I've cried too over Dimi but I keep being hopeful that she is going to show up again soon. I really love her. Thanks for the kind words and wishes to Dimi

@@LesleytheBirdNerd I like Demi sweet little chickadee 😊

100 percent agree with everything you said. I hope that I see my little Dimi again soon too. Thank you for your kind words.

🪶❤🪶💜💕

Please let us know if she returns 🙏🏼

I agree completely, Everly. And Leslie, I'm always touched by your dedication to your bird friends...they're so lucky to have you! It's hard to remember when you're caring for loved ones that you must also take care of yourself, otherwise you won't be able to continue that loving care! Best wishes to you, and I hope little Dimi returns!🥰

Thank you. :) I hope she comes back to me soon

@@LesleytheBirdNerd I believe she’ll come back you’re awesome🦅❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

@@LesleytheBirdNerd how do can those birds to trust you it's adorable 🤔🥰

That's such cute thing to say :)

Absolutely, I'm glad people understand the struggle with becoming attached to them. They are just so innocent and full of wonder. Thank you for the kind comment.

Never,never ever bring a wild creature into your home, it will kill them. They are wild for a reason. Let them be wild and free like they were intended to be.

It's beautiful that's for sure :)

You know what happened to that Inca Cheif and the gold hungry Spaniard, Pizzaro…. ? From letting his guard down and not turning on his trust ometer…

Aww I'm so sorry. I hope your Pretty Bird shows up again soon. I've had birds disappear for as long as a year and then show up again.

Thank you very kindly, Linda. Much love

This reminds me of the hope given in Romans 8

@@leeobrien8638 amen brother.

I appreciate your thoughtful words, thank you :)

I also appreciate this so much and needed to read it. I'm saving it for when I need a reminder. Thank you from me, too. ❤

@@LesleytheBirdNerd Lesley you don't have to worry bird's know how to Care themselves 😊☝️

Absolutely!

I will, at this point I have no other choice but to take care of myself. If I don't, I won't be able to visit them. :) Thanks for the kind words.

My gosh, I don't even know what to say, everything that you wrote, all of your thoughtful words and contributing money to me so that I can buy good heated gear or some roosting boxes. It's so kind of you and I appreciate it a great deal. I'm going to look into a heated vest, and also roosting boxes. I've been wanting to set up some roosting boxes for the birds since the end of summer but things just never worked out. After my experience this winter though I'm going to invest in a few over the next several months so I'll be ready for next winter. Thank you for letting me know about keeping them in over summer. Your mom sounds like a special woman, and I think the fact she called you chickadee is heart warmingly sweet. :) She did a great job raising another compassionate being in this world. Thank you again for your always kind words, and help. I've learned some things from you with regard to the birds over the last couple of years, and I appreciate that. Have a wonderful weekend.

"Heart-warmingly" I meant, not "Heart warningly" My gosh, that typo and auto correct slipped past me. Which only now I'm learning isn't even a word. I made it all up, haha. So 'Heart-warmingly' is my word invention, ha, oh my. Hope you got a little laugh out of that :)

@@LesleytheBirdNerd You're so welcome Lesley... thank YOU for what you do! I think so many people have learned to appreciate birds because of you, and I think a lot of the time that eventually leads to a greater appreciation for nature in general... something we really need right now. I've been trying to get people to check out the work of Douglas Tallamy. He has devoted his life to researching how important native plants are to ecosystems and I've just been amazed reading about his work and watching his videos. What really clicked with me is how he talks about how certain native caterpillars (and other insects) will only eat certain native plants (anything from "weeds" and wildflowers to bushes and trees) so when those plants are replaced or displaced with invasive plants, the caterpillars disappear along with them. He said a nest of Chickadees, for example, will consume 5,000 to 6,000 caterpillars by the time they're able to be on their own! So it boils down to: no native plants=no caterpillars=no baby birds, etc... not to mention no native bees, butterflies, even our own food supply is affected. I knew native plants are important, but for some reason, I didn't really grasp how important, but the way he relates them with everything, it clicked with me and is inspiring me to plant more native plants on my own property to help the birds so they can have enough food to feed their babies. I don't understand why nurseries are even allowed to sell invasive plants whose seeds are obviously not going to stay within the confines of a person's yard and eventually get spread around... then they compete with and take over wild areas, while being useless to insects and animals. I'm sure greed and money is involved as usual, ugh! Sorry I'm going off on a tangent, lol! It's just so important, and I feel like, geez, if I didn't even think about it, I bet there's a whole lot of other people that are ignorant to it too, and if they knew, they would do things differently in their own yards. It's crazy just how intertwined pollinators are with birds and, well, a lot of other living things, plant and animal. There's a video about the importance of native bees too, that I found SO interesting that I wish EVERYONE would watch called "Bee Extinction: Why We're Saving the Wrong Bees." You should check it out if you get time, I bet you would find it really interesting too. It was a real eye-opener to me! Anyways, yeah, we didn't get my roosting box put out this year either. The ground was already frozen by Christmas and I want it to be on a pole with a squirrel/predator guard so the birds have more protection, so... need to wait until it's warmer. I'm glad you'll be able to use the money for something you need... I wish it could've been more. While I was watching this video about little Chickadee Dimi, something was just telling me you could use it. Then my mom popped in my head, then I looked out at the closest bird feeder to our window to see a Chickadee look right at me, knowingly tilt her head and stare at me, and then I was standing at the kitchen counter deciding/thinking about it and I reached into the candy bowl (which still had some Valentine "conversation candy hearts" in it) and pulled out a candy heart and it said, "chickadee" on it! Isn't that weird?! It was like my mom was sending me these signs and finally just saying, "Chickadee, just do it!" Hahaha! Like, get the message already! 😆 🤣 She really was the sweetest person, and would've given the shirt off her back if someone needed it. She would've loved your videos! Haha, that darned auto correct is always changing what (I think) I'm writing too... sometimes for the better and sometimes not, lol! You would think it would know what I mean by now! 😆 Hmmm, maybe I'm glad it doesn't...! Alright, well, I should get going. Sorry I tend to blab on and on! Take it easy, only 22 days til Spring!!

