Birds | BirdRescue.org | The guide to rearing and releasing wild birds

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE FULL VERSION WHICH INCLUDES PHOTOS

IMMEDIATE HELP
REHABILITATION
CASE HISTORIES
ABOUT RON BILLINGSLEY
BIRD LINKS

CONTACT RON

Immediate Help

What to do if you come across a fledgling bird seemingly all on its own and lost:

If you don't know a great deal about wildlife, birds in particular, it will appear so tiny, vulnerable and helpless you will more than likely have a great desire to pick it up and rescue it. Though your motives are based in kindness, in most cases this would definitely be the wrong thing to do. No matter how vulnerable and lost it looks, somewhere close by its parents are waiting to feed it. If it looks well and healthy and not in any immediate danger from car or beast the best thing to do is leave it where it is. Let nature take its course.

If its in the road or exposed out in the open, you could maybe move it to a safer place, under bushes or some other type of cover, but nearby - remember its parents will return to look for it around where they left it.

If however you definitely know its parents have been killed or they have abandoned the chicks for some reason then you have a case for attempting to rescue them, but let me warn you, you are taking on a great deal of work and half measures are no good at all.

If circumstances do not permit the bird to be left or taken back to the place where it was initially found. And you feel you may wish to try to rehabilitate the bird yourself then the 'rehabilitation' section of this site was written specifically to help you.

Please let me draw your attention to the following laws for the protection of all wild birds:

The Law regarding wild birds

First let me point out that I am not a vet and I have no knowledge of medicines. I am just a nurse of sorts if you like, and have built up any knowledge I do possess by trial and error over the years.

People often ring up and ask how to feed and look after a fledgling bird that they have rescued. If it cannot be put back safely where it was found and has to be taken in hand then the following are some of the methods I use, which are basically what the wild parents of these young birds do. Not a mystery. No magic touch. Just based on observation and common sense. Methods that have worked for me time and again, but methods I am always willing to update. If anyone out there can suggest any improvements, please let me know.

A larger establishment than my modest set up would need to adopt a different strategy, feeding pens and mass release etc, but this is not for me. I haven't the room anyway. The pleasure of having a wild bird or birds flying free about the house and garden and coming down to ones call is a fantastic feeling. To see them develop and grow their individual characters is enlightening and very rewarding. It gives me a different outlook on animals in general.

We need to do more for all of them. Domesticated or wild. This latest outbreak of foot & mouth disease highlights the plight of our farming stock and the cruel callous way we treat animals. There has to be a better way. What chance do wild animals have when we treat our domestic animals the way we do?"

The different wild species I have managed to rear from chicks and hack* from my garden successfully:
Kestrel, Sparrow hawk, Woodpigeon, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, House Martin, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Starling, Wren, Jackdaw, Jay.

Wild bird species reared from chicks or looked after then released or placed successfully elsewhere:
Mallard Duck, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Black headed Gull, Barn Owl, Short-Eared Owl, Little Owl, Long-Eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Swift, Jay.

Trained hawks & Owls taken in, looked after and returned to owners or placed elsewhere:
Buzzard, Goshawk, Harris Hawk, Kestrel, Lanner Falcon, Merlin, Peregrine, Red-Tailed Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, Barn Owl, Eagle Owl, Great Horned Owl, Snowy Owl, The later two just found placements.

Many young blackbirds are handed in and as these are one of the commonest I will use a nestling blackbird as my model.

Nestlings will need a nest. They often arrive in their original nest and can be left in this quite safely through the first stages of nursing. However I've found it to be more hygienic to make a substitute nest out of polystyrene and tissue paper. It's easier to keep them warm and clean in.

The cup shape must be retained, as its important for the well-being of the chicks. Its design is to support their tiny bodies and limbs yet keeping them snug and warm. Chicks not so supported may develop splayed legs. It's not too difficult to hollow out a similar shape in a small block of polystyrene, lining this with a number of layers of soft toilet paper. (Do not use cotton wool as this is likely to get tangled in the chick's claws.) Now place the whole thing inside a small cardboard box lined with more tissue to catch any excrement the birds send over the rim of the cup. The nest sides must be the same height as a real one, as the nestlings will want to pay regular visits over the rim, so keeping themselves and the nest-bowl clean. It's now quite easy to form a routine of changing the soiled tissues. You will now appreciate how wonderful the design of a wild bird's nest is.

Being in a box also makes it easier to take around with you while you go about your daily affairs, as they have to be fed every half-hour or so at least, or when they indicate that they are hungry. When not being fed they must be kept warm. If barely feathered, keep in an airing cupboard or near some form of gentle heat and covered with a soft cloth to emulate a brooding parent. A word of caution here, don't overheat them either. They should appear bright and perky on your approach, if lethargic and dozy they may be too cold or too hot.

Feeding
I find a small pair of long-nosed pliers best as a feeding utensil. Most birds take readily to these as a substitute beak and they are far easier than tweezers to operate. On receiving the food you will notice the chick put its head down and cock its rear end up in its preparation to defecate. It will more than likely do so without your assistance, but should you notice any struggle in this department, aid the chick by stoking their nether regions gently as their real parent would do. You may then remove the sac with the pliers.

Water- don't give them water directly. If you choose the correct diet they will get enough moisture from the food. You can however moisten the food if it is to dry. Water acts as a laxative, so by keeping tabs on their droppings you can regulate this.

The food- It is most crucial that you choose the correct diet for the species of bird your looking after. If you're not sure, check in a good bird book. If the correct food is not available you must decide on a suitable substitute based on what you know is right. Feed this to them and watch the droppings. They must be firm, usually black or brown with a white urine portion, all contained in a disposable sac.

I soon found out that young blackbirds need worms as their staple diet whilst in the nest, with little helpings of brown bread moistened in water. Some worms can carry a protozoan called gapeworm whose eggs lodge in the feeding bird's throat, eventually choking it to death. Gapeworm causes the bird to gasp repeatedly for air, hence it's name. Your vet can dispense you a medication for this called Fenbendazole/Panacre, but don't leave it to late. A new possibility is to make a wormary, which I will be looking into. Tinned cat or dog- food seems a good substitute for the worms if necessary, but don't feed this for too long.

Maggots (purchased from a fishing tackle shop) also add to the diet. Let some of the maggots pupate. These will add more calcium. Keep the main box of maggots in a fridge taking out only their daily ration. They will last a lot longer. A word of warning: not too many maggots to begin with as they are very rich and may result in diarrhea. When the birds have fledged they will eat more of these and not bother with worms. Some soft fruit such as bananas, plums and grapes can be added now and again.
Keep a regular check on their droppings, as these are the fist indication of your feeding them right or wrong. They should be firm and healthy looking. Worms always get good results on blackbirds. Check the consistency of their droppings after they've eaten worms and try to feed a diet that will emulate these. This is your best guide.

Getting very young nestlings to feed shouldn't be a problem, for they open their gapes as soon as they sense a presence over the nest. The older nestling will however be somewhat frightened at first, but with a little ingenuity can be fooled into thinking your hand is its returning parent. You may at first have to carefully coax open the beak with a fingernail, pushing the food gently down the throat, but try the following first: Cover their box with a dark cloth, leaving them quiet for a short spell. Then peel back the cloth and offer them the food right away, they should respond with open gapes. If not, touch the side of a beak gently with the pliers and this should do the trick.

As the birds develop there will be certain little indications from them regarding their diet that you must learn to take notice of. They will let you know which food they prefer or require at that given time. E.g. They ask for food but turn their heads away when you offer them something they know isn't right for them at that moment. They seem to know when you give them too much of one item. As they grow and begin feeding themselves this will become more apparent, such as cutting down on worms as before stated and eating more maggots and bread etc.

Soon they will fledge and the fun starts. As you feed them you must establish a call sign, a whistle that must be repeated to them at each feed. Your voice also, a short "Come on", followed by the whistle, followed by the meal. You will see the benefit of this simple training routine later on.

The youngsters will begin to feather up and the nest look to small for them. Shortly before this stage I would have been placing them still in the nest-box in the thick Ivy that grows up the patio wall close to our back door. There is a hidden alcove here, which is an ideal place to have them fledge from. Above and intertwined with the Ivy is a mature Wisteria that climbs over the rear of our house. All affords good cover to the vulnerable brood, from the extremes of the weather and predators such as magpies, sparrow hawks and cats etc. We leave the back door open as much as possible to listen for alarm notes and to allow Otto, our German Shorthaired Pointer (a self appointed bodyguard to all our charges) to run in and out and keep his eye on them. To place them thus, affords them the opportunity to get used to their surroundings before they leave the nest. Then when this exiting time arrives they will each take up stations close by. If not in the Ivy then in the thick shrubbery or flowerbed close by.

Dogs such as Otto, if trained and steady, can be very useful in locating lost fledglings. He follows me everywhere and likes to get involved, inspecting every new bird or birds that come in. I never push him away, but gently impress on him how careful he must be with them, taking pains not to make him jealous. He's not let me down yet.

Fledging Time
When the birds do fledge, try and be there with them, if only to get them established in their respective hiding places. If you're not happy with any of their chosen places you can move them to a safer spot. Lets assume all is in order and the birds are cheeping to be fed. Here is where the initial training comes in.

