Smutsiga Fogal

[texsize]

I might not have the spelling right but in German it means "Dirty Bird".
I guess that was our first bird we rescued him back east.
He had fallen out of the nest due to a tornado that came close by.
We nursed him back to health and drove him cross country back to Los Angelas.

But he was a Robin and at that time LA did not have any Robins.
Sooooo we took him up to Oregon to release him on our grandparents' farm.
After release he hung around our farm for several years and he always followed my Grandfather around the farm as he did his chores.

For the first time in more years than I can count I found some pictures I can now share with you.

This is my Grandfather with Smutsiga Fogal riding on his hat.

 

[kme3388]

I really enjoy watching the Robins in the morning. I was always curious is anyone has nursed them back to health, and what the outcome was. Especially being exposed to humans.

 

[texsize]

I really enjoy watching the Robins in the morning. I was always curious is anyone has nursed them back to health, and what the outcome was. Especially being exposed to humans.

In the first photo you can just barely see his left wing has a slight drop.
It was probably injured in the fall from the nest and healed up crooked.
It left him recognizable at a distance and of course he hung around with my grandpa for several years.

I think this was around 1968 or so.

His was a smashing success story.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Lovely bird and photos! Thanks for sharing! .

 

[DonnaBudgie]

This is such a cute story and such precious memories and pictures!

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

Love that story. Now I put my rusty German to the test:

Schmutziger Vogel

 

[texsize]

Love that story. Now I put my rusty German to the test:

Schmutziger Vogel

I took 2 years of German in High School.
I failed the first year and squeezed by with a D the second.
I think the teacher felt bad for me and let me slide through.

It was the spelling that defeated me.
I can’t spell English, spelling German with there great big long words was a smooth unclimbable wall.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Yeah. I'm great at spelling English (way too much reading in my education) but I look at Germsn words and think: "Really! Why do they need so many letters in one word?"