Thank you so much for mentioning that guy, Douglas Tallamy. I've always had an interest in native plants but it's never went far enough, not like the birds. Just as you explained though, the importance of the entire ecosystem and how the absence of particular plant species trickles down, and how the presence of invasive ones also trickle down to other wildlife. It is such a delicate balance out there. I have a deep fascination for bees, and learned last year that our beloved bumble bees are having serious problems. Breaks my heart. I'm going to watch that documentary you mentioned as well, thank you :) Wow that was your experience with seeing Chickadee? Oh my gosh, the way everything is so connected you, we are all one. I believe there is so much more to this world than we are able to realize in our human form. Too funny how you described it though, your mom is like, "I'm trying to tell you something here". haha. No worries about the "blabbing" hahah I can be like that too so I totally get it. It was a pleasure reading everything you said. You take it easy too and I'm so looking forward to Spring as are my birds :)

@@LesleytheBirdNerd Yes, I totally agree with everything you said! The interconnectedness... human and beyond... physical and metaphysical... never ceases to amaze me. I try to pay attention as well as I can, but modern life can be so distracting, especially when you have ADHD (Inattentive type) like me, lol! It's 10 times worse! 😆 🤣 Yes, I hope you can check out that video about native bees, especially if it's something you're already interested in. I think it was less than 10 minutes long, but wow, SO important. My husband and I don't use pesticides or herbicides, only in the most *extreme* cases, and we have Rusty Patch bees on our property! They were put on the endangered list in 2017 I read. I know the calendar says Spring is coming, but we got at least 4 MORE inches of snow today! I noticed a week ago when we had an unseasonable warm up the bird calls were sounding different and I saw some territorial squabbles between the Chickadees. Maybe that's what happened with Dimi, or what I hope happened anyway. Part of me hates not knowing, and part of me doesn't want to know... I'm sure you can relate. I felt the same when I heard about Hermoso. 😥 I guess the more we have to love in life, the more we have to lose, but I definitely think we are better to have known that love and I have to believe that someday we will all be reunited. In the meantime, we just have to learn from how they lived... their humor, their quirks and uniqueness, their perseverance... all of it, and hope we do the same for others. 😀

Nice 😊

Great story! Do you have a setup for her to sleep at night or if the weather's too cold? Says alot that she came back. Birds remember certain humans - especially those they trust. - Stephanie

@@SW13333 Wild turkeys roost in trees overnight but we had put down hay where she liked to lay during the day during the winter.

It's pretty incredible that a wild bird can have such an impact on us emotionally. They are all just so wonderful, I love them.

The birds, definitely the birds :) Haha, thanks for the sweet compliment. I hear you about wanting snow in winter. It's just not the same without it. :)

Aww you're so kind, thank you, Gord. I hope all my feathered friends will be there waiting 🐦💙💜

@@LesleytheBirdNerd 💕 of this I have no doubt 🙏

Aww you're welcome and thank you so much

Helen than you for these thoughtful and reassuring words. I appreciate them so much right now. Much love

Helen G - you’ve said it best 🕊

@@GaiaCarney I love your picture 🥰

Thank you, I've loved them from the beginning, in 2011. The love has only grown stronger and bigger over the years.

@@LesleytheBirdNerd Wonderful .....we all truly hope Dimi flies into your life again one day. Some years back we had a yellow-bellied sapsucker fly into our picture window in the front room I grabbed some gloves went outside and picked him up. He was still alive but he had internal injuries and was coughing up blood. He died in my hands a few minutes later. I buried him in the backyard where we used to have a garden. I cried the whole day and I remember the look on his face as I was trying to comfort him. Never happened again thank goodness.

So sad. Little ones