Hi! So over the last week I have saved and helped a fledging Blue tit. She was attacked by cats but was still okay, we took her in and have fed her and looked after her. For a little while we thought she wasnt going to make it because of her wing and her head (held it nearly upside down a lot?) But over the last couple days she has magnificently improved, wing healthy and head straight up. Now she is flying beautifully but obviously not as long or as high as normal birds. My question is, would it be okay to release her? Would she be able to fend for herself? She eats mealworms out of a blue small lid but obviously associates the blue with food now. We wouldnt do it until she can fly perfectly but I just need to know if it would be safe for her after being I guess almost domesticated? Thanks :)
I’ll say straight what you should have done done. You shouldn’t have looked after the fledgling yourself if that fledgling was injured or not. You should have have taken that young fledgling to a vets or similar organisation. I certainly would not be able to after myself. On Saturday just gone at my local Wildfowl and Wetland Trust reserve not far from where I live. I was walking around that reserve in some woodland and a concerned young couple had found a very young Deer on its own lying down in some long grass. It was a very busy hot and sunny day at that reserve with lots of families with young children and I knew that if any of the young children passed by that young Deer, that they might or would try to stroke that young Deer and the serious consequences that might or would happen to that young Deer and I know what that would mean. So I phoned up reception to speak to the reserve manager(head warden) who was in that day and who I know well.and 10 minutes he arrived and then I left him to try to help. I found out later that the parents of that young Deer eventually returned. But there where so many families there on a hot and sunny day at the weekend I knew that some of the young children would think that very young Deer looked cute and would try to stroke that young Deer and I knew what the consequences would be if that had happened I’m saying this that looking after a young wild bird(fledgling was the wrong thing to do in my opinion.
Regards,
Ian.