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HELP! Disturbed nest (1 Viewer)

blktoptrvl

New member
Hello All,

I am sure I am going to violate some rule here... but I cannot be concerned with that now.

Help is needed.

I have a nest that was built a few years ago on the downspout of my roof gutter.

While cleaning those gutters today, I disturbed that nest. In fact, I damaged the nest and three babies fell out of the bottom to the ground and another was sort of pinned between the house and the gutter.

I called a friend who knows more about birds than I. (I know nothing.) My friend suggested that I replace the birds in the nest and then leave it be.

So, I picked up the three babies, and picked out the one that was pinned and returned them to the nest - I did not try to repair the nest because it seemed so fragile.

My question is... Should I try to get a sock or somthing similar and stuff it under the nest to provide a new "bottom?"

Will the parents still care for the nest?

Is there anthing else I should do?
 
Welcome

Hello B
Welcome to BF.

Personally i would try to put the nest back as close to its original location as possible, ensuring that it is secure.

I regularly Have to move nests due to my work cutting trees & shrubs, i would say that most birds wont be bothered about the temporary mis-hap, as their parental bond to their chicks is very strong.

We often have to move thrush & finch etc nests into different locations if a tree/shrub is being removed. It doesn't take long for the parents to relocate their brood/ or even eggs.

I think as long as you ensure the structure of the nest is strong enough then you shouldn't get any problems.

Hope all works out well
StevieEvans.
 
Hi Blktoptrvl from another South Carolinian and a warm welcome from the staff here at Bird Forum.

Sounds as though you did everything humanly possible and did it correctly as well. Stevie pretty much covered everything.

If you wouldn't mind, if you could just stop back and let us know how it all went? It would be much appreciated.
 
StevieEvans said:
I regularly Have to move nests due to my work cutting trees & shrubs, i would say that most birds wont be bothered about the temporary mis-hap, as their parental bond to their chicks is very strong.

We often have to move thrush & finch etc nests into different locations if a tree/shrub is being removed. It doesn't take long for the parents to relocate their brood/ or even eggs.

StevieEvans.

I thought it was illegal to interfere with a nest in any way (in the UK) during the breeding season?

Do we have a legal eagle out there to clarify this?
 
Pedantic

Hello Elizabeth,


Are You suggesting i cease work from March till September...........?

OR

Just look for the nests once all the cutting has been done........?

Your posting is a trifle pedantic i feel.


PS. Anyone wanting to encourage garden breeding birds should plant a Leyland Cypress hedge & keep it clipped back tight. (almost magpie proof)

We regularly look after such a hedge, 40m in length, 1.8m high.
2 years ago it had the following nests (all with chicks/eggs) at the beginning of August:-
1 Collared Dove, 2 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Goldfinch.

Stevie.
 
StevieEvans said:
Hello Elizabeth,

Are You suggesting i cease work from March till September...........?

OR
Just look for the nests once all the cutting has been done........?

Your posting is a trifle pedantic i feel.



Stevie.

Sorry Stevie - I only asked!!!

NB I am the founder member of "pedants anonymous"!
 
The legal protection does cover all birds, but it doesn't extend to 'agricultural operations', and what Stevie's doing counts as this (it is a pretty wide definition that is used)

Michael
 
Steve- Leyland Cypress are pretty pants for all but a few nesting species which you mentioned, lets not see yet more conifer hedgerows they are crud!!
I certainly do not wish to continue mono-culture in our gardens (there is a enough of that happening on farmlands!) Something like a Hazel/hawthorn/holly hedge would bring more bio-diversity to your garden much better than a boring old leylandii.

To be honest with you when I was a tree sprite we never carried out Tree Work during most of the Breeding season its a quiet time of the year anyway, maybe the odd shrub that needed a trim that sort of thing! wow glad I don't do that anymore!!!

Anyway Steve what have you seen recently? have you been out over the Easter?
 
....Oh and Steve you could cease work between March and sept and just go Birding.

The legal protection does cover all birds- no it does not as some species are included in schedules that can be killed or taken from the wild.
 
Michael Frankis said:
The legal protection does cover all birds, but it doesn't extend to 'agricultural operations', and what Stevie's doing counts as this (it is a pretty wide definition that is used)

Michael
Absolutely, certain species which are scheduled (D or below I think) are permitted to be disturbed or even destroyed. This includes nesting species but is pretty much limited to Corvids and Pigeons, the sort of bird that some would term as vermin.
 
I am not sure about this forum... It seems to forget who I am easily...

But anyway. I just wanted to post that I did replace the birds in the nest and the parents did return. They seem to have repaired the damage I did, and they are caring for the fledlings.

Thanks to all to responded.
 
blktoptrvl said:
I am not sure about this forum... It seems to forget who I am easily...
blktoptrvl
I am glad everything worked out O.K.

You didn't read all the posts did you?.
The next post after yours was from a guy called StevieEvans who regularly moves nests when he works on hedges. Virtually all the answers were to him, because of this!.
 
HELP! Wild baby bird not found by parents

I am completely new to this forum, and couldn't figure out how to start a new thread, so I'm replying to this one. And the subject of my post is very similar.

I live in a house that is surrounded by trees and shrubs -- mostly pine, cedar, and juniper, various varieties. The area seems to attract many birds each year. Cardinals, Blue Jays, a black bird (not crow, and it doesn't have a red spot on the wing), and several other smaller birds that I don't recognize. But I digress a bit.

I am writing because I need advice. Early this morning I heard a loud commotion outside, made by many of the black birds squawking. I went out quickly, and discovered that my cat had captured a baby bird on the ground. My cat is declawed (I didn't do it; he is a stray I rescued), and very gentle. So even his hunting is rather mild. He may have been mostly just looking at the bird. It looks like I got there before the bird was injured. There is no blood, and the baby bird can keep its wings folded. (I say this because I've seen birds with injured wings, and the wing just hangs.) I am keeping the cat inside until I can be sure the parents of the bird have found it.

But that is where the problem is. This was several hours ago, and the bird is still calling, but no adult birds are responding. What should I do? How long should I wait before deciding the parents are for some reason not going to attend to the baby? I read somewhere the suggestion to feed a rescued wild baby bird cat food, until it is found by its parents. Is this what anyone on this forum has tried? And if I do it, how is it done? Put the bird in a box, and some cat food in with it? Or what?
Any suggestions about this problem of the baby bird would be very welcome and appreciated. Thanks!
 
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