Baby Bird Sitter  
page 2

A cat is slinking toward the house. I burst out the door. “Go away, cat!” I yell. The cat runs off. But I’m worried. I move the couch away from the wreath. I get out my water gun and keep it ready by the door.

The chicks’ feathers come in and turn from gray to speckled brown. 

One chick is bigger than the others. I call him “Big Boy.” One doesn’t move as much as the other two. He likes to sleep on his back. I call him “Lazy Boy.” The third one I name “Sweetie Pie.”


I watch Mama and Papa hunt for insects and worms in the grass. They carry cherries from the tree across the street to their hungry kids.

The babies open their yellow beaks and peep to their parents. “Feed me! Feed Me!”

The chicks are getting bigger still. They seem crowded in the nest. 

 For two days now, Big Boy has been nibbling at his feathers and stretching his wings. Now he’s really flapping them. There he goes, wobbling through the air! He lands with a thud onto the flowerbox on the porch railing. 

I want to shout, “Way to go!” But I button my lip.

 Finally he flutters to the neighbor’s rose bush. It’s Papa’s turn to bring his youngster food.

 Mom calls me in for my dinner. When I go back outside, Big Boy is gone. I’m sorry I didn’t stay to watch him.  

The next morning I wake up with a start. Birds are screeching, “Watch out! Watch out!” I fly downstairs and out the door. There’s Lazy Boy and Sweetie Pie in our driveway. Mama and Papa are calling to them from the trees.  

A crow circles overhead. Mama and Papa take flight. Other robins join them. They chase the crow. I shout, “Don’t you dare hurt our babies!”

The crow doesn’t listen. He lands in a nearby tree. I grab the water pistol and shoot at him.  The stream of water falls short. I clap my hands. 


                                       Continued on next page

Big Boy turns his head this way and that and blinks his eyes.

Mama comes flying in with a cherry in her mouth. Papa watches from the lawn.

Big Boy stays for a long time.

     








Now there are only two chicks left for Mama to feed. 

Sweetie Pie hops on the back bumper of Mom’s car. I have to laugh.