So, the little sparrow who got blown out of his nest. Or, as I think happened, the nest came down, one of the parents died, and he (?? how to tell with birds? Is it something only lady birds need to worry about?) ended up, with a sibling, huddled by our front door for 5 hours.
To keep them away from the neighbourhood cats I stuck ’em in a spare room in the outbuildings and put some food down. And found they’re too young to eat on their own. One died.
So, in Jack comes, sits in an old cat carrier basket by my desk, when he chirps he wants feeding. Cat biccies soaked in water. Kitten kibble, really. Perhaps two pieces, two and a half – by the half – and he’ll gawp for that and then stop. Won’t take more. I get the general impression he thinks the long handled teaspoon is actually the food, whether he gets the kibble is more luck than anything.
Anyway:
As you can see, I’m not good at these photo things. But to give you an idea I have small hands – Trump Disease no doubt – so that is still a small, small, sparrow.
And, well? Dunno. Why bother? Dunno. Actually, I do. I’ve never done this before so why not?
You give it a go, so you have. Nothing to lose. Keep it up.
Spud and his ilk will never grasp that the Good Samaritan was a “neo-liberal”….Righties demonstrate compassion in actions of charity; lefties would prefer to virtue-signal by calling for, say, a national network of state bird hospitals…
Good luck, sir!
You say it’s a sparrow. Can you be more specific? I know identification can be difficult with juveniles, but you said you saw an adult.
Well, dunno it’s a sparrow, guessing. But yes, an adult of about the same species dead on the pathway.
Too bad. If you could identify it, you could find out what they eat. Bird diets vary considerably.
I have an oil painting (early nineteenth century? No signature) of a girl and boy with a pet sparrow. So I presume they can become pets.
Do you have Lusitanian cuckoos? Our cuckoos don’t predate on sparrows but you might get an ornithological first!
With our burdie it took about two weeks until he/she could feed itself, by which time it/hine could also fly around the room, and about another two weeks hēo/hie/hē was strong enough to let out in the garden. After a few days it had either flown off to a new life, or had become a past tense link in the food chain.
an ex sparrow?
Nah, he was pining for the fjords!
Go Jack!
Obviously getting some hydration from that mixture.
Are there fishermen in town? Some might have live mealworms (Larvas da Farinha) or know where to get. You can use dried if you soak them in water for a day. They’ll be too big for little Jack to consume (and possibly bitey) so crush ’em and mush ’em just before feeding.
Not to nanny nanny, but make sure the kibble is well soaked long before feeding. It will expand as it takes up water, which may be why he gets full. Is he pooing?
As to why? Sometimes turning certain death into a fighting chance to live just feels right.
Dried mealworms only require soaking for a few minutes, they’re like blotting paper. They go on my ground feeders (along with suet pellets and a seed mix), which are currently being monopolised by a pair of Red Kites nesting in next door’s oaks, and a pair of mallard that seem to have lost their way to the local ponds.
Good luck – if it’s eating and getting moisture you have a chance. Doing daft things like this is to be human – were you a cat you would just enjoy the snack.
Suggest look up animal rescue places and email for tips. Try he**@**************rg.uk (sis used to work there).
BTW: There is a book, Sold for a Farthing, by Clare Kipps, a true story about a sparrow rescued during WW2. Recommended read if you can find a copy 🙂
The most popular items at my bird feeders ATM are fat balls, followed by seeds, so maybe a bit of lard or wetted grains might be the thing?
Well done though.
On sparrows. Back in the mid 2000s, not long after I’d left UK I was sitting at an outside table at a service area down near Toulouse when a sparrow alighted to peck at crumbs. I was dumbfounded. I hadn’t seen a sparrow for years. Forgotten them. Sparrows used to be the definitive London bird. “The Cockney Sparrer” Whatever happened to them all? I regularly see them on my terrace here. Like Tim & myself? They fucked off for somewhere warmer? Or the Pakistanis arrived, the sparrows left?
I’ve got two sparrow nests in the eaves of my house. Noisy little buggers!
left, or eaten?