Hi all,
Sorry I have not introduced myself before posting but I need some advice. I have nesting Silvereyes in my front yard and yesterday I found a fledgling on the front lawn. I tried to get it to return to the nest but could not get it back in the tree. After a long night I woke this morning and finally got it back in it's nest tree only to discover that the parents have now turfed the second fledgling out of the nest. Now I have two that have been rejected and am not sure what to do. I am currently feeding then blended oats/water and giving them a little water on it's own too. Is this okay? Do I try and raise them? Do I try to find someone to care for them? Live in Wagga Wagga but have not tried to locate any animal carers as yet as wanted some advice first.
Mike. :(
I would suggest giving them some insects and a small amount of honey or a small amount of fruit. As long as they are eating/drinking they should be OK.
How developed are their feathers? Do they look big enough to fly?
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Hi soakes,
Thanks for the quick response. They are so strong when they eat, even pulling when I get it in their mouth. They have quite a covering of feathers but still many pink patches. They flap their wings but look around 2-3 weeks away from getting off the ground.
Mike.
Forgot to add that they are strong enough to perch even while sleeping. Quite lucky that they are older, guessing around 4-6 weeks but I'm no expert.
OK, it sounds promising but they are definitely too young to have left the nest. However, once a bird leaves the nest it is very difficult to put them back.
If you are happy looking after them for the next week or so (you may be surprised at how quickly they develop from here) then all you need to do is some quick research (which you have started doing) mainly with regard to feeding and provide them a safe warm place to sleep. A large bird cage would be good too. They will soon want to move around a lot and try to fly.
If you do not feel confident bringing them up from here on I am sure you can find someone to do it for you.
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
Thanks soakes I will see how tonight goes and then drop into the local bird shop to get some equipment tomorrow. Cute little things and would be devistated to lose them.
Mike.
Are you sure they pushed them out? Sometimes the little ones can topple out. I've seen adults continue to forage for food to feed their young even when they have fallen to less ideal spots.
They are more vulnerable at such an early stage. I figure if these little birds got to grow to this size they were most likely still being cared for.
I would have been tempted to create a cat barrier around the area and see if the parents continue to look after them. They spend most of the day feeding them. Goodluck!
Mikezoom how did these little guys go?
I hope they went OK!
The idea to create a cat safe environment for them was great.
We have done that for the Silvereyes nesting in our backyard, we are also trying to make Indian Myna and Bulbul safe too.
I do have a question about the feeding of honey, I thought honey wasn't advised even to honeyeaters. I heard the honey we buy is too concentrated for the native Australian birds, but I haven't checked on the WIRES website.