From now on you must encourage each bird to come to you to be fed. This is against their natural instincts, as the wild parent blackbird goes in search of its young, preferring them to stay hidden and safe. So, as you present the morsel to the gaping beak, hesitate somewhat and entice it to reach forward to receive its reward. With patience you will soon have them hopping towards you as you call, and as they grow they will fly towards you when you whistle them. Even after their meal and they hide away, keep in touch with them with little whistles. They will answer and feel comforted that you are near and stay put. All wild birds have contact sounds that they use to locate each other. You must get to know this sound and respond when you hear it, answering the chick with your own call. This way you will keep in touch and get the chicks to stay nearby. Also, and most important, you can now present them with a shallow bowl of water large enough for them to bathe in. They will need to clean their feathers regularly from now on in preparation for their first proper flights.

Warning: make sure any open pond is covered up. They drown awful quickly, as I've sadly discovered.

You must not neglect their alarm training. A sudden, unusual sound or movement, or the sight of an obvious enemy that appears to concern them can be useful as you can make an alarm call as near as you can to a blackbirds, with a half 'tutt' and whistle noise that will send them into hiding. Or clapped hands. Having said this I've noted that they have a built in response to danger such as hawks. Either freezing still or moving fast when required.

For the first week of the fledge I find it safer to collect the birds each night, before dusk and place them in a small rabbit hutch for the night, covering the front with a sacking. This is to stop them beating against the cage front each morning before you let them out, so damaging themselves. When collecting them up don't clutch them tight in your fist or they will become wary of your approach. My method is to get a bird used to you making a cage about it with the fingers of both hands, allowing it to perch on one finger as you do. The other fingers preventing it flying off, but not actually holding it. They don't seem to mind this if you're quick about it. As soon as they can fly strongly leave them out, making sure they roost high up in a tree or hedge. I'm up early at dawn the next day to call to them and make contact. They usually fly down eagerly to be fed, then hide among the garden flowers again.

As they develop they seem to lose their taste for worms, preferring the moist bread, tinned meat, fruit etc. At this point encourage them to feed themselves, by placing the proffered meal on the floor under their beaks. They soon learn to pick it up and you can begin throwing their meals to them, which makes life somewhat easier. A tray of soil and leaves is ideal for you to lace with the maggots, which will burrow under the surface and offer a good opportunity for the youngsters to practice locating insects from the soil. The local robins and sparrows etc will also soon latch on to this ready supply of easy pickings. This too will teach your brood to fend for themselves by fighting for their share.

They start poking about for themselves in a few weeks and their tails seem to shoot down all of a sudden. They will still answer your calls but take fewer meals off you. Their flights away get longer. They noticeably get wilder, not wanting you too close. Then one day they are gone and the jobs done. They are on their own.

I neglected to mention how important it is to solicit the help of other members of the household in this whole venture, for it is very time consuming and you will not always be on hand to feed them regularly, which is most important at first. As the birds get older they can be left to their own devices and in fact need to be left hungry enough to encourage self hunting and feeding.

Things might not always go according to plan. You will make mistakes. A cat, your worst problem, may kill some, if not all your brood. For your charges are free and must take their chances like all wild things, but don't get discouraged. A wild blackbird faces the same problems and just gets on with it no matter what. So must you.

In this section we will look at the problems of caring for a wild half grown fledgling. It will not take food off you and wants to escape your evil clutches. We must train it to come to us for food just like in the nestling section.

In this scenario I shall use a fledgling song thrush as my model. They are very similar to blackbirds in behavior, eating almost the same food, but don't seem as dependent on worms as the former. They do very well on dog or cat meat, with some moist bread, but they prefer meat, seeming more carnivorous than the blacky. Again, maggots are excellent to introduce them to hunting for themselves.

When the bird arrives it will be very frightened, probably hungry and missing its parents. The first thing to do is give it a good examination, looking for broken bones or wounds or anything else that may be wrong with it. Handle it very gently though firmly. If you are right handed then hold it in your left hand. Check that its legs are not broken or hurt in any way. Then with its two legs held between your fingers, spread first one wing then the other to check them out. Feel its breastbone. This should be well covered in flesh, not sharp. That is, the keel shouldn't be sticking out, but should be well rounded each side with muscle. If it is sharp, then you have to decide to what degree, as this is the best indication you'll get as to how its been feeding. Very sharp indicates starving and the bird must be fed soon if its to survive. This will also mean the bird is dehydrated and needs water. I find it very useful to keep a sterile pack of Hartmann`s Solution - AQUPHARM No 11, and Glucose - AQUPHARM No 6. complete with small syringes to extract the mixtures from the containers hygienically. (Your local vet should be able to advise you on where best to obtain these). In extreme cases I would administer a small dose of each before feeding the bird. If you have neither, then just plain old water will do. Add some glucose if you have any. Care must be taken though when forcing a bird to take fluids, as it's very easy to drown them, their windpipe being situated where it is just behind the tongue. It's therefore advisable to fit a small tube to the end of a syringe and push this useful instrument gently down past the danger zone before administrating the fluid. A little bird's beak is very soft, so be most gentle. If the patient is very thin it will the have to be force-fed. It's easier with an assistant to help, one opening the beak, the other carefully pushing in the food with the long-nosed pliers or long pointed scissors. Not too much at one time, little and often being the motto.

