For the love of birds

I've always loved birds

and as far back as I can remember,

 birds have always come my way.

Baby birds fallen from their nest.

Injured birds in need of some TLC,

rescued from cats, from hawks,

 from cars and crows.

I remember a grackle "Igor" I nursed

back to health.

I set him free from

our 2nd story roof so he would 

get a good flying start.

I'll never forget the sight

of him flying off

to freedom.

I found teeny, tiny little birds

 with see through skin

as thin as tissue paper.

 I would find them on the 

heaving slate sidewalk cracks

 I was jumping over.

I remember the feel of their tiny

 bodies, warm and small

in my own small hand. 

You could see their hearts beating. 

We had an amazing pet 

Cardinal, 

"Tippy".

She was injured after flying into a window

 where my father worked. 

The vet said she would never fly again.

She made a tip, tip, tip sound

 calling all the male cardinals to

 serenade her through the screen.

It was pure magic.

Tippy really loved music and bacon

 and would sing like crazy,

with music playing,

the smell of bacon in the air. 

 She would eat it right out of your

 mouth pressed against the cage.  

Some things stick with you.

The image of our lazy cat Mootsie sleeping

right on top of Tippy's cage lolling in the sun.

The feeling of light, tiny,

bird feet perched on your finger,

and the feeling of a

 sweet little Cardinal friend

delicately eating

bacon from your lips.

Priceless!