Baby great tit rescued from cat and fed by its mother

Oh, the heartbreak of trying to save a tiny life.

We even named him … or her. That’s how hopeful we were that we could save Cartman the baby great tit. Rescued from the neighbour’s cat, Cartman looks robust enough but something’s wrong and (s)he can’t fly. To save it from cats and foxes, we keep it indoors overnight in a tub with water, small worms and seed but (s)he’s too young to feed itself.

Put back out in the garden the next day, Cartman’s mother finds and feeds it. This goes on until dusk when we take it back inside.

Sadly, (s)he doesn’t survive this second night.