After a windy afternoon, at dusk, I found three little fledglings on the ground huddled together past my back gate - a highly dangerous area as dogs walk there and owls come into the garden at night. As a temporary measure I put them in a small padded plastic container in the nearest tree. In the morning I saw from about 100m parents come to feed and care for the birds. I bought a rafia nest as better protection and transferred them to the same spot, but after that left them alone. Because I am trying to interfere as little as possible with them I am having some difficulty identifying them.
They are very small, about the length of a little finger, with yellow slightly slender beaks and greyish fluff. The brief glimpses of adult birds I have seen have been small, fast moving, with slate grey backs and buff to yellow underparts. I can't get any closer to observe much more than that. I was wondering Gerigone or Fantail?
The area in which they were found is about 100m from a creek, which is thick with privet and ferns and other vegetation and then up the hill turns into a more open sclerophyll forest. This is in the northern Sydney region.
Would love some help!
How large is the fledgeling approximately?
It would greatly help if you are able to photograph the parents
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
Normally, wind-blown youngsters need to be left to be cared for by their parents. Should they perish due to owl predation or some other natural cause then Nature is ensuring that populations of a particular species don't get out of control & the youngsters of a different species are fed.
However, in your situation where there are unnatural forces at work such as dogs &, I would imagine, cats as well, your resuce is probably justified. Your elaborate nest is, no doubt, the pride of the bird neighbourhood & seen as a status symbol by other birds at least of the same species. You realise you may well have started a keeping up with the Joneses bird movement. No anthropomorphism intended, of course.
Lol - yep - soft touch
I'll do my best to get a picture. Mostly moves too fast for slow me and is concealed by foliage. But I'll do some lurking when I have time tomorrow
Many bird species abandon their nests if humans get close. Risk can be avoided by observing from a distance.
I have solved my mystery. I got a chance to see the parent feeding yesterday and it's an Eastern Spinebill.
always good to solve mysteries
Peter
Lovely!