Lost baby

Jan 09, 2009 21:08

Late this afternoon we found a tiny baby bird on the ground. It was flapping around blindly. There was no sign of it's parents anywhere. We didn't want to leave it on the ground for a hawk or a cat to attack, so I brought it inside. I checked some websites to see if there was anything we could to for it. I found a picture of the exact same bird - it was a baby New Holland Honeyeater. It had a bit of fluff on its head and tiny feathers starting to grow on its wings. According to the website, it would be less than 14 days old.

I found a phone number for a wildlife organisation and called them. A volunteer answered, saying that the nearest centre was closed for the day. She asked if we could re-nest the baby. If we couldn't re-nest it, she gave me instructions on what to feed it (half a teaspoon of honey in a quarter of cup of water, pureed fruit or a tiny bit of minced meat). We'll call the wildlife centre tomorrow after opening hours and hopefully someone can take it .

We got the ladder out and I looked in the tree above where I found the baby. I found a nest but it was abandoned (it was filled with leaves). I cleaned it out and put the baby back there and hoped that its parents would return. After about an hour, there was still no sign of the parents. I felt that if we left it there overnight, it could be blown out again by the wind - that nest wasn't very sturdy! Also, it wouldn't be able to keep warm on its own. So up the ladder I went again and brought it down. I put it in a little plastic cup lined with a tissue.







It's got a very wide mouth and makes tiny squeaking noises.  I've fed it some of the honey and water mixture.



I also gave it a tiny bit of mashed banana.



Poor little thing. I hope it survives until morning.

ETA:  Saturday morning - still here!


bird, garden

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