'Baby Bird,' a young blue jay, is being cared for by Mary Ubinas of New Iberia before releasing him back to the wild. One of her cats brought the bird to her recently, and she's been feeding the bird and caring for it since.

This is Why We Live Here is a new column that grew out of Dr. Robert Lahasky’s letter to the editor published in The Daily Iberian on May 3, 2020. In his letter thanking the community for its prompt and careful response to the fire at the Synagogue, Bobby wrote, “This is why we all chose to live in New Iberia.” My husband, Jeff, said, “That needs to be a column title in The Daily Iberian.” So here I am, writing a new monthly column about the reasons people find to live in New Iberia.

On April 28th, I received a text from my friend Mary who sent a picture of a wide-mouthed baby bird in a towel with the caption, “Feeding time!” When asked what she was feeding the bird, she responded with this appetizing recipe, “Smashed cat food soaked in water, banana and a couple blueberries. Gruel consistency. I have a tiny plastic spatula that I modified to resemble a pointed beak of Mama.”

Mary Ubinas moved to New Iberia four years ago with her husband David Dahlquist.

When asked why they chose to live in New Iberia, moving all the way from Des Moine, Iowa, Mary responded that it was the sense of community. She recalled a tour of Konriko Rice Mill when the tour guide “licked her chops” telling them about Bon Creole, now one of Mary and David’s favorite places to eat. “People are authentic. The people, the food, the music is a culture we wanted to be a part of.” Mary and David are active volunteers for the Teche Project and the Books along the Teche Literary Festival, and they attend every IPAL play.

In college, Mary considered becoming a veterinarian and took three years of animal science. Most of her expertise is spent on their ten cats. One day in late April, their cat Silverado walked up with a bird in its mouth. The tiny baby blue jay was unharmed, so Mary immediately took it “under her wing.”

It seems every animal, even a baby blue jay, has a unique personality. “He’s not a morning bird,” said Mary. “I go in to feed him at 7, then 8, but he’s not ready to eat till 9.” Baby Bird, as Mary affectionately calls him, is living the life of luxury in the Dahlquist’s hall bathroom. Mary feeds him hourly during the day and even crafted a make-believe tree with branches. Mary hopes Baby Bird will practice gripping the limbs and learn to fly. She plans to continue feeding the bird for another few weeks because she is concerned that even if he can fly, he may not be able to fend for himself. “The Internet says the mother bird continues to feed the baby birds for two months.”

Caring for a blue jay hatchling may not be what Mary bargained for when moving to the bayou, but she has taken on the task with gentleness and true caring, much like the nurturing she and David have found here in New Iberia.

MARGARET SIMON is an elementary teacher of gifted students in Iberia Parish. She writes a blog regularly at reflectionsontheteche.com.