What's going on? (1 Viewer)

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songbird6666

Registered User

• Mar 8, 2005

• #1

After my recent thread about the poor male Blackbird with the broken leg (who sadly has been conspicuous by his absence for a week or more now :-C ) I then noticed a female with only one eye last week, its completely closed over, doesn't seem to be a wound. I'm almost certain that it's the mum from last year, she is very tame, she used to almost take sultanas from my hand as I was putting them on the bird table for her. Now she too will be very vulnerable, as she didn't see me coming, so presumably a predator will have an advantage. Now I just looked out of the window and noticed a male Greenfinch sitting at a funny angle, well laying really, on the back fence. Got the bins for a closer look, and he too has a leg dangling down. Is this normal, do that many birds get injured, and just because we are "watchers" notice these things more? Doesn't it hurt you, like it does me, being helpless, and feeling their pain? :-C

 

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Kiscokid

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #2

That doesnt sound too promising does it - I had one or two sick greenfinches before Christmas but no problems with any of the birds since. It is distressing to see - I totally agree with you. However I always think by laying out food for them - you're giving them the best chance during these difficult months.

 

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dampflippers

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #3

Do you have lots of cats in the area? Or sparrowhawks?

 

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tracy

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #4

I have a blue-tit who has an overgrown beak and he finds it so hard to feed.When he first arrived i thought he had a stick stuck in his beak but on closer inspection both the top and bottom of the beak are really long.The poor thing stood no chance on the feeders so i put sunflower seeds and suet in a saucer for him and he tilts his head to scoop some up.I also have a blue-tit with one leg and he joins long beak at the saucer.I know these birds are at a disadvantage but with my feeding i hope to prolong their lives and hopefully you will do the same for your blackbirds..

 

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songbird6666

Registered User

• Mar 8, 2005

• #5

I had another look at the greenfinch this afternoon. He looked to be in a lot of distress, breathing very heavily, and he only had one tail feather left. I think maybe he had escaped a cat or hawk attack. Whilst thinking about that, there have been two collared doves recently with awful wounds round their necks, one that has healed nicely, but the feathers are all at a funny angle, but one last week which was really bloody and messy, but it was eating heartily and didn't seem too worried. I have also found two dead jackdaws in the garden lately, both with a wound to the head. Something is getting them which I don't see, but of course I can't be looking out of the window all day long. I don't think it's a hawk, else it would surely take them or pluck and eat as normal.

 

Richard W

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #6

I have also found two dead jackdaws in the garden lately, both with a wound to the head.

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maybe someone with an air rifle? Doesn't sound like a animal/bird predator to me.

 

Last edited: Mar 8, 2005

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songbird6666

Registered User

• Mar 8, 2005

• #7

That has just given me a very bad vibe. The boy who lives in the house behind has an air rifle. I don't think for a moment he would do this as he is a bird lover, his dad used to keep birds too, but he has some dubious looking mates. I wonder ...... the jackdaws anyway. And quite possibly his mates live in houses further along the road, oh I really hope not, if I found out they were deliberately doing this, I don't know what I would do. :C

 

Jos Stratford

Eastern Exile

Staff member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #8

Hi Songbird,

Broken legs, wounded eyes and head injuries ...certainly don't seem the typical signs of either cat or hawk attacks. But also not sure an air rifle would typically result in broken legs and wounded eyes ..unless whoever is manages to just skim them. jackdaws a bit worrying though - keep an eye out, but maybe them there birds in the Welsh Valleys are just a bit clumsy of late ...let's hope

 

Richard W

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #9

if I found out they were deliberately doing this, I don't know what I would do.

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simple really, report your suspicions to the police.

if they are shooting at birds (or anything else for that matter) from their house chances are they're already breaking the law, not to mention injuring birds carries a hefty fine.

 

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songbird6666

Registered User

• Mar 8, 2005

• #10

Richard W said:

simple really, report your suspicions to the police.

if they are shooting at birds (or anything else for that matter) from their house chances are they're already breaking the law, not to mention injuring birds carries a hefty fine.

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Right, I will have to be a bit vigilant I think. Trouble is, we have a bit of a rat problem here, and I know the boy and his dad have been known to have a pop at them, so I suppose if it were proven, they would say they were shooting at rats. I really do have suspicions about the Jackdaws though, because his dad said to me ages ago about seeing so many (they sit up on the cables above my garden, and I have had 50+ down in the autumn feeding) and he mentioned that he scares them off. Why is it people have such a downer on corvids? It was he who set a rat trap last year and left it baited in the open, and a poor jackdaw got caught in it, which resulted in me taking it to the vets for treatment, and it lost the use of its foot. Stupid, stupid people. :C

 

timmyjones

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #11

well me dad says that air gun pellets flatten on impact and just bonce off so instead of actually sticking in it they just break a leg or damage an eye.

 

Richard W

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2005

• #12

well me dad says that air gun pellets flatten on impact and just bonce off so instead of actually sticking in it they just break a leg or damage an eye.

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not strictly true.

different calibres have different effects, 22 are slower & hard hitting, 177 are faster and more likely to penetrate. Both are more than capable of killing small animals and birds at ranges up to and over 50 yrds. With a small pellet not aimed to kill wounding is very likely.

even if they are shooting at rats there are very strict laws about firing within 50 ft of a public highway, if they're shooting Jackdaws on neighbouring land they're also breaking the law.

with so many injured/wounded birds it wouldn't hurt to report it.

personally I think is about time all Air weapons were treated the same as any other firearm, but that's another debate.

 

Last edited: Mar 8, 2005