We have rescued a young house martin from the jaws of one of our cats, it seems to be unharmed but his left wing looks weak (not broken), I seem to remember that like swifts house martins cannot take of from the ground, we have tried releasing him from around 8ft and he flutters but gains no lift.
We have now taken him indoors and are feeding him on mealworms (boy is he hungry), he is a small bird but I cant believe he's a fledgling, I'm sure its too early and the nests are still being built but he's a lot smaler than the rest of the group (probably around 20 birds).
We're not keen on taking him to the vets as I get the ompression they haven't the time to care for wild creatures.
Can anyone give us any advice, we work from home so we have the time to care for him and he seems totally stress free at the moment but obviously we want to release him back to his family.
As he has already been attacked by a cat the best place for him is a wildlife rescue center, where he can be treated by a friendly vet (antibiotics are often needed after a cat attack).
They will also raise him with his own if possible or at least keep the human contact to minimal.
Any bird suffers with a damaged wing, but especially bird of this variety.
I appreciate your good intentions, but the best for him is at the hospital.
Am sure if you post your location, someone can point you to your nearest.
It's both what you do and the way that you do it!
You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren. William Henry Hudson (1841 - 1922)
Thanks for your prompt reply.
Our ginger boy didn't 'attack' him, he was carrying him in his mouth, there are no visible injuries and no puncture wounds, he just seems to have a weak left wing (plenty of mobility)
We are just outside Liskeard in Cornwall, the nearest rescue centres I can find are on the Somerset border or Penzance bith of which are at least 2 hours drive.
Im about to load up some pix of house martins collecting mud which I took this morning these birds havnt even built their nests yet and you have young ones already :-)
Hope the little fella pulls through and is zooming around soon.
ChrisS.
A very old Shropshire Lad.
The saliva from a cat carries bacteria that can be fatal to birds - just the slightest cut can give the bacteria a way into the bird and the resulting infection can quickly prove to be fatal. The best thing you can do for the bird is to get him to an expert rehabilitator who can give him a thorough check-over, provide the relevent treatment and hopefully lead to a successful release. Many rescue centres will send someone out to collect injured wildlife or will have local connections so it is well worth giving them a call.
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
Well seeing as nobody came back with a suggested rescue centre close by I decided to do the best for the little guy myself, he's still with us, eating mealworms like there's no tomorrow, we had another trial flight today, his wing is getting stronger all the time but he still cant get enough lift, I'm launching him from a height of around 9ft, his left wing (which was noticeably weaker than the right) is now all but matching the right and he is making progress, his family are going great guns with their nests, currently 4 completed with another 4 part way there.
Sorry if I'm doing it all wrong according to your experts but this little fella deserves the best chance I can give him.
Sorry no one got back to you, probably due to IanH flagging the post as answered.
Glad it's doing well.