Woman Saves Tiny Chick That Fell From Nest And Cares For Him Until He Got Big

• A woman discovered a little chick on her porch one day.
• The chick’s family died when their nest fell from a suspended light fixture.
• The woman cared for the chick until it grew big and left for the wild.

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Susan Simon stepped onto her covered porch on a breezy day in May and noticed something pink on the ground.

House finches have previously made nests in her plants, but this year, one small family chose to live in a wreath suspended from a light fixture. Unfortunately, the nest was not well secured, and it was blown down by the wind.

Only one little baby survived the fall. Simon took the bare chick back to his nest and headed out to run some errands. However, when she came back, the baby was on the ground again, so she took him inside and Googled ‘how to feed a baby bird.’”

Simon put the chick into a Tupperware container with paper towels and set it on a heating pad. She then fed the blind baby using a toothpick.

Simon said she had to feed the chick every 15 minutes for the first few weeks.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to keep him alive,” she said, “but I did.”

After a week, the bird eventually opened its eyes. The bird was so amusing that Simon named it Twerp.

“When I first found him, he was just a naked little thing with fuzz on his head about as big as my thumb,” Simon shared. “Then his little pin feathers started coming in and he looked like a tiny dinosaur.”

Simon put Twerp in a cage with food and water dishes, and she started putting him out on the porch as his feathers grew in so he could become used to the weather and the sounds around her.

Twerp eventually outgrew his cage and began flying on his own. Simon said she’d stroll around the yard with him on her shoulder, and he’d fly off into a tree, and then come back. 

Twerp began to spend the majority of his time outside, but whenever Simon came outside, he immediately recognized her and flew to her, chirping for food.

Simon placed birdfeeders in front of her house to help Twerp in finding food on his own, and soon all of the neighborhood finches were teaching Twerp how to eat. 

Twerp’s return became less and less frequent.

Simon had gotten attached to the little chick, thus it was a sad moment for him. But, in the end, she’s delighted Twerp is having fun in the wild. Maybe one day he’ll start his own family on her porch.

“I was sad when he left,” said Simon, “but kind of happy that he was [back] where he was supposed to be.”

Source: The Dodo