She cares for even the sparrow Sharon Herron of Deer Creek rescued this baby sparrow from her front yard, and under her care, it survived. The sparrow is now living quite comfortably in the Herron household. Comet photo by Jennifer Archibald

If a baby sparrow falls from the nest, does anyone care?

Sharon Herron of Deer Creek does. She found a tiny house sparrow, less than a week old, in her front yard in July. She said she looked around for a nest but didn't see one. Sharon took the bird into her house, nurtured and cared for it, and now it is thriving.

"I didn't know if she'd survive, but I had to try," Sharon said. "I had to give it my best shot."

Sharon said the sparrow could have fallen or it might have been pushed out of the nest since it is smaller than normal and has a crippled leg.

At first the sparrow had only pinfeathers to keep it warm, so Sharon put it in a shoebox lined with cotton balls.

Guided by instinct and the Internet, Sharon fed the bird cornmeal mixed with water, and applesauce, using the end of a coffee stir. She also used the stir to give it water. Next, she added cut-up mealworms to the diet.

Bonding Sharon Herron interacts with her pet sparrow, Kiwi. Comet photo by Jennifer Archibald

Sharon fed the sparrow every two hours at first. Now the bird eats three or four times a day and can eat the worms on its own. Knowing that birds eat bugs, Sharon also gives her little pet a couple flies a day.

 

She would like to switch the sparrow to birdseed, but she said it can't master that yet.

This is not the first time Sharon has cared for a bird. She said she had parakeets as a child.

"I love birds and nature," she said.

Sharon works at the Animal Hospital of Logansport as a pet groomer. She took the sparrow to the veterinarian there, and he said she must be doing everything right because the little bird looks healthy.

"I'd like her to go back into the wild," Sharon said, "but she's used to being served food whenever she's hungry. She starts getting really loud when she's hungry. I don't know if she could survive on her own."

At night Sharon takes the bird out on the deck and offers it freedom.

"She flies to a tree, but then comes back to me," Sharon said.

 

The bird perches on Sharon's shoulder and nestles in her cupped hand.

"She thinks I'm her mother," Sharon said.

Sharon and her husband, Dave, live next door to the Deer Creek Presbyterian Church, where Dave is pastor.

Sharon took the bird to the church's vacation Bible school this summer. The theme was "God's Big Back Yard."

She said the kids loved the bird, and it became the Bible school mascot.

The bird stays in a cage at the Herron house, but when Sharon is home, she lets it out for some play time.

"Sometimes she's hard to put in her cage," Sharon said. "She doesn't want to go. She's having too much fun."

The Herrons' two children are out on their own, but the Herron home is far from an empty nest. Two dogs are part of the family, as well as an outside cat. A bird may seem like a questionable creature to add to the mix, but Sharon says everyone is getting along OK so far.

All pets have names, and the Herrons' sparrow is no different. Their daughter came up with the name - Kiwi.

Dave said when his wife comes into the house, the sparrow chirps loudly and flutters.

"She's got a lot of personality for a little tiny bird," Sharon said. "She's very outgoing and friendly and likes to be around people. She's not afraid of anything. She's also stubborn and determined, and a little bossy. She flutters around till she gets what she wants. That's probably why she survived."