recipe and method for feeding a baby starling

recipe:

one-half of a medium-boiled large egg, super finely diced 

3-4 sardines canned in water, with all the bones and skin, gingerly rinsed under a thin stream of tap water, to remove excess salt, laid atop a paper towel 
to passively drain the water,
then, finely chopped 

mash sardines and egg together,
then slowly add up to 1 teaspoon of unsweetened organic apple sauce,
 
the mash should be integrated and mostly smooth
but not too wet or runny


store in sealed glass container refrigerated for no more than 2.5 days

(increase to whole boiled egg and full can of sardines and extra applesauce — and increase mash chunkiness as bird grows)

to feed: 

fill a plastic drinking straw with the food,
by pumping the straw up and down into the mash with suction

warm the filled straw in hand while wearing a disposable glove to bring the mash close to room temperature 

gently but quickly eject tubes/ribbons of mash into baby bird’s mouth as she gapes for food - like toothpaste on toothbrush almost; it’s daunting at first; she is so demanding! so loud! so urgent! 
so hungry!

she will stop gaping when full

wash straw and reuse 
(DQ & Five Guys straws are wide, flexible and work best)

repeat feeding every half hour, then eventually every hour or so, about 300 times over the course of next three weeks

to thrive:

during that time create and whistle to her a short, 3-4 note, unique song to recognize your voice 

love her, talk to her, 
encourage her, comfort her, 
and hold her, carry her outside to see the world she will soon enter

also during that time: bring her small worms, slugs and insects to taste and/or eat / you will need to manually reduce them to be digestible for her, at first

then teach her to forage and hunt for them herself; she will use her beak as a shovel to unearth them and poke at and sever them with her beak;
watch her back while she’s busy doing this - be her wingman!

she will teach herself to bathe and sun, fluff, dry and preen 

one day she will hop, sputter-fly into the grass, into the garden; into the bramble or tall grasses 

then, she will fly and soar - high into the trees, beyond your reach, sight or protection 

you will worry about predators and bird bullies, weather, machines, injury and hunger

you will listen for her voice
and whistle and call for her

sometimes you will hear her;
but she will always hear you; she knows your face, form, voice and song

she will still come home for supplemental feeding

she will still come home to sleep in her nest box inside the barn overnight because being a baby bird alone in the world - is exhausting 

being a mother bird, even moreso 

she will come back, again and again.

she is just pure joy.
she is pure trust.

you are so lucky to have experienced her first weeks of life 

you rescued her; but she has restored you, in fact.

please know,
always remember, and never forget:

every bird you see, every wild mammal you see, they all initially survived because of a very devoted mother