Change of plan…
Hi there
Thanks for popping in. Today is proof once again, that you never know what’s round the corner, and the best laid plans can go to pot in a flash – or should I say a flutter? Read on…
Finally, I had made time this morning to clear away all the gear from Sunday’s TV shows. I popped to the downstairs loo before starting the arduous task of emptying all the demo boxes, and happened to hear a bird chirping outside. Very loudly and very urgently. My heart sank. One of the cats had maybe caught a bird? But hang on! They were both sitting at my feet indoors, listening intently too!
“That sounds close”, I thought, and looked out of the window. There on the step was a little fledgling. A very large bird, but a baby nonetheless, which evidently wasn’t ready to fly yet.
And immediately, a baby bird rescue operation was launched. Locked Ragnar and Erik in the house and dashed round to help. Looked around for the parents. Nada. Looked round everywhere where the nest might be – the only possible place is up at the top of the house in the honeysuckle growth on the wall. Couldn’t just leave it there, squawking, attracting the attention of every cat in the neighbourhood, so I decided to keep it safe till Farmer Dave gets home. He who knows what to do in these instances!
Googled what to do with a baby bird. It said not to move it. Well, that’s all well and good except when the chances of survival leaving it where it is are pretty much 0.
So now we’re hanging out together in the SHAC. I’ve been feeding him tiny amounts of soggy soft bread and giving him water with a cleaned out Distress ink pipette – and we are getting on just fine. He is chirping up a storm, and irony of ironies – I have made him a little quiet nest in the Box we take the cats to the vets in – just in case they air drop in through one of the windows when my back is turned!
Ask me how much tidying and filing and sorting I’ve been doing. Nada. Do you know what? CBA. Hanging out with a little birdie is much more important.
I think he may be a song thrush actually! He is the spit of this little fella, and reading up on song thrushes, they do nest in shrubs and trees on walls, and now is the right time.
My mission is to either reunite this little fella with his mum, which is starting to look unlikely, or keep him alive until he is strong enough and developed enough to fly free.
Right. I’m off into the garden now, to go foraging for him, find some insects for him. Yummy. Dave says he will get the ladder out when he gets home, and see if he can locate the nest, to put him back in with the family.
His chances of survival may be slim, but they’re still better odds than cat food.
Stay safe, and don’t go falling out of the nest!
Love and Hugs
Barb xxx
23 thoughts on “Change of plan…”
Well done – you kept her/him safe and that is surely the best way to instigate ‘operation bird’. I’m hoping a pot or stamp will be forthcoming as a result – can we give him/her a temporary name? Surely “Lucky” would fit?
Love
Maggie (Bendy Yorkite)
Hope you are able to find the nest even if it is too late to find the mother bird but if not, with your loving care it may survive anyway.
Just watched show no:3, Paul does a great job, you must be very proud to have him on your team. He is a star. ✨The rest are being recorded as I must get some non-crafty jobs done.
Overcast here all morning but boy was it hot and humid. Going to get hotter by the weekend. Phew!!!!!
Keep cool, stay safe.
Oh bless love the don’t fall out of the nest advice
Oh bless love the don’t fall out of the nest advice
We’re so lucky in my area as we have an excellent wildlife rescue group. They will take anything in, even pigeons and mice. They have links with the local beekeepers, so will deal with swarms as well. We’re such a bunch of softies and quite rightly think that any creature deserves a fair shot at surviving. I have friends who last year reared a baby pigeon and are currently nurse maids to a baby magpie…You might want to try feeding it with cat food (better nutritionally than bread). Good luck you lovely, warm hearted lady. X
How lucky that you found him before the cats. I’m having a little giggle here imagining you trying to teach him to sing like a song thrush! Hope Dave can find the nest x
Totally understand the change in your plans… I would have done exactly the same as we have five cats in our household (our own plus foster fluffs )Hope things go well regarding chick… fingers crossed eh?
