Need Advice. (1 Viewer)

I was looking for sites on wild birds and stumbled on this one. I figured I would post here and see what kind of responses I get. About three and a half weeks ago my sister brought home a small sparrow (believe to be sparrow) that had fallen out of the nest at her work. She was walking outside to take the trash out and saw a little boy pick it up, his mom said to drop it and that's just what he did, in the middle of a busy parking lot at that. She could not find the nest and where she believes it is is unreachable. We have a ranger a few houses down and he gave my sister a number to call, they gave us another number, and the final response we got was, "I don't do birds." So, we took it in. We raised it up on Kaytee's Exact Hand Feeding Formula For All Baby Birds. We eventually got him to eat meal worms and he is now a free bird, flying free and staying outside. He has been doing this for a week now. Here is my delema. I don't mind him being around at all, I actually kind of enjoy it, however, he is not eating like a wild bird should. He will go off to the nieghbors houses and come back when he is hungry. If you don't feed him he won't leave you be. He still takes some baby formula but prefers the meal worms. I have tried bird seed and he doesn't seem like he can eat it. He plays with it in his beak and that is it. When he was smaller we put him on the ground to pick at bugs, and now that he's got all his flight feathers and is doing great outside I was hoping he would make some friends and they would teach him a bit. However, that seems not to be the story. I have seen other birds of the same type with him but they go to him and when they fly away he doesn't follow. He doesn't explore that much really, he mainly like to hang out in the tree next to the porch and every once in awhile will explore the neighbors trees. I have yet to see him go any further and when you call his name, "Sam" he always answers, even if he doesn't come to you. The biggest problem is the feeding thing. I love having him so close and letting him be free but still getting to see him, but I'm afraid to stop feeding him because I don't want to find him dead from starvation. Do you have any ideas on how to get him totally weaned, or how to get him to actually eat seeds, hunt, etc? I appreciate any and all help/ideas for I'm out of them. Sorry the post is so long but I felt I should fully explain. Thanks.

Hi, Rotarhead, a warm welcome to you from all of us on staff here at BirdForum!

Congratulations, first of all, on your bird surviving!

Do you have a feeder table? If not, perhaps if you built one -- even something as simple as a flat board (like a 1 x 12 x 24) where you could scatter some sunflower hearts/chips to attract other birds, your bird might learn to eat with them and, as you say, make some new friends. I say sunflower hearts/chips instead of the whole black-oil sunflower seed because if your bird hasn't learned to crack the hull, these would be the best thing to start with. Also, sometimes birds can look like they're just rolling seeds around in their beaks but when they crack it, the shells go flying so fast you can't really see them. I've watched various finch species eating the smaller seeds we offer, and I never see them drop the hulls.

Are you sure your bird isn't eating insects and caterpillars up in the trees? Any bird will keep returning where there's easy food, so the fact that yours keeps coming back to your mealworm freebies doesn't necessarily mean he's not eating elsewhere as well.

Hopefully someone will come along who can offer some additional -- better! -- advice but it sounds to me like your bird is really doing just fine. Keep us posted, will you, on what you decide to do and how he's faring? Hey, how about a photo so we can see what species it is? :t:

Hello Rotarhead1 and congratulations for pulling off a very difficult situation....without training!
Right now I'd say the bird has imprinted on you and your sister as his parents. It's not like once they have their flight feathers all is good with the world and they fly off....they usually follow their 'parents' EVERYWHERE and beg for food...for how long, that depends on the species......have you been able to identify yet. I love Katy's suggestion about a bird table. Add the mealworms when he comes along with seed both hulled and unhulled. Hopefully other birds like him will be there eating and he can begin to mimic and mother nature will kick in.
In the mean time I would like to give you some avian rehab numbers, but I need to know what part of Tennessee are you're in...east, central, etc. Many rehabbers do mammels or reptiles not all do birds, which you are well aware. I think you've done great so far and his behavior is as close to normal as that little dude can get...a big plus is that you have him free, I extend big kudos.
shelley

Thanks for the replies. I did some searching last night and have found out that Sam is a House Sparrow. That's what I believe anyway. I did take pictures but they are not developed yet. Once I develope them I'll post one or two. We have the bird seed spread over the table that is on the porch, as well as in a little plastic cup bottom (we cut the cup to make it usable by Sam). He's got one cup for seed, one for meal worms, and one for water. The meal worms are not freely out for him, I've caught a Blue Jay stealing them when they were out. He get's those only when he won't take the baby formula. He kind of tell's us what he wants. When I woke up this morning he was out fumbling with the seed on the table. I just don't know if he is actually eating it because there are a few other birds who have found the seed. I've seen the Blue Jay, a Cardinal with a black head (young?), as well as three small Woodpecker like birds eating the seed. If we are gone for part of the day he see's us come out of the vehicle and goes hay wire. Yesterday I couldn't even get in the house because he kept landing on me when I hit the door. The way he acts like he's starving is why I think he's not eating properly. I guess he could be eating little bugs in the tree but all I've seen him do up there is try and eat a leaf or two. He even brought me a flower once (pretty cute |=)| ). Yesterday was his first rainy day and I felt bad for him. He was soaked to the bone and shaking. We have a cat carrier outside for him and I put him in there to dry and keep dry for the remainder of the night. He stayed outside but was in a dry environment. Today it's supposed to rain again so he has to battle the elements once more. We'll see how he does today on keeping dry on his own. The bird feeder idea is tempting but here is the problem with that. We have three produce gardens in the yard and last year had problems with squirrels. I didn't have a bird feeder up (just for hummingbirds) and they were plenty and digging happily in the gardens. I had to trap them and relocate them across the river to save the gardens. This year I'v only seen one in the yard and he's leaving the garden alone. I don't want to attract any more and have to start trapping again. So far leaving seed on the porch has attracted some birds and still kept the squirrels away. He is also attached to everybody in the family, even my dad who really hasn't done anything with him. He recognizes our voices are comes for food to whomever is available. I live in central TN. Well, here's to another long post. Sorry and thanks again.

