Day 9: His name is Ipip

It's a great day for my little sparrow. I've been thinking of a good name for him, and since he always responds when I say, "Ip-ip-ip-ip!" I'm naming him Ipip.

His new name has drawn a few amused laughs including my own. But i love how it's juvenile and unique; I like it that his name is laid back.

Ipip has learned to perch, as he stands on one finger instead of the palm of my hand. He can also stand on chopsticks, but I still get scared because his grip is not yet as strong as that of an adult sparrow. Nevertheless, I allow him to practice his perch and strengthen his muscles - but I always have my hand a few inches below him, just in case.

His chirp has changed. At first I thought he had a cough or inhalation pneumonia, but it seems that his voice is changing as he is growing. I've heard a few sparrows out in our garden having the same chirp. His chirp used to be more of a tweet: high pitched, no vibrato. Now, it's less high pitched, with a little trill that makes it sound like a "chirrip".

He is now completely feathered. In just 10 days, he has gone from being bald to having full feathers.

He also has quite a unique personality. He doesn't like it when your finger approaches his face as he pecks at them in anxiety, but he doesn't mind noses even when they stroke his beak.

He is actually learning to drink little drops of water from his spoon. Instead of putting a drp of water on one side of the outside of his beak, I now let him sip as a drop of water hangs tentatively from the spoon. I've been observing that he never inhales the water; I think he's ready to actually drink water from hanging drops on his spoon.

I still feed him a handfeeding mix I found on the internet. He is now more actively pecking from the spoon, extending his neck to peck instead of waiting for the spoon to come in complete contact with his mouth.

I will be putting twigs in his nest now. He will need to exercise his grip, so that he can build up his muscle strength.

I still can't believe I have a 10 day old house sparrow! I'm sure he's a few days older because I didn't exactly see him just hatch from his shell, but it's probably by just one or two days, given his completely bald appearance when I first adopted him.

He no longer tweets and cries nonstop. He's now a very quiet and observant bird, chirping and flapping his wings only when he needs to eat, or when he simply needs a little attention. ^_^

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Dogs do stare at people

One of our dogs stared at me as I aimed my camera at him. It seemed to be saying, "What on earth are you looking at me for?"

House sparrow care

If you find a wild bird - say, a house sparrow, how do you care for it?

I found a website that discusses how to provide warmth, food, hydration, and many other issues regarding how to care for a young sparrow. Check out the website: http://www.starlingtalk.com/babycare.htm.

Here's another website of a non-profit organization that deals specifically with rescuing wild birds: http://tinywingsinneed.us/. They have provided me with a lot of information, answering my questions very patiently. You may email them at tinywingsinneed@aol.com.

It's very difficult for a wild bird to survive if it wasn't raised by its parents. Every young bird that comes to your care is a big challenge and a noble undertaking. You will need all the help you can get.

The difference five days make

In just five days, the bald little hatchling has transformed to a partly feathered bird, very close to becoming a fledgling. See the transformation for yourself:

Day 5: the bird is no longer bald

After just five days in my care, the hatchling has developed a lot of pin feathers. His back already has small feathers, and his chest is covered with small white feathery down as well.

It's great that this little fighter is growing up real well. I have a feeling he'll make it into adulthood.

Day 3: the sole survivor is thriving

Here he is, the sole survivor. He loves sleeping in my hand, whenever I have to hold him because I am cleaning his makeshift nest. He just suddenly closes his eyes when he realizes he's in my hand.

He has sprouted some small pin feathers on his wings. Interesting milestone. ^_^