Baby Blue Tit

[Ferret Master]

Hi,

 

I was watching the television this morning when I noticed a baby blue *** perched on the side of my little brothers sandpit on our patio. It had just started to pour and the parent birds were carrying on as normal feeding themselves and the rest of the brood. It was just sitting there making a prime target for a cat. (my cat was inside just watching it through the window not plotting any murdering) So I went outside and picked it up and was either going to put it back into the nestbox or a bush where the parents could find it when I noticed that a fair bit of nesting material hairs etc were wrapped round his foot quite tightly so me and my dad spent 5 minutes untangling it from it's tiny claws until it could then use it's foot properly again. Then my Dad got the step ladder and put it up next to the wall on our house where the nestbox is and took the fledgling off me and started to climb. The ground was soft due to the drought we are having so it started to sink back into the soil. :o Meanwhile my Dad continued to climb and put the bird back in the nest with the other birds in the brood that had not flown the nest yet and were not quite ready to either.

 

My Mum who was spectating the whole drama from inside where it was not raining took this photo just after we had untangled it and it had hopped onto my wrist. It hopped onto my shoulder shortly after before my Dad took it up to the nest.

Sorry about the reflection in the photo it is the curtain.

 

 

 

FM

[Hodmedod.one]

Hi,

 

I was watching the television this morning when I noticed a baby blue *** perched on the side of my little brothers sandpit on our patio. It had just started to pour and the parent birds were carrying on as normal feeding themselves and the rest of the brood. It was just sitting there making a prime target for a cat. (my cat was inside just watching it through the window not plotting any murdering) So I went outside and picked it up and was either going to put it back into the nestbox or a bush where the parents could find it when I noticed that a fair bit of nesting material hairs etc were wrapped round his foot quite tightly so me and my dad spent 5 minutes untangling it from it's tiny claws until it could then use it's foot properly again. Then my Dad got the step ladder and put it up next to the wall on our house where the nestbox is and took the fledgling off me and started to climb. The ground was soft due to the drought we are having so it started to sink back into the soil. Meanwhile my Dad continued to climb and put the bird back in the nest with the other birds in the brood that had not flown the nest yet and were not quite ready to either.

 

My Mum who was spectating the whole drama from inside where it was not raining took this photo just after we had untangled it and it had hopped onto my wrist. It hopped onto my shoulder shortly after before my Dad took it up to the nest.

Sorry about the reflection in the photo it is the curtain.

 

 

 

FM

 

Well done FM (and FM's Dad!) :o

[dazza]

well done FM

[Lord Geordie]

I hope the mother don't boot it back out mind

 

You NOT supposed to touch fledglings at all as the smell from your hands will make the mother spooked as the smell will not be the smell of rest of the brood.

 

Although what you did was honourable you may have sentenced the poor thing to death and more over your scent now being in the nest box she may leave the whole brood

 

Keep an eye on the box and her reactions and HOPEFULLY she will play good mother and simply carry on and return to feed but from (experience) as a child once a chick has fell from the nest the mother WILL make every effort to carry on feeding the chick even when fallen from the nest.

 

the mother gets aware of where the chick is and will carry on feeding unless a cat or other predator gets it.

 

Keep us posted on progress and i hope all goes well.

 

As Kids we rescued a Song Thrush and were even daft enough to give it a Name (Buzzby) and thatwas a pure lunatic of a bird.

 

We started with water milk and pulp bread and minced worm to feed and he grew well but when he was released he pecked the hell out of sparrows legs thinking THEY were worms it was fun to use

 

Luckily it was a success and he was seen a few years after that sitting on the doorstep looking into the house

 

Good luck and i hope all goes well

 

LG

[digger]

good lad

[Teal]

I hope the mother don't boot it back out mind

 

You NOT supposed to touch fledglings at all as the smell from your hands will make the mother spooked as the smell will not be the smell of rest of the brood.

 

Although what you did was honourable you may have sentenced the poor thing to death and more over your scent now being in the nest box she may leave the whole brood

Hi LG - you will be pleased to hear that this is an old wives tale, (which does a good job of stopping people messing around with wild birds).

[king ratcatcher]

nice one m8, the also here too, can here them in there nest box in our apple tree.

 

 

what have you been feeding them on ??

[Cranfield]

Well done Ferret Master and your Dad, that is a really cute picture (of the bird, not you )

[Ferret Master]

Well done Ferret Master and your Dad, that is a really cute picture (of the bird, not you )

 

Hi,

 

I didn't think that birds had that good sense of smell anyway. The parents are feeding them again and some of the birds have flown the nest. I have been taking some pics through my telescope of them going in the nestbox. :o I am feeding them bread on the lawn and seed out of a feeder.

 

FM

[blackthorn]

well done young un and dad

[Poacher]

good stuff lads

[Teal]

Hi FM, get some mealworms and they will power on

[Ferret Master]

Hi,

 

I think I probably will! The mother bird is feeding one of the young in a bush as I'm typing now next to my Dad who is sitting in a chair in the garden.

 

FM

[old rooster]

Looks like your blue *** fledgling may do better than the young sparrow we were watching the other day. We were sitting in the lounge and happened to notice a little group of young sparrows arguing in the bush outside, big flutter of wings and a magpie darted into the middle of them and carried one off in its beak !!!. Never seen that before, seen then nick eggs and young from the nest but never any that have left the nest.

 

Out came the Daystate as you might expect. Next thing a young magpie settled on the end of next doors roof, splat, down it came. Immediately a second young un jumped into exactly the same spot on the roof so a quick flick of the bolt and another magpie bites the dust.

 

I should add that we are inundated with magpies around here and my neighbour, an ex shooter turned ornithologist, was more than happy when I told him I was having a "thinning out" campaign.

[Ferret Master]

Hi,

 

My Grandad has seen a Magpie take an adult Blue *** out the air before. I hate the things having seen the damage they do and all of our chicken eggs that they nick.

 

Keep up the Magpie 'thinning out' campaign.

 

FM