you find a Mrs. and bless future generations with Barrylettes. Surely when you are asleep you will at times dream of Olive, the parrot. She was quite enchanted with you. And should you ever have a disagreement with your future Mrs., you can close your eyes and smile as you hear the voice of your big green girlfriend telling you: "HiiiiiIIIIIIIiiiiii Sweetheart! OoooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo! Pretty Boy! *kisses*" ...

Stay safe Barry. Please look both ways before crossing the street. Watch out for hawks and those who would do you harm. Enjoy the sunshine and your home without boundaries. God speed and thank you Barry.

And so the doors to the aviary were opened this day and after several minutes Barry realized he was free to leave. He walked to the open door and looked around. He paced back and forth just inside the doorway. He started the familiar Robin chirping and 8 Robins appeared from no where running across the lawn toward the sound of Barry's voice. Barry ran down the two steps, across the patio and took flight 363 days after the accident into the air and landed in the Russian Olive Tree and began to sing.

He then quickly flew back down and 4 Robins ran to greet him and they all began to chatter. Seems like he may already be familiar with them, since he had full view of the front and back garden and they could converse through the windows. Barry ran across the lawn, picking at the ground and no doubt savoring the cold dew on his feet. He may already have a girlfriend because one was following him in the grass!

He is not banded or tagged in any way. We will never know which Robin is Barry. That is a secret only known to a wild bird we once met. His name was Barry.

HOOOOORRRRAAAAYYYY!!! Take care Barry and have a safe life!! Lorena

I'm was already in tears before reading the last words! YEAH!!!!! God bless you Chickadeedeedee and you too, Barry!

Donna

Mike gave Barry a father-son type talk on Friday. Your typical "Don't do this. ... Don't do that. ... Be careful. ... Don't get eaten. ... Visit often. ........... " I'm sure it went in one ear and out the other as is ~normal~ for those kinds of lectures.

Barry left at 6:50 AM. I got to work at 9:30 and there were 5 baby bunnies waiting for me! They are wild Cotton-tail bunnies and their eyes are not open yet. An hour later someone else brought in two day old kittens! The Mom Cat was killed by a car.

I don't think Mike will ever let me out of the house again at this rate!

And so it continues ......

A Happy and Blessed Easter to everyone from me and mine.