Yes. My 'Li'l Fren' is now officially known as Case# 05-2102 at the Toronto Wildlife Rehab Centre here in Toronto. When the busy season is over, I'll be able to call and get a full report on his treatment and prognosis. Otherwise, I will not see or hear anything about him until he is ready to be released (at which point, they will call me to allow me to be present - cool). *sniff*

I'm sorry for the stress your birds, and you, are going through. Were the dropped chicks grackle chicks? Grackles will raid other birds' nests and remove the eggs and/or chicks if they want that particular nesting area. Then again, if the chicks were other than their own, they would have probably eaten them. It's been very cold here, too, and raining nearly every day for two weeks. Most mornings have been down to 32 degrees and we've been lucky to hit 50-55 during the days. Then throw in the North Dakota winds and... Still, my Chickadees are sitting tight on their six teeny-tiny eggs. The Purple Martins are hanging in by their toenails, but they've not even thought of nest building yet. They've been feeding only about every third day in this terrible weather. The Tree Swallows haven't shown up, nor have the Wrens. They should already be nesting in this area. Last year the Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Hummingbirds arrived around April 23. I've not seen even one of them yet and it's May 11. I've had the nectar feeders out for them since April 15. The house finches and woodpeckers are loving the sugar water. Usually I have Harris Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings, and Cape May Warblers stop by for a few days, or even weeks, during their migration. There has not been a one to be seen. I suppose Spring will arrive, but hopefully before July!

That's how my bird bath looks right now...and it's heated! We're in single digits for highs for the next week at least It will look like that until March here. I hope you guys do warm up soon though. The roses look lovely and it would be such a shame to lose them to a freeze. I think your Birthday Cake rose is actually called Wedding Cake. It's one of the "odd ball" roses that people either love or hate, no in between. I like it myself for it's interesting form and pale colors.

My gold finches mobbed the feeder 2 weeks ago and then all the snow melteda nd the small birds disappeared. I did note that a neighbor of mine who rarely fed birds put out feed during the Thanksgiving holiday and had several birds. Three days ago, all my birds disappeared which gave me concern for fear that something drastic happened to them. This afternoon, the weather was changing to colder and the small birds began to come back. About the sparrow: Approximately 10 years ago, a virus swept through the English sparrow population and nearly wiped them out in a region from the Mississippi River eastward and they have not recovered. They were the most populous bunch and a nuisance, but no more, Since that time, I have seen only one English Sparrow. Sometimes, when my birds suddenly leave during a popular feeding time, I have spied a hawk sitting high in a tree surveying the scene - this pretty much explains that absence. I do get concerned when my birds disappear for a day or more thinking they might have gotten into some bad feed or rat poison. I am convinced that something has happened in the environment because my bird visitors have fallen to half of what it was a week ago. Fifteen years ago, I did could spy on occasion gross beaks; Also red polls would frequent our feeder during the depth of cold waves. Gross beaks are grazers. They do not hang around one location. In winter, they flock together and will stop for a few minutes to do easy pickings and then move on. They rarely come back to the same place on the same day. Both gross beaks and red polls have disappeared. I have seen none for the past 5 years.