Zulu Merula
Blackbird's Momma!
Aww glad the story has such a happy ending! You can be proud of this forever- and damn right too! It's wonderful.
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Arthur (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter deboo
- Start date
christineredgate
Winner of the Copeland Wildlife Photographer of th
Dave ,I expect you are now feeling rather sad and wondering how Arthur will cope out there in the big outside world(esp in this atrocious weather!!),but Dave you have made a little Sparrow very happy.Thankyou for a lovely story,made so much nicer by the fact it is a true story with a happy ending.
samuel walker
It's OK to be a little blue........
Dave: a wonderful tale of kindness.Refreshing to hear in a world beset with trouble and cruelty.
All hail the Great Deboo.
Sam
All hail the Great Deboo.
Sam
mountain man
Guest
Dave,
Why not write up exactly how you rehabilitated it. Lots of detail and advice. Then when the next person starts a thread of "Help: Abandoned Baby Starling" they can simply be directed to the rehab Guru himself, Mr David Deboo!
Why not write up exactly how you rehabilitated it. Lots of detail and advice. Then when the next person starts a thread of "Help: Abandoned Baby Starling" they can simply be directed to the rehab Guru himself, Mr David Deboo!
deboo
.............
rfa...
Got a call today....Arthur has been released.
So, in response to Tom's idea and also seeing quite a number of requests
for help with young birds on BF....here we go..
I'd not forgotten...i've just been trying to get it right!
Raising our House Sparrow.
I owe much to our Alice and a website that she found....
www.starlingtalk.com/babycare.htm
It gave us the information we desperately needed to keep the bird alive.
We even received some emails from the site admin, giving us even more
information and encouragement.
Our advice to folk in a similar situation.
1. Keep the bird warm.....
Stick it up your jumper if you must, just don't let it get cold.
This is SO important. We didn't realise how important this was,
and it was only through Arthurs' incredible will to live,
that he pulled through on a couple of occassions.
We found that to warm him up, we kept him in cupped hands for a while.
If the bird gets cold...it will refuse to eat.
2. Feed the bird with the correct food....
We got the recipe for our Sparrow from the 'starlingtalk' website.
Feed at regular intervals. Little but often.
We fed Arthur every 20 minutes from 05:30 till 21:00.
Four or five tweezer end fulls normally,
but sometimes he only wanted 1 tweezer full...dunno why!
He used to respond to a 'sucking/pishing' call that we'd make,
and would open his beak if he was hungry....tapping his beak lightly with our feeding tweezers also seemed to stimulate him to eat.
Don't forget that after they've fed, they will invariably turn around and defecate...be prepared.
3. Keep it interesting....
Sparrows are gregarious,and I should imagine the majority of young birds,
whatever their species, enjoy company....a sense of belonging, I guess.
If he wasn't being fed, and if he wasn't asleep.....we'd talk to him, sing to him, pish with him!
Anything to keep him from feeling he was alone.
He also liked to listen to the radio,
and would chirp along quite merrily to most songs.
Once his eyes had opened, I'd try to place him where he could see outside, he did try to interact with the birds he saw and heard.
4. Find a Wild Animal Rescue Centre/Hospital....
We found CARES at Haddenham in Cambs. An absolutely brilliant place.
I was surprised to find one so close to where we live.Contact your local Vets for one near you.
Maybe there could be a 'sticky' thread on BF, listing recommended Wild Animal Hospitals?
CARES took Arthur in and fledged him....I'm still pleased that we did our bit too!
5.Enjoy the experience...
I've read debates elsewhere on BF about the rights and wrongs of rearing wild birds, every situation is different, and I ain't gonna pass judgement upon what other folk do.
I feel privileged to have got so close to a wild bird.....
To have him perched on your finger, feathers fluffed up, his head turned and tucked into his back, fast asleep...one word....WONDERFUL...
I offer the above advice in the hope that it may help others.
If you want to pick my brains (haha) upon anything we did...please, feel free.
Must admit, I never believed Arthur could be released back into the wild.....but it has been done!
Maybe, he's flying around outside our house as I type this....
....I'm off for a pish.
Dave. :bounce:
Got a call today....Arthur has been released.
So, in response to Tom's idea and also seeing quite a number of requests
for help with young birds on BF....here we go..
I'd not forgotten...i've just been trying to get it right!
Raising our House Sparrow.
I owe much to our Alice and a website that she found....
www.starlingtalk.com/babycare.htm
It gave us the information we desperately needed to keep the bird alive.
We even received some emails from the site admin, giving us even more
information and encouragement.
Our advice to folk in a similar situation.
