How To Letterbox With a Baby Bird

First you must be approached by a baby bird in an empty parking lot. The baby bird will peck at your feet and chirp non stop for food. When you attempt to walk away the baby bird will follow you. At this juncture you must pick up the baby bird and take a good long look at it. Only half of its feathers grown in. Check. Blistering hot day with no food or water. Check. No nest in sight in the immediate area. Check. Potentially perilous situation for the baby bird. Check.

After finding the letterbox you had stopped for in the first place while carrying the baby bird you return to the car with your boxing companion (CW Sun Seeker in this case) and the baby bird and you head straight to Pet’s Mart.

At Pet’s Mart you obtain baby bird formula, a plastic container to mix the formula in, a small empty box and a syringe. You mix up the formula. You hand feed the baby bird before pulling out your clues and heading to the next box. You repeat this process every 30 to 40 minutes based on the baby birds feeding needs and the Letterboxes you are looking for.

If the Letterbox you are looking for is a fast find you carry the baby bird in your hands. If the box is a mile or more hike or a series of boxes you carry the baby bird in his box with it’s food. Periodically you let the baby bird out to stretch its wings and do its business in the grass while you are stamping in. When the baby bird has an accident in his box you lay down fresh paper towels to cover the mess.

At night the baby bird has one last feeding and a paper towel is laid over the box for him to sleep. While the baby bird is sleeping you and your Letterboxing friends attempt to figure out what type of bird baby bird is.

In the morning you start the whole process over again as you make the drive from Utah to Idaho feeding the bird as needed along the way. Baby birds need more care than a life on the trail chasing Letterboxes every day so you will need to take your baby bird to the Ruth Melichar Bird Center (which assists over 3,000 birds and mammals annually), make a donation and finally find out the species of baby you have been caring for.

Introducing “Baby Bird Boxer” the Letterboxing Pigeon!

Baby Bird Boxer is now living at the Animals in Distress Bird Center in Boise, Idaho recuperating from his harrowing near death experience from a hot and deserted parking lot in Utah. Lovingly cared for by myself and CW SunSeeker this less than one month old pigeon had zero chance of survival on his own out of the nest. Today he not only has a safe rehabilitation center to call home but he also has 10 Letterbox finds in Utah from his day on the trail. The next time you are out Letterboxing and see a gray pigeon watching your every move it might just be Baby Bird Boxer increasing his F-Count by Letterboxing right along with you.