Hey guys, I was walking doen the river behinbehind my house last Monday and a baby bird fell from a paper bark tree in front of me. The poor thing was swooped on by 2 noisy miners and a kookaburra. My natural instinct was to pull my shirt off, pick it up and take it home out of harms way. I have it in a decent sized cage and it seems happy. Feeding well on crickets, worms, and thinly sliced veal with calcium and vitamin supplements. I'm having trouble identifying the little guy. Looks like a magpie and kind of like a kookaburra. Several birds including magpies and kookaburras. Any help would be great, thanks Ben.
Good on you for caring about birds, benjaminpratley, especially if they're Australian native birds.
Several Birds in Backyards members are wildlife carers & I would suggest you wait for a post from one or more of them with specific information on the next steps you need to take.
In case you're confronted with the same issue on your walks could I suggest that, unless the young bird is in imminent danger from a cat, dog or other unnatural device, you leave the bird in place & allow nature to take its course. We humans, often with the best of intentions, frequently intervene in nature & upset natural processes to the detriment of the environment. For example, the parents of the bird you "rescued" may have ejected the bird from its nest in order to teach it to live independently.
Without a photo, description and location it will be difficult to ID. If you have no experience in caring for our feathered friends, the best thing is to contact the Wildlife Rescue organisation in your area. There is a list in the link below. It is often hard, but sometimes we need to let nature take its course. The parent(s) may not have been far away, and as horrible as it sounds, our other natives need to eat to!
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/forum/Bird-rescuerehabilitation/What-do-if-you-find-injuredsick-bird-check-here-first
I wish you and our little friend all the best, and thanks for caring.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania