Hello all,
Yesterday I found a baby Downy Woodpecker on our porch right outside one
of our glass windowed doors.  At first glance it looked dead.  My family
and I had thought that it may have hit the window and broken its neck. 
But on closer examination it was still breathing but barely alive.  I knew
he needed warmth right away, but I was torn between leaving him outside in
hopes that his mother would come around and trying to warm him up.  I
searched for any possible signs of a nearby nest cavity, but I couldn't
find anything.  I was puzzled by the fact that there aren't any trees
over-hanging our porch, and none even close to where I found the bird
lying.  So I have no idea from where he came.  In the end I decided to
take the bird inside to warm him up, but I didn't really think he had a
good chance of making it.  I was wrong!  A few hours later he was moving
around, trying to fly, and even eating the kitty chow/Gatorade mash I had
made him.  He slept peacefully all night with his head tucked under his
wing, and woke up (and consequently woke me up) around 6:45am.  At that
time I fed him, and then fed him again at 8.  He has been defecating.  I
took him out on our screened-in porch to test his flying ability, but it
resembled more of a flapping and falling technique.  He can perch to an
extent.  He'll grasp onto my finger, the screen or my chest.  As you can
see in the attached before and after pictures, he's much more alert now. 
And he has a decent set of feathers on him.  So now I don't quite know
what to do.  I doubt what I'm feeding him is nutritionally adequate in the
long term.  I think that he'll be able to fly soon, but I can't teach him
to search for food like his mother could.  I realize it's not legal to
keep him as a pet, but that is not what I want to do.  So I don't know if
I should continue what I'm doing or if anyone knows of a place in the
Cincinnati area where I could take him.  I feel bad in a way for taking
him in, because I know that's not what is encouraged, but he was honestly
near death.  He couldn't even hold his head up.  Oh and another thing.  I
don't know if this is normal for Downy Woodpecker babies, but he has not
made one peep since I found him.  The only way that I knew he was awake
this morning was by the sound of him moving around.  Anyway, if anyone has
any advice feel free to send it my way.
Thanks,
Rebecca