When I was a teenager my brother brought home a little baby sparrow that had just a little bit of fuzz on her, we called her peeper-pretty ugly, looked like a turtle from what I remember. Not knowing anything about raising birds we fed her mom's home made bread and milk. Well, the little bugger thrived, don't ask me how other than my mom's bread was fantastic stuff! Anyway, she would ride on our shoulders, eat cheerios with me-she'd sit on my spoon and eat the cheerios out of the spoon-hey I was young then and didn't worry about germs! I would take her out and help her learn to fly, she was so proud on her first flying/hopping expedition! Anyway, long story short, she started within a few days flying farther and farther away and then would not come close to us anymore, would just peep at us from a distance. She was able to adapt to the wild and while we really missed her, she was where she belonged and was able to make the transition. So it is possible, yours may be able to make it too.
