Hi everyone, this is my first time here. I'm new to bird watching but finding out it's a great deal of fun. I've been searching and reading other posts and getting lots of great info.
Right now it's 1:00 am and there is a Mockingbird singing very loudly outside my window. I love listening to it mimicking songs (robins, sparrows, kildeer, quail, crickets, etc) but my daughter has about had it with the late night serenades! This is the first year we've had Mockingbirds. It seems we have lots of birds this year which is great!
On a sad note, yesterday I found a fledging robin with a tattered wing. I don't know what got it but the top 2 feathers are sticking up at a weird angle and it's missing the middle feathers on the wing. It seems like some bones or maybe parts of features are sticking out. No blood that I can see. It also appears to have no tail feathers but maybe that's just how a fledgling looks? Anyway, my lab thought it was a fun squeaky toy and was outside trying to get it so I couldn't just watch that happen. Maybe my dog was the one who caused the injury to start with. So I got a towel and caught the bird and put him in a box in the garage. I fed him some worms which he gobbled up and some mixed seeds. After reading info on here and other sites I see that I probably shouldn't be keeping him. But I'm at a dead-end. I called the only vet in town and they wouldn't take him and the local wildlife rehab center is underfunded and won't take injured birds. I've read the other posts and it seems that other people who find injured birds take them to wildlife centers, but like I said, the one in my area (Reno NV) is underfunded and won't take him.
I don't know what to do. I feel my only option is give the poor little guy a fighting chance by keeping him safe, feeding him and seeing if the wing heals or the feathers grow back until he can fly. Maybe I should just let him got in the front yard and let nature take it's course? I don't think he's old enough to be flying yet, but he's eating on his own. He's so sweet, he's not very scared of us, just looks at us curiously. I don't know how long he would stay alive in the box, maybe not for a month until his wing heals, if it ever will?
Am I doing the right thing? I feel so sorry for him. My husband's friend at work raises pigeons so he is going to ask him for advice.
Right now it's 1:00 am and there is a Mockingbird singing very loudly outside my window. I love listening to it mimicking songs (robins, sparrows, kildeer, quail, crickets, etc) but my daughter has about had it with the late night serenades! This is the first year we've had Mockingbirds. It seems we have lots of birds this year which is great!
On a sad note, yesterday I found a fledging robin with a tattered wing. I don't know what got it but the top 2 feathers are sticking up at a weird angle and it's missing the middle feathers on the wing. It seems like some bones or maybe parts of features are sticking out. No blood that I can see. It also appears to have no tail feathers but maybe that's just how a fledgling looks? Anyway, my lab thought it was a fun squeaky toy and was outside trying to get it so I couldn't just watch that happen. Maybe my dog was the one who caused the injury to start with. So I got a towel and caught the bird and put him in a box in the garage. I fed him some worms which he gobbled up and some mixed seeds. After reading info on here and other sites I see that I probably shouldn't be keeping him. But I'm at a dead-end. I called the only vet in town and they wouldn't take him and the local wildlife rehab center is underfunded and won't take injured birds. I've read the other posts and it seems that other people who find injured birds take them to wildlife centers, but like I said, the one in my area (Reno NV) is underfunded and won't take him.
I don't know what to do. I feel my only option is give the poor little guy a fighting chance by keeping him safe, feeding him and seeing if the wing heals or the feathers grow back until he can fly. Maybe I should just let him got in the front yard and let nature take it's course? I don't think he's old enough to be flying yet, but he's eating on his own. He's so sweet, he's not very scared of us, just looks at us curiously. I don't know how long he would stay alive in the box, maybe not for a month until his wing heals, if it ever will?
Am I doing the right thing? I feel so sorry for him. My husband's friend at work raises pigeons so he is going to ask him for advice.