Lucky little fella that you found him first. Been in this situation the odd time. First thought where are the cats, second what are we going to do! Thankfully the sparrows that nest under the eaves above our back door every year get their babies flight ready when the pop out the nest ! However there can be the odd ‘accident’ ! Good luck and hope Dave manages to find the nest xx
Oh, bless him. I had to stand guard on a wee baby siskin that feel asleep on a Christmas rose! He wouldn’t have stood a chance either if I had moved away. Then yesterday I had to rescue a wee one that hit the window. I placed him in one of the trays on the feeding station and stood there encouraging him to live till after 45 mins he flew away. Standing beside him meant none of the other birds would disturb him till he got his breath back. There success stories. Hope your baby survives. He is just beautiful. Hope Dave is able to reunite him with his family and that the others don’t knock I’m out of the nest again!! Good work, Barb. Hxx
Oh how lovely. You really have done your best for him. I do hope it all works out for the best. Take care. Hugs xxx
Call your wildlife centre or you vet should know who to contact for advice. Hope he is ok and you can reunite him with his Mom.
What a lucky little fella, to land on your step. He would have stood no chance left to himself. I do hope he fares well.
I am absolutely gutted, as having looked forward to Josie’s amazing new plates, I have to do without for now. ☹️ My washing machine decided to throw a fit and it is terminal, so a new machine has to take priority. It is even £90 for delivery and fitting, and taking away the old machine. I shall have to wait patiently and save my pennies again and I am so fed up. Oh well, there are people with much bigger problems, so I mustn’t moan.
Take care and hugs. Annette X
Hello Barbara
On Facebook recently was a post about just such an occasion. The suggestion was to peg a cardboard box to a washing line and place the fledgling in the box. That way it was safe from predators and the parents could feed it. Haven’t needed to try it so do not know if it works.
Love
Roz.xxx
That sounds like a brilliant idea Ros! X
I too read that post Roz and thought what a brilliant idea
I have started to let Luna and Polly up the garden and it’s my biggest fear that one of them will catch a Robin!
At the moment, they are happy chasing flies !
Living where we do, in the middle of woodland, we get all kinds of baby birds and sometimes they crash into the dining-room or kitchen windows (they face the garden where the feeders are). Any time I hear a bang I go out and rescue the dazed wee one and put him/her into the box I’ve had for years. If they stay quiet for about an hour, they are usually ready to fly. As I know where most of the nests are, I send them in the right direction!! Sometimes they manage to crash late in the day, so they stay in a cage and have food and water until morning when I release them. I keep any squashed flies for my indoor spiders (I encourage those beside the wardrobes to catch any clothes moths -they do a great job and get fly rewards) and baby birds like them too. I hope yours finds its mum or nest -or Dave manages to get a good supply of insects. I also hope it is past the stage where you have to wipe its bum with damp cotton wool to make it ‘go’!!
I could not have left it either. Two years ago I had a family of hedgehogs in our garden late season so there I was buying kitten food to look after them. They eventually went to a rescue centre for the winter so I did my bit. I do hope your little bird survives. xx
There is always tomorrow to unpack the boxes, hope all goes well for baby bird.
Just catching up with todays Groovi shows with Paul after yet another busy day decorating !!
We have lots of sparrows coming to our bird feeders and just lately they have been bringing the fledglings with them. So cute. Our cats are too old to chase birds now. Our biggest problem is the baby seagulls, when they fall off the roof and you try to rescue them the parents dive bomb you. Even now when they have just hatched the parents screech to warn you away when we go into the garden. They sit on next door’s flat roof when I go out to water my pots. I hope your baby survives xx
So glad you find the little fellas before the cats and despite everything you read and hear I think it was right of you to take him in. What did Dave say? Hope he was able to find the nest and get the little one back with his family! Hugs xx
Hello Barb, oh what a lovely blog post. Unfortunately yes cats can bring them in, but at least you found him safe and uninjured. It does look like a song thrush to me. My daughter in law is just as caring as you, and when their cat Goose did catch a baby pigeon, they brought it inside, and actually reared it to adult hood, and said cat and bird (named Peggie) actually became friends to the point that cat would not try harm bird, and if it got too close for comfort, would get pecked to say go away. They eventually let Peggie go once she was old and savvy enough. They are now known as the bird hospital if we ever find injured or lost birds, even adults. Take care and stay safe everyone. Bx
As we live in the woods, we keep our cat indoors at all times. Not just for the sake of the local birds, but between the foxes and the coyotes (I live in the US), it’s not safe for him to be outside. A few of my neighbors have learned the hard way that many animals see a cat as a tasty treat.
That little birdie is a lucky one.