This isn’t one of those happy little bird stories.
We found a bird by the side of the road. I was driving by. and saw him, staring at me. He didn’t move, or try to fly away. I stopped the car and asked my boyfriend to jump out, and see if the little guy was ok.
He wasn’t.
We got him off the road and onto the grass, but he just hopped around. It seems pretty clear one of his wings isn’t working. He looks young, and he was under a tree. Maybe he hurt his wing when flying practice went wrong. We couldn’t see a nest.
We tried calling around. The wild animal department (the people you’re supposed to call if you think you’ve injured an animal, we figured it was close enough) were out for the day, but we got sent along for a few other numbers. No result.
I know he’s probably not going to live. I know the kind thing would be to put him out of his misery. But I don’t know how to kill birds. I don’t want to try, and fail.
So now he’s in a cardboard box in our apartment. Tomorrow, we’ll take him to a vet. He or she can treat him, or put him down, and atleast he isn’t hopping around in traffic. He has some quiet, and some water, and some breadcrumbs. He’s using the bread to sleep on, so it’s doing some good atleast.
Yesterday I found two shattered robins eggs in my garden. Some critter had obviously raided a nest, quite effectively. The little birdies inside were almost ready to hatch, only to have life snatched from them.
I’m sad too. (Yeah, yeah, I know, circle of life, yada, yada…)
When I rescued an injured baby parrot once, the WIRES guys told me to give it some black, sweet tea in case it was in shock. They also told me to put a lamp close to the cage and pointing directly at it for the warmth. It may just be suffering shock - give the tea and light a go
I know, but it was in the road. Figure it’s no worse of in a cardboard box than under someone’s wheels.
And thanks, Autolycus. I’m a woman btw. I could’t just leave the poor thing hopping about. It fell over on its back at one point, and couldn’t turn itself around
**threnodyangelfire **, I’m just going to leave it alone, I think. It’s a cold climate bird, and light seems to bother it. I might try the tea at some point, but right now, I’m just going to let him settle. Thank you for passing on the advice, though. It’s good to have options.
Oh absolutely, and I didn’t mean to sound like a total bastard in my previous post–you done good just for caring. Even if you may have doomed an otherwise healthy creature with your misplaced good intentions.
A similar situation happened to us once and we went to the Wild Birds Unlimited store near us; they happened to have a specialist there who told us to give the bird Pediasure. Unfortunately it was too late in our case, but if your friend is still hanging in there, it might help.
I opened this because I was expecting the poetry that the Army has to offer in a cadence:
*
A little bird
With a little bill
Was sitting on
My window sill
A little bird with a little bill
Was sitting on my window sill
I lured him in
With a piece of bread
And then I bashed
His f*****g head
I lured him in with a piece of bread
And then I bashed his f*****g head *
We had a mourning dove that seemed to be injured in our back yard once. Couldn’t fly, was holding a wing at an odd angle, even though it didn’t appear to be broken.
I took him/her to a wildlife rehabber and as it turns out, birdie had whatever the avian equivalent of a concussion is. He/she had apparently flown into a window or something similar and after a few days rest was released. This type of thing happens more often during this time of year, when birds are defending territory - sometimes they don’t pay much attention to where they’re going, or they think their reflection in a window is another bird.
The little bird turned out to be too young to survive on its own. We took it home from the vet, and tried to feed it and keep it alive. But it was dead this morning
Goodbye bird. Atleast you got a few extra days, and a peaceful death.
About 6 weeks ago I found a newly hatched baby bird on the sidewalk. No feathers, eyes closed, completely helpless. I brought it home and looked up how to care for it, and I read the cat food, soaked into a mush, was a good substitute for what mommy and daddy birds would feed. I was sure my little guy would die, but I tried it anyway. What else could I do?
I released fully feathered, learning to fly birdy a couple weeks ago. We called him Sir Wallace Chirpsalot; Chirpy for short. He was big and strong and healthy. I had to go out and continue to feed him for about 10 days, but he has taken up with some other blackbirds and learned to feed himself (herself?) now. He flies all over, but he sill comes back by the house and chirps when I am outside (I recognize him and his call). He won’t come low for me to touch him anymore, which makes me a little sad, in a way, but I know it’s for the best. He’s part of a flock now, and it literally brings tears to my eyes when I see him chattering away with his little buddies.
I’m sorry you lost your bird, Septima, but maybe this will cheer you up a little. I don’t know what was wrong with your little guy, but I hope if you find another, you stop again. They say 3 out of 4 hand raised wild baby birds will die ( I know how lucky I am), but you did the best thing. Good on you.
