Third thoughts

[Kentuckienne]

A while back, I heard a thwack and looked out the window to see a small bird lying in fresh snow below a window.

(side note: the latest research shows that bird-proof stickers need to be on the OUTSIDE of the glass)..

i went and scooped up the stunned bird and put her into a cardboard box by the wood stove. This has allowed me to save at least two birds. After a half hour or so, I took the box outside to see if the bird would fly away. It didn’t . It flopped on the ground, right wing obviously weak, and hopped over to a rock. I watched it a while. It was Sunday. The vet would euthanize it if I brought it in. I agonized over what to do. Should I try to catch it, then take it to the vet to be killed? Or let it maybe freeze to death? if I caught it, it would be frightened and in an unnatural condition until it died in a scary white room. on the other hand, death by freezing is supposed to be relatively painless. If I catch the bird, is that better for her? Or am I just easing my conscience at the expense of the bird‘s? What is the right thing to do?

i watched the bird off and on all that first afternoon. It would be up on a low branch. Then in the ground. Then on a tree root. It didn’t seem to be flying. it was getting dark. I decided to just leave it out there, but I didn’t feel good about it. It bothered me all night. I felt in my mind that I was doing the kindest thing. But it was wrenching to my heart to not have her in a warm box instead of the cold ground. It was not a clean decision. Next morning I went out to look. Couldn’t find her. Didn’t see any animal tracks or signs of trauma. Later that day, she was on the ground under the feeder, one wing slightly drooping but hopping away very quickly. I got hold of a local rescue person. I think the bird is a female finch or grosbeak and I’m not allowed to keep her. The rescuer said if I could catch her, she could keep her caged and let her out in the spring if she recovered. I decided I would try to catch her.

I didn’t see her the rest of the day. The next day, she was back under the feeder eating seeds off the ground. I let her eat a long time, but when I started to open the door, she hopped away and disappeared. I walked all around the woods but couldn’t spot her. Later that day, she was back, but before I could go out something spooked all the birds. I saw her hop away, then when I went outside she actually flew about four feet off the ground to a low limb. Maybe she just had a muscle sprain? Maybe a broken collarbone that was going to heal? That‘s one tough little birdie, to survive an injury in this cold. She deserves a chance.

I kept watching, and I think I can recognize her still by the right wingtip being slightly out of place. But she can move with the rest of the flock and doesn’t hop far without flying. She seems to have recovered! I am relieved that she made it. But I don’t feel any less guilty about it. It turns out, if I had caught her and taken her to be euthanized, it would have been worse for her. It’s just sheer luck she recovered, but I don‘t feel I did the right thing. I feel like I didn’t have any good options and she survived in spite of me.

Wby am I writing all this? To say, make an attempt to save bird strike victims because sometimes it works? Maybe just to share that we all have to make our best choices based on the information we have, and there’s no way to be sure we are choosing correctly. Maybe I just need to say how wrong it felt to leave her outside, how wrong it felt to chase her, and how uneasy it felt to not be able to be sure. .

 

[DonnaBudgie]

A while back, I heard a thwack and looked out the window to see a small bird lying in fresh snow below a window.

(side note: the latest research shows that bird-proof stickers need to be on the OUTSIDE of the glass)..

i went and scooped up the stunned bird and put her into a cardboard box by the wood stove. This has allowed me to save at least two birds. After a half hour or so, I took the box outside to see if the bird would fly away. It didn’t . It flopped on the ground, right wing obviously weak, and hopped over to a rock. I watched it a while. It was Sunday. The vet would euthanize it if I brought it in. I agonized over what to do. Should I try to catch it, then take it to the vet to be killed? Or let it maybe freeze to death? if I caught it, it would be frightened and in an unnatural condition until it died in a scary white room. on the other hand, death by freezing is supposed to be relatively painless. If I catch the bird, is that better for her? Or am I just easing my conscience at the expense of the bird‘s? What is the right thing to do?

i watched the bird off and on all that first afternoon. It would be up on a low branch. Then in the ground. Then on a tree root. It didn’t seem to be flying. it was getting dark. I decided to just leave it out there, but I didn’t feel good about it. It bothered me all night. I felt in my mind that I was doing the kindest thing. But it was wrenching to my heart to not have her in a warm box instead of the cold ground. It was not a clean decision. Next morning I went out to look. Couldn’t find her. Didn’t see any animal tracks or signs of trauma. Later that day, she was on the ground under the feeder, one wing slightly drooping but hopping away very quickly. I got hold of a local rescue person. I think the bird is a female finch or grosbeak and I’m not allowed to keep her. The rescuer said if I could catch her, she could keep her caged and let her out in the spring if she recovered. I decided I would try to catch her.

