Adventures of Gonzo - #1 Nestfall
Originally published for Members Only May 31 2026
Why Gonzo?
They fell out of a nest and into a world that had already decided they didn't matter - an invasive species, unprotected, dismissed by the very systems meant to care for wildlife.
That made them family.
I named them Gonzo for two reasons that are really the same reason: the Muppet who stumbles through chaos with unshakable nerve, and the journalism that refuses to pretend objectivity exists when the world is on fire. Gonzo journalism doesn't watch from the sidelines. It falls in, gets messy, and tells the truth anyway.
Our little starling opened their eyes to a human who wouldn't look away.
We don't know if Gonzo is a boy or a girl and we really do not care. In a political climate obsessed with policing pronouns and pinning people into boxes, we think a gender-neutral starling who survived against all odds is exactly the kind of energy independent journalism needs.
Nestfall - May 26, 19:40 hrs 44 grams
It is possible they bounced off the ledge before hitting the porch.
I discovered this little creature on my porch when I was going to go get some groceries. I knew the starlings were nesting in my eaves and I was happy to have them there after they evicted the wasps that were there.
The nestling had fallen at least 6 feet, I was not sure they would survive the night.
I sent out a message for in my Medicine Hat family chat, asking for someone to go get me some suitable food for this little featherless creature. My family stepped up as usual, delivering the necessary goods asap.
(I had done this 13 years before when a House Finch fell out of a nest the year of the flood. Beaker is still alive. The average lifespan for a wild house finch is 3-7 years, in captivity they can live to be 16.)
I fed them a little bit and then created a nest in an old metal cake pan - easy to clean and sterilize and enough room for a 500 ml hot water bottle.
I covered it up with a tea towel and put them inside my nightstand for the night.
May 26 19:35 hrs
I knew that I would be feeding them every 20-30 minutes from sunrise to sunset.
I knew that starlings are not a protected species.
I knew that the chances of any wildlife rescue taking them in were slim and none.
I knew that if I was to have a hope of saving this tiny creature, I was on my own.
More to come
