We found a baby bird just hopping around our yard.

We thought it was sick…

We thought it was hurt…..

Three adult blue jays were flying all around our yard and in our Live Oaks and     talking to each other and we thought surely they were worried about the bird….. We called all the wild life centers here, 2 were actually bird centers

We took it to the bird sanctuary.  Once we were there,  the guy examined it. He felt it’s throat and said” feel that “( as he told me to feel around the adams apple area) “that is food and it is fine”. We told him that we were worried about the bird being attacked by a dog and it’s safety and he said that he couldn’t really keep a bird there unless it was clearly hurt. He confirmed what the other place said on the phone -that it was a fledgling.  In my 48 years of life, I have never seen or paid attention to a fledgling bird. Having lived in rural areas, maybe in country life,  they are in the wooded areas and truly it’s natural selection there, but never have I seen this before.

A fledgling is a baby bird that either gets knocked from the nest, falls from the nest or the parents push it from the nest when it’s time. The bird either survives or dies through natural selection. It walks around on foot and apparently the mom still feeds it or it feeds as it clearly according to the bird expert had food in it’s throat.  As it walks around it learns to fly. The end goal to be independent and able to fly on it’s own.

I cannot help but see this as exactly our young adults and teens as they grow up, either go off to college or move out they are like the fledging bird.

Their little minds are developing and they want to be independent and walk around big on their own feet, and merit,  and by themselves but they really aren’t safe yet to be on their own. They still depend on mom or dad to feed them and help them in ways but want that independence.

For them natural selection is finding their way, either A. they do well at college and continue on in that vane or B.  they get a job, get married and go a different route. Some and I don’t know the percentage though go down the wrong path, the self destruction path and just cannot seem to make it on their own, out of the nest but pride, or independence often keeps them from trusting their parents or asking for guidance as they want to do it on their own. Some parents are not supportive and say you are an adult you are not coming back to the nest…. do it on your own. Some get plowed over and beat down, run over.  Some hit rock bottom and come back up and eventually fly.

I cannot help but think of the quote…. ” What if I fall, Oh but my darling, what if you fly”

That is what we want : we want our young to fly to find their way and fly on their own, to be contributing members of society and the world making it a better place not a worse place.

So if you are out there and you are a fledgling and just wandering around …. look up and fly, keep trying, keep searching, keep getting stronger. You can fly, keep trying.

Encourage someone today!

Darling you were meant to fly…….