Susan Hickman was out one day when she came across something that would change her life and make her a mother. It was a cracked bird’s egg lying on the ground, far from the next with no mother bird in sight. Even more, the hatchling was beginning to emerge from the egg. Call it motherly instincts, Susan decided to take the bird in and care for it herself. The bird, which she later named Klinger, would be forever in her debt, as the abandoned hatchling would not have likely survived without her.
For a year, Susan took extra care and acted as the bird’s adopted mother. She created a makeshift incubator and gave the tiny bird enough warmth to grow. She also fed the bird special food through a straw every 20 to 30 minutes a day for the first two weeks of his life. Slowly but surely, the bird opened his eyes, began to grow feathers, and grew as any other bird would.
Now, as a one year old bird, Klinger lives in Susan’s home and does need to be in a cage from time to time. Having been raised alone, it is not safe for him in the wild. But thanks to Susan’s love, he was given a second chance at life. In the attached video, you can see Klinger’s progression as well as the caring measures Susan took to ensure that he lived a long and healthy life.
Klinger’s is an extremely rare case. The Audubon Society mentions that most wild birds need to be raised by their mothers and, if found on the ground, should not be taken from an area where the nest may be nearby.