What would you do if the neighbourhood kids, including your own, begged you to save a baby bird whose nest had been attacked by a cat? Naive and oblivious, I took that tiny naked ball, and brought it home with me. Not sure which bird it was, and not getting much help from my field guides, we had no idea what to feed it. Defaulting to the 'obvious', we got down on hands and knees in the garden and started digging for worms. The little nestling gobbled down two with great gusto, and was going for a third when I ran out of the house after an internet search - 'No worms!' Most birds don't eat worms, and knowing this wasn't a robin, back I went to the internet and began one of the most rewarding experiences of my life - raising a newborn Northern cardinal, and having the pleasure of releasing it over a year later.