Ybor Misfits Microsanctuary

I found this tiny baby clinging to life about an hour ago. The rainstorm, which we really needed, wasn’t a friend to them. Wet and hypothermic, they might have been gone by now if I didn’t hear the faintest little chirps coming from a planter near the city art studio.

We went right to the park bathroom and under the hand dryer. Getting dry and warm was priority one.

Once I got them to this stage, I wrapped them in a small towel and turned my car’s seat warmer on for them, so they could get more heat while I finished the rounds.

On our adventure, we found that a baby some of us in the neighborhood have been looking after had finally made it into his tree for the night for the first time. I grabbed another young one - this one an elementary school kid - who has been hanging alone on 7th. A regular check-in turned into a rescue when I found them with their feet tangled in hair.

After those little side quests, we arrived home, and someone was bright eyed and energetic 💛 They’ll stay on heat overnight and be assessed to see if they can go back to mom tomorrow!

What a night 🐥🐥🐥 I’ll bless the stories with pics and videos of the other beebs 📸🎥

About a week ago, these babies were found inside a gutter at . Mom was on the ground and didn’t know what to do about her babies who were stuck about 12 feet up.

One of the guys there was able to collect them and messaged us. When I arrived, I saw that one baby was healthy and spry, but the other was weak and a little underdeveloped. We put the healthy baby down and mom went right to them. The other went home with me.

Their belly button wasn’t fully closed yet, so we had to keep that clean and make sure they got lots of heat. After monitoring that for a couple days, we introduced them to a couple other chicks in our care, and they all became fast friends.

Today, you can’t tell anything was ever wrong! TY Grace and AJ for looking out! 🐣

A little 5-week update on this dude and his new clothes 💪🧡🏆

A quick and easy street fixer upper before sunset 🌇

TY, 🐥

Pumpkin started receiving our version of hospice care about a month ago. She had become completely lethargic and lost the ability to stand. I brought her in, set her up next to my couch, and began syringe feeding her baby food. She was inside, 24/7.

Still, to be thorough, I treated her for parasites and a possible vitamin deficiency, both of which can cause limb paralysis. Nothing seemed to be working, but she was safe, warm, and cared for. Sometimes, the goal changes, and comfort becomes the prize.

Then a memory found its way back to me. Seven years ago, I found my street buddy Merlin with a similar condition, alone in a corner and unable to stand or walk. I had almost forgotten what helped him, but it hit me one morning: Enfamil Poly-Vi-Sol. Human baby vitamins 👶 Two weeks of that, followed by by some physical therapy, and he was back in the streets with his wife, Penny.

Within a week of giving her this same medicine, Pumpkin was suddenly standing in her little bed beside me.

Today, I took her outside for some fresh air. I put her down, dropped a little seed, and she shot up - kicking at the dirt like she was Bruce Lee. I couldn’t believe the energy💥

So I think it is finally safe to say she is on the mend. The goal has changed again. A reunion with Dottie.

Even though she’s inching back toward independence - now, more than ever - she really is my baby 🧡 the food and medicine that she desperately needed proves it.

I’m not sure I’ve ever properly introduced the two girls who came with me to ’s Earth Day block party tonight, so let me fix that immediately!

Cassiopeia, Cassi to her friends, was abandoned after being raised in an apartment as a pet. Her sister and roommate, Poppi, was found by a ranger in Centennial Park with two breaks in her leg when she was just 2 to 3 months old. Both happened about 8 months ago.

After working the event, we stopped by the park to check on things, and I brought the girls out. As we walked toward the hill where the ranger once told me I’d find her, Poppi started getting very vocal, and I could tell the scenery was familiar to her.

She got to show her best friend where she grew up and where dad saved her. But when we got back to the car, she seemed even happier, which makes me wonder if she thought I was bringing her back 😩

Either way, these girls made a lot of new friends tonight! We’ll share any photos they’re tagged in here!

Thank you for being on your best behavior, babies. And thank you to everyone who stopped to spend time with them. And thank you thank you to Tampa Theatre and Sydney for inviting us 🤍🧡

Three different people messaged me about a little boy with red string wrapped around and binding his legs.

The third time looking for him was the charm.

He wasn’t happy when I caught him tonight, but the moment I started cutting the string away, he settled - almost falling asleep - like he understood I was there to help and allowed himself to feel complete and total relief.

Luckily, he avoided any injury and gets to go right back to living his normal life.

Thank you to Mike and Summer! Special thanks to Janice for the assistance!

Enjoy the sunset, buddy 🐓🌇

When I came upon this scene, I didn’t know what I was walking into. From a distance, it looked like one hen was guarding another who’d been hurt. I braced for the worst.

Up close, though, it was something much softer… and somehow, even more frustrating.

These two mom-wannabes were sharing 2026’s first — and youngest ever — Easter abandonment.

Both of them wanted to nurture that baby. But neither was territorial, neither defensive. When I reached my hand in, they didn’t flinch. And the chick? It ran straight to me — the kind of instinct you only see when being held is already familiar.

And then there’s the detail that says everything - that baby has feathered legs. In ten years, I haven’t seen an Ybor chick with that trait unless there was a recent drop-off in the mix.

This wasn’t random. This was intentional.

Chickens can be rehomed - especially hens and chicks. For birds outside of Ybor, there are rescues, socials, and people who will step in and help.

I hope this is the only one we see this year. But experience says otherwise. If anything, we’re early.

So if you hear someone suggest that Ybor is a place to bring unwanted birds, correct them. It’s not a solution — it’s illegal, and it’s cruel. And this community is paying attention.

I was driving down Palm yesterday with my windows down and heard distressed chirping on the HCC/Castle block. I found a little chickie in a deep puddle and thought I was done. On the walk back to the car, I heard more calls for help, walked to the Castle alley, and saw this little baby hopping.

After a night at the Ybor Misfits Med Spa and Resort, these little ones got to go back to their family for Easter morning.

I hope their siblings saved them some candy! 😋🍬🐰

You silly gooses live ON the streets, not UNDER them.

TY and 🐥🐥🐥