Hmmm, house sparrow....they stay in tight family groups for a while....with dad taking more noticable care than the female (but both feed young) Baby HOSP are very much the beggars (even when they can eat on their own, once they are around mom and dad they beg ) and are shown by the parents a variety of ways to eat...seed, insects... Looking back on his story, he may have fallen from a store sign or the like, as house sparrows are cavity nesters. If you have none that visit your yard (and I doubt you do if you don't put up any feeders), then it will be difficult to have him bond with his species....you may have to start to do field trips to where they are more abundent.
They also eat bread crumbs, junk food and nearly anything else.
I have never taken the time to watch how long of a 'weaning process' it takes, or if up to the first molt they stay somewhat of a family group. For further assistance I suggest this website as a directory. You will have to choose a different part of the state that will specialize in song birds (I didn't see any in Central Tennessee).

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

Good Luck.
Shelley
PS---if nothing else, there are tons of bird lovers across the big pond that would LOVE to have a House Sparrow in their garden!

I have seen a few other sparrows in the nieghboring yards but you are right, I havn't seen any in my yard. I have, however, spotted one fly to Sam when he was on the fence. It flew off and Sam didn't follow. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't come across them. Sam does go to the neighbors trees so he may come across them when he's there. Thanks for the information. My only hope is that he can care for himself here real soon. It's going to be a rude awakening here when I go to California for a week. I'll be leaving on the 8th of this month and be gone until the 14th. He seems to be more interested in the seed lately when I'm not there to feed him. He'll yell a bit for food and then get tired of it. I'll then catch him playing with the seed. Hopefully he is eating it. When I'm gone I'll have seed out for him and have somebody keeping it plentiful for him. I just hope he'll make it, even if I have to feed him a bundle after I get back. Thanks again for your help.

This is an e-mail we recieved from a rehabilitator in eastern TN. My mom e-mailed him about two days ago.

The sparrow will probably take up to 3 weeks of being fed outdoors before he gets the idea he needs to be on his own. Try spacing his feedings to every half hour then every hour and increase the time between feedings until he is eating his natural foods. I usuall do soft release on my birds. Setting the cage outdoors and letting them get used to other birds and hunting for foods. They come in the cage and indoors at night for al long as it takes. Eventually they come for food but wont enter the cage and then they finally leave for good.

Good luck.

Geri Wynn


Hello,
About a 4 weeks ago my daughter saved a baby sparrow from a little boy in a parking lot. She brought the baby home, contacted a ranger who lives near us and told him what had happened. He gave us a number to call. She called that number and was given a number of a rehabilitator in the area. When she called it the Lady said she did not do birds. We have raised it using Exact hand feeding formula made by Kaytee for all baby birds. The baby is now flying outside freely but still wants to be feed. We have tried to get it to eat seeds and to hunt bugs. It will eat meal worms from us but can't seem to eat the wild bird seed that we leave out for it. It still want to be feed the formula. It prefers the meal worms. My question is, how to wean the baby so that it can be totally self sufficient. We wish that we could have gotten someone who was trained to rehabilitate wild birds. He comes to us when he wants food. It is a very demanding baby and wont let you be until you feed it. We don't want to stop feeding him and than find him dead from starvation. Can you help. I know that we could be in trouble for doing what we did,but, when you have any one to turn to and don't know where the nest was, we did what we thought was best. Can you help us by giving us information on how to get this bird on its own. It sleeps outside, stays outside and has been seen with other birds like he/she is.
Thankyou in advance

Awww, what a lovely story, bless little Sam, hope he makes it. Reminds me of a wonderful book I read about someone in the same situation, who raised a young male housesparrow.

Good luck with him. Do come back and let us know.

It sounds like you are doing a fine job, it's heart warming to hear and I'm so pleased little Sam is doing all right out there. Please do keep us informed of how things go, I hope you enjoy your trip; glad to hear Sam will be 'looked after' food-wise while you are gone!

Have fun on your trip rotarhead1. Condsider then as Sam's weaning time. You being gone will probably be the best thing to force him to fend for himself.
Take care,
shelley

Thanks EVERYBODY and I will keep you informed.

Well, good news. I'll be leaving Wednesday for vacation and Sam has decided to feed himself. I've done nothing but leave seed out for him and a little bit of the baby food for him to eat out of a dish if he wants. He won't even come down for me anymore. It's a good thing for him, but sad for me. Hey, atleast he acknowledges me and talks to me from the trees in my view. I also have some photos of him attached. I kind of think Sam may be a Samantha, but you guys would probably know better than me. Well, all is going well so far, let's just hope that it will continue that way.

Okay, final post for all those waiting. I got home last night at 11:30. This morning I put some more seed out and have seen Sam with some others of his kind, finally. He survived this long and still looks healthy so I believe it's going to be a great success story. Now we are going to stop feeding the seed (makes a mess) and I'm confident the other birds will show Sam where more seed is. I might leave a millet stick out every once in a while but this seed is bringing in other animals, one's I don't want. I have spotted raccoon tracks on the wet stairs. Well, anyway, just thought I would leave everybody a final post on Sam. Thanks to all those who gave advice and interest!