It was early July when Cedro came to us. He had been in the path of a lawnmower, but fortunately this tiny, fluffy, furiously hungry, ‘bandit’ bird had been noticed by the kind hearted gardener, who realised he needed to be rescued and brought to Darius (the obvious candidate to help any animal in need). This became the story of the world’s most inspiring (and hungriest) Western Cedar Waxwing.
Origami Mama
Cedro was just a nestling. The little daredevil had found himself out of the nest and dodging landscaping equipment instead of being nurtured for a few days more. We looked, but never found the nest or his birth family.
Darius knew we needed to find a replacement mother asap and was straight to work creating ‘Origami Mama’. This wasn’t just any paper bird, Origami Mama was a miracle of paper engineering, equipped with a washable beak and the markings of an adult Cedar Waxwing. We hoped that Cedro would recognise his mother so that we could feed him from the beak and avoid any parental imprinting. The little bird and Darius had an instant understanding. Maybe he was just incredibly hungry, but Cedro had no hesitation in starting the surrogate feeding from Origami Mamas beak.
The baby bird lived up to reputation and was seemingly insatiable. He devoured wild blackberries, and gobbled down chunks of cherries. He also liked soaked mealworms. He simply loved his food.
Initially, Darius was getting up in the night to keep the baby nourished, but after a few nights realised that Cedro was soundly sleeping during hours of darkness, happily getting his full 8 hours in.
Cat Carriers and Instincts
Since his little wings were still fluffy and there was no sign of him taking flight yet, Cedro spent his first few days resting safely inside a cat carrier.
We had four retired ranch cats in the house, including Miss Nanny who was overseeing the rescue operation. We expected Cedros presence to be an incredible test of feline willpower but surprisingly all four hunters were completely uninterested. They understood we had a new temporary family member. Cedro however, was not taking any chances with the cats. Every time he saw a cat or any sign of danger, he did this fascinating freeze response, turning himself into frozen tree branch mode. It was an incredible display of instinct.
Upgrading Accommodations
Cedro was still not ready to fly, but Darius and Nanny decided our new little friend needed more suitable vertical housing. They got to work in the woodshop, creating a very special custom bird cage, including a real tree branch, with ‘clip on’ fresh cherries, and a water bowl. It truly was palatial. The final result was approved by our bird cage inspector (Nanny) and Cedro fully appreciated that it was all done for him.
The rescue team were incredibly dedicated to Cedros’ daily learning. It was Baby Bird Bootcamp. They quickly advanced him from hand (origami mama) feeding, to plucking berries and cherries for himself, and also nurturing him with regular wind in his wings “flying lessons” getting the little floofs wings flapping stronger and stronger, until one day he actually flew!
The Dive Bomber
Since his first flights were short and clumsy, Darius kept him safely confined to the woodshop for a bit longer, resting in his cage at night. The lessons continued, soon he was feeding himself from the ‘clip on’ berries and his own personal buffet, flying around inside the woodshop (in which he quickly became ruler of his domain), he even learned to take a bath!
Cedro was so excited by the water. Witnessing him splash around was such a joy. It came so naturally to him and it was clearly fun for him.
Cedro soon came to understand that any human entering the shop was possibly bringing him new food supplies. It became normal to be dive bombed by Cedro each time you opened the door. He was like a tiny feathered fighter pilot, ambushing you for snacks. Heaven help you if you dared to enter empty handed.
Freedom at Last
It had been around 3 weeks of caring for Cedro, suddenly he was all grown up. The woodshop had become too small for the flying lessons, he was strong and more insatiable than ever.
On a warm sunny day, we opened the big shop door and off he flew.
He became a speck in the top of the towering Cedar trees above the woodshop. Darius hoped he would come home to sleep, but Cedro was free. We did regularly hear him cheerfully chirping with his friends, and that was enough. He was off living his big adventurous life.
The Legend Lives On
Cedros’ story still inspires us, that little bird carried so much glory of life with him. A true survivor, resilient, instinctual, so enthusiastic about his food, he was fun-loving and soaked up learning new things.
We’ll never forget those days we had together. The bath splashing, the dive bombing, and the tree statues. He was our tiny, floofy, legend.
Even now, when we hear the unmistakable trill of the Cedar Waxwing, it will forever remind us of our wonderful little friend and the joy he brought us with his visit.
Disclaimer: Wild bird rehabilitation is a specialised field that demands both permits and training. In numerous locations, including various U.S. states, keeping native birds, even for the purpose of rescue, is strictly prohibited without proper authorisation. This story about our personal experience should not be taken as professional advice. We strongly advise against interfering with nature. If you encounter injured wildlife, please contact a licensed rehabilitation center.