It was about 7:30 Sunday night when six children, ages three to twelve, walked single-file into my living room with serious expressions on their faces. “Mom, we have something to tell you,” my eight-year-old said, surrounded by his brother and four neighbors. “We found a baby bird.”
The twelve-year-old neighbor slowly opened her cupped hands to reveal a tiny chick.
They’d found it in the road next to a storm drain. At first, we thought it was a baby chicken that escaped from the neighbor across the street, who has a coop in her backyard. A phonecall and some Googling later, and we confirmed it was actually a baby quail. A quail couple had recently started nesting in the neighborhood, visiting our backyard most mornings, but I couldn’t figure out where they’d settled. We decided to release it back into the grass close to where they’d found it, so the parents could come back.
After reading a little about abandoned quails, I decided to check on the little guy after dark. I’m glad I did. I could hear it peeping as loud as it could for help, and found it tangled in some grass, covered in fire ants. No mom or dad quail to be found. I took it in, lined a bin with a heated blanket, and big bro offered his stuffed Chewbaca for comfort. The quail slept under Chewbaca all night. We named it Porg.
The next day, we doted over Porg and I called local wildlife rescues. I set up a new heat lamp and bedding for its habitat, but I knew it was only temporary. Its best chance at survival would be with other quails. Unfortunately, Little Bro didn’t see it the same way.
I held him while he cried, and tried to explain that Porg deserved to be free to live in the wild with other quails and a family of his own. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for something you love is to let it go. It’s a hard lesson for a five-year-old to learn.
The next morning, Porg was a little wobblier on his feet and I knew we were doing the right thing. The boys said goodbye before they left for school, and Porg was placed with fellow rescue quails.
Even Little Bro was in a lighter mood knowing Porg would get the care it needed. I may have also agreed to go to the pet store this weekend. He mentioned we already have the heat lamp and supplies for a bearded dragon.
Our Life in A-Z 