I was going to Suzzallo Library this afternoon when just outside the library a baby squirrel fell out of a tree! I did not know it was a squirrel at first, but then a crow swooped down and pecked at it. Immediately I saw a parent squirrel looking very worried coming down the tree, and I started making noise as I ran to it.
I did not know it was a parent squirrel at first and she was scared of me, but then I saw that she was concerned about her baby. The little squirrel was furry and crying because he had been pecked twice (I think not hard, but it was about to get bad) and he had just fallen and was cold and it was raining. I stepped back and the mother quickly ran over, grabbed her baby, and carried him up the tree. The baby was quite large but she still was able to carry him. I think soon he will be a healthy young adolescent squirrel and able to take care of himself, but obviously he was having a bad day.
I am glad that I was there at the time I was. If I had not been there then maybe that crow would have carried him away and I wanted that baby to be safe.
Would you do the same if a baby crow fell out of the nest?
Great question. I have a bias for rodents and also a bias for parents who want to rescue their babies.
I would feel sorry for a baby crow but would not have the personal time to raise it, and I think there is no chance of a parent crow flying down to pick up the baby and return it to the nest.
Now that I think about it, it seems that part of my “heroics” was in knowing that I could make a small effort to enable another party (the squirrel parent) to do lots of work to save their own child. I am not sure I would have been the hero to actually raise a wild animal baby.