In a violent thunderstorm, I was outside my work area in an underground parking lot when I looked down just before I stepped on a tiny, tiny baby bird. I picked it up, found a small box and brought it home since I had no idea where the nest or mother bird might be. I did not expect it to live.

I had run a contest in Heartland and one of my contestants was Lisa Harraden, who owns Harraden's Habitat and raises exotic birds. I emailed her for help...no, I emailed her for HELP!!!!!!!!!!! Lisa told me what to feed the little bird and I kept it warm and fed it several times a day. It had no feathers, just fuzz and the spindliest little neck. It also had a very distinctive beak. Searches through bird books produced no clue at first and we began to believe I had rescued a buzzard. We called the bird Buzzi. Then someone thoughtfully pointed out that if it was indeed a baby buzzard, it would be more the size of a Cocker Spaniel...not a tiny little thing.

Lisa kept in touch by email and on the phone all during the first weeks of Buzzi's life. As the little bird grew, we finally found a picture that showed the beak...I had rescued a Cardinal. Later the red feathers came in and it became obvious what type bird we had. Because the bird was raised with cats and dogs and has no fear of them and has had all food and water provided, we were afraid to release it into the wild. Even if we took it way into the mountains, it would have to learn to forage for food and adjust to outdoor climate.

Buzzi is now three years old and lives like a parakeet in a large cage next door to a Cockatiel named Gabby. He is fat and seems to be very healthy. The life span of a Cardinal is around 15 years (in nature, the life-span can be much shorter) so we expect to have Buzzi around for several more years.