Urgent ID help please. Near Cluj Napoca, Romania (1 Viewer)

[Tibinica]

A bit of help please. Around 8 days ago a colony of bee-eaters nests were filled with foam, clearly to prevent them from hatching. By some miracle this chicks manage to hatch and survive so far. An ID, and tips how to help them will be really appreciated. At the moment, looks like their best chance, although quite slim after so long, will be to be left in place and hope the parents will still be around. I hope the fb link works.
Thanks,
Tibi

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=4201987569823835&id=100000379017472

 

[Butty]

At the moment, looks like their best chance, although quite slim after so long, will be to be left in place and hope the parents will still be around.

I think 'only chance', rather than 'best'. Good luck.
Google-translated:
Mother Nature gives us life lessons every day.
8 days ago I discovered a colony of persecutors stretching for at least 500m, once upon a time, there were probably dozens of persecutors, now fewer. Someone with a "big soul" thought that the healthiest thing is to cover their nests and nothing else but in the most odious way possible, with polyurethane foam. There are at least 200 plugged holes, some in hard-to-reach places, places you can only reach using climbing ropes, it was a well-thought-out teamwork, in the big holes that needed more material, holes were inserted, yes, bottles, they even reused the emptied foam tubes. Beyond work, there were financial costs not to be neglected, dozens of tubes used, you don't do such a selfless thing. We then managed to unclog a few holes, not many, as many as we could with a knife and bare hands.
After many debates about the right technical solution to solve the problem as soon as possible, today we came back with the right tool. That's what we thought. We released about 10 more holes, maybe 15, we didn't count them.
But that's not what it's about, it's about survival. Some have succeeded to this day. Behind a foam plug are 7 survivors, somehow they hatched without parental help, without oxygen.
It was one of those days when you feel like screaming in pain, out of helplessness. I just hope the parents are in the area and they will feed them. Maybe someone recognizes the species and we find a way to save them, it's worth it!
They are the survivors behind the polyurethane foam plug.

I'm not clear what you mean by 'an ID'. Very difficult to identify unfeathered nestlings at just a couple of days old. Are you, in fact, not sure that these are bee-eaters? There's only one species of bee-eater in Europe.

 

[Edwin Sapatsch]

With the greatest respect please note that there are still many of us that do not & will not entertain Facebook and are consequently unable to follow Facebook postings. I believe it is possible to post photo's from facebook via links that do not require others to be a member to read/view them. Sadly quite a few Forums have been destroyed by it's members going over to the Facebook version or by them using the Facebook format to post photos .... would hate to see that happen to this excellent 'Birdforum' (In fact I would be gutted)

 

[CARERY]

What an outrageous and cruel act of violation!!! Did you file a criminal complaint?

I've no hope for the chicks (can't help with an ID and doubt anyone really could) if there are no parents around. 200 holes sounds like a huge colony... All Bee-Eaters or also Sand Martins? Possibly some beekeepers responsible?

 

[ignicapilla]

It's very sad to hear what these people have done. If it's bee-eaters the act was very likely done by some beekeepers. Did you contact authorities? What they did is not normal.

 

[Tibinica]

I not have the original video, send by my friend, for the non Facebook users (sorry for that) .
The Police and Environmental agency ("Garda de mediu") they were notified, and they are investigating (although not much chances to apprehend them, unless they return). Not many bee keepers in the area with more than one or two hives, so the damage might be done by someone who wanted to move bee hives in the area.
Probably not all 200 of the holes were occupied, and possibly some were inhabited by sand Martins (altough my friends didn't see any in that land) or sparrows. They'll return in the next days to try to clean the rest of the foam and install some trap cameras.

 

[lou salomon]

like i also responded to the FB thread, i think the naked passerines are tree sparrow chicks. they commonly use bee-eater colonies to nest in their holes.
and as to the sickening practice of filling in foam into bee-eater holes - unfortunately this is quite a widespread fenomenon in Romania, absolutely illegal but seen in all parts of the country...

 

[Tibinica]

Thanks Lou!
They are indeed tree sparrows - Passer montanus.
The parents returned to the nest and looks that they're chances of survival increased dramatically.
Thanks everyone, I do hope they catch whoever did this.