Startling Starling

At work, we have a nest of european starlings living in our awning at the front of the building. Wednesday morning we found two baby birds dead on the ground, which is always sad. Yesterday morning, they found a third baby bird, this one alive. By the time I got to work at around 5 pm, he was still alive, and no parent had been by to check on him or feed him, as near as we could tell. So being the big softy that I am, I had to try to do something. There are too many cats in the neighborhood, and there was a big storm rolling in. I called the local wildlife rehab center. It turns out that being spring they've got a high call volume, and when baby skunks, deer, raccoons and foxes are in the offing, my poor little starling just didn't make the cut. They did however direct me towards some resources on raising orphaned birds incase I wanted to try to save him myself. First I checked with the MNR to make sure I wouldn't get in deep ca-ca for having a wild bird in my possession. It turns out that starlings are one of 6 species of birds exempted from the National Fish and Wildlife Act. And so, I give you Birdie:

I think eventually I'll call the little fella Stormy, but I'm trying not to get too attached yet. I know the first 24 hours are crucial, and even after that he's not out of the woods.
He's about 6-7 days old. Full of piss and vinegar, eating well, pooping well, and keeping warm, which is all I can really ask of the little guy for now. He survived the night!

I'm gonna raise him with lots of time out doors, and recordings of his own kin singing, and hopefully he'll release back into the wild like a little champ when he's older.

I haven't quite introduced him to mom yet... she's gonna have kittens for sure, but it's a little late now to just toss him back to the wild... stay tuned for updates!