I didn’t see her the rest of the day. The next wqw, she was back under the feeder eating seeds off the ground. I let her eat a long time, but when I started to open the door, she hopped away and disappeared. I walked all around the woods but couldn’t spot her. Later that day, she was back, but before I could go out something spooked all the birds. I saw her hop away, then when I went outside she actually flew about four feet off the ground to a low limb. Maybe she just had a muscle sprain? Maybe a broken collarbone that was going to heal? That‘s one tough little birdie, to survive an injury in this cold. She deserves a chance.

I kept watching, and I think I can recognize her still by the right wingtip being slightly out of place. But she can move with the rest of the flock and doesn’t hop far without flying. She seems to have recovered! I am relieved that she made it. But I don’t feel any less guilty about it. It turns out, if I had caught her and taken her to be euthanized, it would have been worse for her. It’s just sheer luck she recovered, but I don‘t feel I did the right thing. I feel like I didn’t have any good options and she survived in spite of me.

Wby am I writing all this? To say, make an attempt to save bird strike victims because sometimes it works? Maybe just to share that we all have to make our best choices based on the information we have, and there’s no way to be sure we are choosing correctly. Maybe I just need to say how wrong it felt to leave her outside, how wrong it felt to chase her, and how uneasy it felt to not be able to be sure. .

It's so sad when a bird gets injured by something us humans did like building a house with glass they can fly into especially when we put out food for them to try to make their lives easier. I have birds fly into my windows several times a year. Most of the time they just glance off because they are flying slowly or don't hit straight on and keep on flying but I've had several that almost or completely knocked themselves out and I gently pick them up and put them in a brown paper bag (open end rolled closed), bring them inside until they regain consciousness, typically less than 30 minutes, and let them go outside when they wake up. I've had a couple immediately fatal hits and I bury those poor guys in my bird cemetery. I think you did everything right. You kept the bird safe while it was stunned and let it go when it appeared to be ready for release. he right thing by trying to let it go and I see why you hesitated to catch it again once you realized it was injured. The bird would have struggled madly to avoid being caught, stressing it even further, and you may not have been able to catch it. If you had managed to recapture it and got it to a wildlife rescue it may have died from the stress of capture and captivity-:it certainly would have been a very unpleasant experience for the poor little creature. The good news is that you now have the contact information for the local rescue person! The next time a bird gets injured, you know exactly what to do and who to call, so a lot of good may came out of this unfortunate accident! Spread the word to your friends and neighbors, because as I always say, BIRD LIVES MATTER!

 

[texsize]

I have a Raven nest in a tall palm tree.
tree is in neighbors yard but next to my fence.
Fledgling fell(or was pushed) out of nest before it could fly.
Lots of feral cats in my neighborhood and was scared of what might happen.

watched all day and never saw parents try to feed it.
after sunset I put baby in a spare cage I had with a blanket and kept it outside.
Figured to give it protection from the cats.
Boy the parents got Sooo Upset when I handled that bird.
They flew (in the dark) to my roof and screamed at me and hammered that huge beak on my roof (breaking some shingles).
Let it out in am.
Anyway the baby didn’t make it.
Maybe the parents knew it had a problem.
maybe it was injured in the fall.
I buried the poor thing.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I have a Raven nest in a tall palm tree.
tree is in neighbors yard but next to my fence.
Fledgling fell(or was pushed) out of nest before it could fly.
Lots of feral cats in my neighborhood and was scared of what might happen.

watched all day and never saw parents try to feed it.
after sunset I put baby in a spare cage I had with a blanket and kept it outside.
Figured to give it protection from the cats.
Boy the parents got Sooo Upset when I handled that bird.
They flew (in the dark) to my roof and screamed at me and hammered that huge beak on my roof (breaking some shingles).
Let it out in am.
Anyway the baby didn’t make it.
Maybe the parents knew it had a problem.
maybe it was injured in the fall.
I buried the poor thing.

Wow! I hope those Ravens didn't hold it against you! I hear they remember everything! Maybe if you give them something good to eat like a dead fish they'll forgive you! Just KIDDING! But it would make a good opening plot line for a horror movie!