Oh Please! Don't throw yourself under a bus, Sarah! When I get cold and clinical I'll be cold and stiff. :-) Maybe some rehabbers can get that way (or need to) because they see hundreds of creatures and they need to cull out those who will take up their time and space in the facility? Poor Mr. Cardinal. Poor Barry! They might not be around if that would be the case!!! This is not a clinical setting here. This is our home. Whoever comes here for aid gets all we can offer to the best of our ability. Emotionally it probably isn't the best because we quickly fall in love with the latest addition and are heartbroken if things turn out less than the best. Always a big supply of tissues here. When I say I have bloodshot eyes ... I *really* do. But the joy that comes from helping someone far outweighs the sad times! Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal showed off their 4 fledglings last Sunday. We are 113% sure it is OUR Mr. C.! OMG! We have grand-chicks. :-) How can I care if I don't care? You wouldn't be able to care for animals either, Sarah, if you didn't care. That's all we can do is to try some days, isn't it? The rest is out of our hands. Thanks, S. Until the next guest ... C3D (Gotta have at least ONE happy ending this year! We'll work on it!!!)

Day 3 of my Captivity. I had some difficulties last night. I had a bit of a cough and felt cold. This morning the human that captured me did not look happy to see me. Again my throat was swabbed and cleaned with the clear liquid. I was fed the warm cereal as well. The tube passed with ease down into my crop. As I was being fed, the smaller human had water coming from the eyes. Now I understand. Of course their ground cover would be parched with such an inefficient irrigation system! No amount of water from the eyes would be enough to sustain the expanse of growth they attempt within the dwelling. I am taken into a smaller holding cell with clear solid walls. A tube attached to a canister is attached. Some sort of heat source is placed beneath this holding cell. I am surprised. Soon I am able to breathe well enough through my nose I no longer need to gasp and I feel warm again. I feel these human captors are concerned about me until I hear them say: Hope Who makes it. I see. Their concern is for my ability to work. They will transfer me to some sort of sweat shop and put me into forced labor. I will have to make "it." I do not know what this "it" is. I have gathered more information on these humans. The large one on supports is the mate of the smaller human. Laugh if you will but I still believe he is housebroken. The other inmates have given me information. Name: Oooooooo Mmmmmmiiiiiiikeeeeee Rank: unknown at this time Cereal: Apple Jacks The information on the sprinkler human is yet undetermined. I was given something called scone today. I ignored it when it was given to me. Must not look to anxious about the rations. When I was not being monitored I tried this scone food. Very sweet. Very soft. Very good. I finished it quickly. These are humans. They will not remember they have given me scone. Again this Ooooooo Mmmmmmiiiiiikeeeee gives rations and cookies to the prison population. I am fed on a regular basis with the warm cereal. This afternoon the larger human took me from the small cell and held me for an extended time following a feeding. How does he know how to manipulate the new feathers on my head to reduce the itchiness? Comrades, I would be lying if I said this was an unpleasant experience. I fell asleep shortly after this treatment was begun. No. I must resist! This is part of the brain washing. I am pleased that my messages are able to get out. Contact Central Command and the Ministry of Misinformation and Maple Syrup Production. They know the coordinates near this institution. I have learned it is Camp Nappy #13. I spoke briefly to a Canadian Goosi that was part of the mission that bombarded the human dwelling near by. A nice chap, from Labrador I believe. Our conversation was short as he was on a mission. I am now glad I may have made a contact prior to my capture. There may be too much collateral damage if bombings begin. I must establish communications with the other prisoners and warn them of the escape plan. I am warm and was given my last feeding for the night. Oh. More seeds. They are much easier to swallow now. Breathing is better too. I have paced and paced for a long time this evening. I wanted more cookies food. Mmmmmm. Scone! Must not let the captors know I like this food. Must resist the brain washing. Thank you all for your concern and ideas. Very good. I will be sure to save this diary. Following my escape I will one day read my adventures to my great grand egg. I will write again when I can. Who _________________

According to the Migratory Bird Act, it is illegal to remove nests of any native migratory birds. "Unless permitted by regulations, the Act provides that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture or kill; attempt to take, capture or kill; possess, offer to or sell, barter, purchase, deliver or cause to be shipped, exported, imported, transported, carried or received any migratory bird, part, nest, egg or product, manufactured or not." "Birds protected under the act include all common songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds, hawks, owls, eagles, ravens, crows, native doves and pigeons, swifts, martins, swallows and others, including their body parts (feathers, plumes etc), nests, and eggs." There are over 800 species of bird protected by this act. My understanding is that the only birds whose nests it is legal to destroy are House Sparrows, European Starlings, pigeons, and a few odd others (escaped parakeets, e.g.). Even house wrens are protected. http://www.sialis.org/mbta.htm Here is a link that might be useful: Migratory Bird Treaty

stay with it and try to catch them when the light is strong enough to see by and you might just be rewarded by what can only be described as a bird vortex...when they finally go to roost they will swirl tighter and tighter around the chimney or other suitable spot and one by one drop out of this formation to make their final approach. Unfortunately, if you are in a more heavily urban area with too much light pollution, the street lights coming on right at dusk might make seeing activity above them tough, but keep trying. Its a marvelous thing to watch. The nightjars are much much larger and have a loud distinctive "BEER!" call, and can be heard cruising above parking lots long into the night. for a recording of chimney swift twittering and other id tips, copy paste this: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i4230id.html