1. Keep the bird warm.....
Stick it up your jumper if you must, just don't let it get cold.
This is SO important. We didn't realise how important this was,
and it was only through Arthurs' incredible will to live,
that he pulled through on a couple of occassions.
We found that to warm him up, we kept him in cupped hands for a while.
If the bird gets cold...it will refuse to eat.
2. Feed the bird with the correct food....
We got the recipe for our Sparrow from the 'starlingtalk' website.
Feed at regular intervals. Little but often.
We fed Arthur every 20 minutes from 05:30 till 21:00.
Four or five tweezer end fulls normally,
but sometimes he only wanted 1 tweezer full...dunno why!
He used to respond to a 'sucking/pishing' call that we'd make,
and would open his beak if he was hungry....tapping his beak lightly with our feeding tweezers also seemed to stimulate him to eat.
Don't forget that after they've fed, they will invariably turn around and defecate...be prepared.
3. Keep it interesting....
Sparrows are gregarious,and I should imagine the majority of young birds,
whatever their species, enjoy company....a sense of belonging, I guess.
If he wasn't being fed, and if he wasn't asleep.....we'd talk to him, sing to him, pish with him!
Anything to keep him from feeling he was alone.
He also liked to listen to the radio,
and would chirp along quite merrily to most songs.
Once his eyes had opened, I'd try to place him where he could see outside, he did try to interact with the birds he saw and heard.
4. Find a Wild Animal Rescue Centre/Hospital....
We found CARES at Haddenham in Cambs. An absolutely brilliant place.
I was surprised to find one so close to where we live.Contact your local Vets for one near you.
Maybe there could be a 'sticky' thread on BF, listing recommended Wild Animal Hospitals?
CARES took Arthur in and fledged him....I'm still pleased that we did our bit too!
5.Enjoy the experience...
I've read debates elsewhere on BF about the rights and wrongs of rearing wild birds, every situation is different, and I ain't gonna pass judgement upon what other folk do.
I feel privileged to have got so close to a wild bird.....
To have him perched on your finger, feathers fluffed up, his head turned and tucked into his back, fast asleep...one word....WONDERFUL...
I offer the above advice in the hope that it may help others.
If you want to pick my brains (haha) upon anything we did...please, feel free.
Must admit, I never believed Arthur could be released back into the wild.....but it has been done!
Maybe, he's flying around outside our house as I type this....
....I'm off for a pish.
Dave. :bounce:
Last edited:
christineredgate
Winner of the Copeland Wildlife Photographer of th
Dave,very interesting reading.Thankyou for a delightful story ,made so much better by the fact it is a true tale,with a happy ending.You sure put in lots of work,research and care for one little Sparrow.I wouldn't be at all surprised if he does find his way back to you.
Ronald Zee
Well-known member
Everyday I look at some of the older threads and while doing this I came across this one.
Dave very good of you to take the little Sparrow to the Animal hospital, I should have done the same, birds should be among other birds.
If you ever come across a book called Sold for a farthing by Clare Kipps you should buy it (it's a small book), I think you can only find it in a secondhand bookshop, it tells the story of a Sparrow that was found by Clare in her garden, I think, in 1940.
I think you will like it. One of the most amusing stories is that when the little Sparrow is sick and she thinks it is going to die, the doctor then advises her to give it some champagne and lo and behold, the next day it was as fit as ever.
Dave very good of you to take the little Sparrow to the Animal hospital, I should have done the same, birds should be among other birds.
If you ever come across a book called Sold for a farthing by Clare Kipps you should buy it (it's a small book), I think you can only find it in a secondhand bookshop, it tells the story of a Sparrow that was found by Clare in her garden, I think, in 1940.
I think you will like it. One of the most amusing stories is that when the little Sparrow is sick and she thinks it is going to die, the doctor then advises her to give it some champagne and lo and behold, the next day it was as fit as ever.
Dave,
Why wouldn't it be Arthur, they recognise each other don't they and I have some regular garden birds that know when I am home and sit outside the window waiting to be fed, like my Wren today.
With all the love and care you gave him I bet it is Arthur letting you know he is fine thank you and soon "with luck and a female" he will be bringing his youngsters round to meet you. Just make sure you have plenty of food in.
Ann Chaplin
Why wouldn't it be Arthur, they recognise each other don't they and I have some regular garden birds that know when I am home and sit outside the window waiting to be fed, like my Wren today.
With all the love and care you gave him I bet it is Arthur letting you know he is fine thank you and soon "with luck and a female" he will be bringing his youngsters round to meet you. Just make sure you have plenty of food in.
Ann Chaplin
