Bewildered baby robin

Yesterday evening, while taking out the trash, I noticed a bird perched on the edge of a second, lidless trash can we still keep around for weeding. As I approached, I could see from its size and spotted breast that it was one of the baby robins, newly come from the nest! I got pretty close to it, and the little creature regarded me calmly, too innocent to know it should be afraid. It didn't make a sound, but once it opened its beak in something like a yawn (or silent request for food). I called Stephan out, and we both looked at it, and fretted that it wasn't high enough to be safe from roving cats or dogs. We went inside so that the parent birds wouldn't be afraid to feed or help it.A little bit later, Stephan looked out the sunroom window and reported that it was gone. I looked out from our bedroom window upstairs, and saw it perched on the wooden fence between our yard and the neighbor's. I watched it for a while. Every now and then, it would hunch up like it was gathering itself for a leap, then extend its small wings, but it didn't take flight. I was relieved to see one of the parent birds call to it from a telephone wire, then come and feed it a worm.I read for a while and then went back to the window to see that the bird had found a slightly higher perch in a small redbud tree right along the fence. The tree is a weed, really, that I'm sure the neighbor's son will cut down when he gets around to it (our elderly neighbor had to move out and her son takes minimal care of the house and yard), but for now I am glad it is there to be a relatively safe place for the baby bird.I dreamed about the baby robin last night, and that I had to dig up worms for it. I expected it to be gone when I got up this morning, since birds are, well, early birds. But it is still in the same place in the tree, still being fed by its parents. Another nestling is still in the nest chirping loudly, at least from what I can hear -- I can't see the nest since it is in the crook of the downspout beside the window.Poor little thing -- it has no idea these strange, wingless creatures are taking such an interest in it and cheering for it to take flight again soon. I hope next time it moves it gets up higher, perhaps in the big maple tree, where it will be harder to see. I know that it will soon look like any other adult robin and will dig for worms in my yard, and I will have no way of knowing that it is the baby I so much enjoyed watching. If I'm lucky and am at the window at the right time, I might get to see it take flight.I took this photo when I first saw the bird perched on the trash can.