Orphaned Baby Birds. Cargo Trailer. P & N.

Baby birds, abandoned, vet-approved information:


"What should you do if you find a baby bird that appears to have fallen out of the nest? If the bird appears to be uninjured, the best thing to do is to return it to its parents, so look around for the nest in all the surrounding trees.  Birds often try to build their nests where they will be hidden from view, so look carefully! If you can find the nest, gently replace the baby bird, and keep an eye out (from a distance) for one or both of the parents to return. It is a myth that the parents will not care for an orphaned bird that has been touched by human hands."
More at:
http://www.webvet.com/main/article?id=258&med=1
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If you find a baby bird.

Nestling or Fledgling?

If the bird seems unable to cling well to your finger or to branches, it is most likely a nestling. Look around in nearby shrubbery or trees for the nest the bird came from. It will probably be well hidden. If you do find the nest, simply put the young bird back in it. If you can't find it, you can provide a substitute nest by tying a berry basket (the kind with holes in the bottom, for drainage) in a tree. Line it with some tissues or other soft material, put the baby bird inside, and leave it alone.

This is usually all the help a baby bird needs. As soon as you leave, the parents—which have probably been watching you the entire time—will return and continue feeding their youngster. If you want to be sure that the parents are still around, watch the baby bird from a distance.
If the parents don't return to an undisturbed nestling in two hours something may be wrong. The parents may have been killed by predators or hit by a car. But don't worry if you see only one parent—a single parent can raise its young alone.

Look the young bird over for signs of physical trauma. If it's injured, take it to a local veterinarian, or call your local game warden or conservation department for the name and telephone number of the nearest wildlife rehabilitator.
(You can carry it in a small enclosed box, such as a shoe box, lined with paper towels. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the box for ventilation.) If you're having trouble finding a wildlife rehabilitator in your area go to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory."
More at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/faq/master_folder/attracting/challenges/orphaned

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Pet Trivia:
An adult lion's roar can be heard up to five miles away, and warns off intruders or reunites scattered members of the pride.
An electric eel can produce a shock of up to 650 volts.
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P.S. I added some more about Red 40 to yesterday's blog.
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Yesterday Pamala and Nigel Skyped me.
Nigel & Pamala: "Got new battery for camper.  Fridge is working well now after getting new circuit board.  Central heater was full of dirt dobbers and Nigel has removed them and it is working well.  Nigel accidently pressed the button on the cooker panel for the generator and it started working, we think it was lacking battery power.  Not running properly yet, air filter not connected and where we have had it parked can't get to it, as by a fence.  We will look at it later."

They are leaving Vacaville, CA, and going to boondock at Boomville, NV, and on their way to Reno, Yellowstone and Glacier Nat. Parks.
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Today:

Ray and I loaded up the Puddle Jumper with the compressor, cords, jug of water, Super-Clean, scrub brush, scrapers, rags, bucket, Eternabond, Lacquer Thinner, seam roller and drinks.

First, we looked up on the roof of late Jim's travel trailer.  I knew the approximate place where it had been leaking.  There was a big dent in the roof, and we could see that it wasn't just one little place that needed attention.  Ray scraped off the peeling roof coating that someone had applied in that area.  It obviously wasn't the right stuff.  We knew we would have to come back another day to address that.


So we ran cords to power, and aired up the tires on the cargo trailer (now mine).  We will check the pressure to see if they have lost any air.

The back door lock was stuck, so we sprayed that, and got it open. 

The idea was to lighten the load, in case I have to move the cargo trailer with my little van. The trailer is going to have to be turned to get it away from the ditch in front of it, so my short Aerostar might have to do that.

The first thing was to get the superfluous stuff out of the way. I went in through the side door, as it has steps, and handed stuff to Ray.  Some of it was just empty boxes, which we crushed to go to the recycling.  We found all kinds of things in there, some of it junk, like the old spark plug wires for Jim's truck, and some useful, like a micrometer.

Jim had a show room at a weekend flea market, so some stuff he was going to sell there.  There were several pairs of leather boots, nearly new sneakers, pictures frames, roll of linoleum, sheets of Luann and a beautiful oval table top.

We removed anything that was heavy, like a complete tow bar for a car, particle board shelves and lumber that Jim had stored in there.   Also several tool boxes of tools, big boxes of assorted nails, screws, carriage bolts, fence parts, a wooden step ladder, etc.

When the Puddle Jumper could hold no more, we came home, and spent a while sorting the stuff out into it's right departments here.

 We made a big dent in clearing out the trailer today.