Another of my fledgling starlings met with an accident this evening. I was in the garden when I saw him fall. He landed infront of the kitchen window. He was on his back with his legs in the air and was opening and closing his beak in silence. His little eyes were looking at me. I picked him up and held him to me to keep him warm, then wrapped him in a tea towel whilst I decided what to do next.
I decided the front garden was safest because of the dogs, so I carried him round and put him gently on the ground. He tried to hop away but kept falling over, and rolling over sideways. I wrapped him up again and tried him with some mealworms but he refused to open his beak.
A new couple has moved in across the road, and he has a BTO sticker and various bird club stickers on his car, so I thought he might be able to help. I left the baby wrapped loosley in the towel in a shady corner under a bush in the front garden and ran across the road to see the neighbour. He came back with me but by then the baby had disappeared, although mum and dad were on the roof calling for him. We couldn't find him anywhere so decided there wasn't much we could do other than keep an eye out. It turns out the neighbour is a ringer and a keen birder. He said injured fledglings rarely survive and often it is just kindest to "neck them". I said I couldn't possibly do this.
About half an hour later I saw the baby in the middle of the front lawn, standing upright and calling.
He was trying his best to hop but clearly couldn't fly and was still falling over and rolling. I picked him up and carried him across the road to the neighbour. He examined him, stretched his legs and wings and tried out his grip. He said there seemed nothing wrong with his grip, legs, or wings. He got some ladders and came across with me to put him in my tree. He gripped the branch but fell off very quickly. There was clearly an injury somewhere that affected his balance. His voice had returned and he was screaching as only starlings can. The neighbour caught him again, shook his head and said there was nothing to be done, and that he may have been injured or born with a deformity that caused him to fall off the roof in the first place. He volunteered to take him away, so I had to agree it was the kindest thing. Very sad.
My new neighbour and I had a lovely long converstion about birds and birding in general. He was so knowledgeable I was awestruck!!!! I think I am going to have a new friend. I really must find out his name!!!!
Cheers, Linda.
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Ah Sparrow, what a shame about the starling - what a shame for you too, as I know you would have been worrying terribly about it. Sometimes what will be will be and there isn't anything you can do about it. Luckily his suffering will have been over soon.
Good news on the neighbour though - that's a bit of luck. I hope it all goes from strength to strength you never know he may even be a member on here..............or perhaps even Buzzard knows him!
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
Awww that is a sad story but ultimately you have done the right thing. I have been in the same situation with rabbits and birds in the past and its not nice. I once came across a blackbird with a completely snapped leg and was bleeding on the chest, must have been a cat, and i had to "neck it" as ur neighbour calls it.
Hopefully ur not gunna come across any more upsetting scenes.
Owain
Oh yeh forgot to say good luck to you and the neighbour, ur gunna have to get him to sign up to the community lol!!
Sparrow, so sorry. Brilliant that your expert neighbour was able to assist. Sound like the start of a wonderful friendship, when you find out his name.
I still don't know if we did the right thing. I had to submit to the neighbour as he is obviously so knowledgeable with a life time experience of birds, but I still feel as though I could have done something after reading on here about various success stories with injured birds. I feel a bit inadequate. The neighbour convinced me mainly because he said had it been an adult bird we could have done something, but a fledgling only one or two days out of its nest stood no chance.
I'm sorry to hear of your ordeal, Sparrow. Sometimes things just don't go the way we want it do they? I wish life were a Disney movie sometimes!
I'm glad your new neighbour is knowledgeable and shares the interest, that could come in quite handy I should imagine.
I couldn't possibly have done what he done though!
Out of every sadness comes a little sunshine. You have found a valuable friend and at least you did everything you could to give it a chance.
Of all creatures, man is the most detestable, he is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. ~ Mark Twain
Hi Sparrow
That's a really sad story.
I couldn't have done what your friend suggested even though I know in my heart that it was probably the quickest way to deal with a bird that was never going to survive. I suppose in a way it has to be better than it starving to death, or possibly being caught by a predator.
Still you have found a new friend from a sad story.
Best wishes Chris
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I came online to see if you'd seen the end to my story - really because you helped me so much and gave me some really good advice, which I followed.
As I said in my posts, the responses I got made an impression on me at a time when I had no idea what to do, and, in honesty, felt a bit silly for being so caught up with a blackbird...
So - here I am, looking for you, and I find that YOU have had a similar experience in the last few days :-(. I'm bowled over that you helped me out and didnt even mention what had just happened to you.
I'm so sorry to hear it, and it is distressing isn't it?
Whatever connection you have made with your neighbours who helped you, and who gave you their best advice - I hope that you know that you yourself have done that for somebody else...
Joanna x
Thanks everyone for your kind comments.
I still have several babies in the garden - sparrows and starlings, so life goes on. No blackbirds as yet though.