If you find any injuries on the bird take it to your local vet to be treated, explaining that you aim to rehabilitate the bird.

Hopefully though, no injuries will be found and the fledgling is a little barrel of a thing, having been well fed by its parents before falling into the hands of some well meaning person, unwittingly thinking they were rescuing it. Lets assume therefore that our little critter is one of these unfortunates, but we don't know from whence it hailed so have to rehabilitate it from home.

It has until now been reared by its own parents so it should not imprint* itself on humans in the same way as a nestling reared by humans would, which is a good thing. However, some form of imprinting must take place for us to 'hack' or control-release the bird the way we intend to. The whole question of imprinting is one of some complexity, which needs to be given great thought. For now, we shall content ourselves with the job in hand, which is to train our little song thrush and release it by a free hack back into its wild state. Hacking by the way is an ancient falconry term given to the very process we intend inducting out feathered friend into. Anyway lets press on.
*Imprinting: The term used for a bird adopting a human as its parent

The first thing to do then, in this case, is to place the bird in a cardboard box with the lid open, but covered with a dark cloth. This will have the effect of calming the poor thing down. Being in the dark has a calming affect on all birds. If we then leave it alone for about hour it will be ready for the next stage of the operation.

Get some food ready and your pliers and quietly approach the box. The room by the way, should not be to brightly lit. The bird by this time will be feeling peckish and is probably calling to its mum with its "feed me!" call, so you oblige it. Peel back the cloth covering as smoothly as possible and offer it the food in the point of the pliers. It will most likely open its beak right away. If it does, pop in the food as quickly and precisely as you can. If it looks at all anxious pull back the cloth and leave for a little while longer. This method is far better than force-feeding, but there are occasions when this is the only option.

A few feeding sessions along these lines and the patient will soon be greeting you with its food-begging. Now is the time to transfer it to a small hutch. The type with a dark sleeping compartment and with a weld-mesh covered door on the other. Place the little tike in here and cover the front over again with a cloth, a light coloured one this time. That will allow a diffused light into the compartment. Let the bird settle into its new surroundings, then feed as before. There may be some hesitation at first, but by gentle persuasion you will win it over and regular feeding can be carried out. The cloth must be moved aside a little at a time at each visit to expose the inmate to the wide world outside. It's a good idea to put some leafy foliage inside the caged section, where our young bird can hide and practice using its splendid camouflage to good effect. If it looks like it may try to beat itself against the wire or push its beak into the mesh, then restore the cloth. If you have to leave it on its own for any length of time, replace the cloth. Do not risk it injuring itself on the mesh. I should put a shallow water container in with it as well. Even though it may not take a drink from it, it should have the option.

Every feeding visit you make, which will be every half hour to an hour depending how much you actually get down it each time, you should be training it to come toward you on your approach. It will back away with beak agape calling its 'feed me' notes. Enticing you to follow it and give it, its meal, but you must reverse this procedure and get it moving to you. Once you have achieved this, which wont be long, for they soon learn, you can open the hutch door and let it out. Don't of course let it fly away. Cage it in your hands as before described and transport it to the chosen hack area. Making sure it can hide in the foliage, where it will happily remain all day whilst you continue its feeding. Toward the close of day pick it up and replace it in the covered hutch for the night. It could stay out all night, but would instinctively want to fly high up to a safe roost, which at this stage of its early training would be inadvisable.

The next morning it can be put back in its hiding place for the day. Don't encourage it to fly as yet. This it will do quite naturally as it gets older and bolder, eventually flying all about the garden exploring and learning its trade, but for now and for about a week, keep caging it each night for its own protection. Leaving it out all Friday night say, so you can be up early Saturday to lure it down from the hedge for its breakfast. More than likely you will hear it calling for you as you lie in bed and will be forced to get up and sort it out. It will be at the back door awaiting you. A week or so of this and the frightened little bird that you first took in hand will by now be a confident juvenile song thrush, that will be serenading you with its little songs from a bush somewhere in the garden and flying about with a youthful dash that will take your breath away. Then one rather sad but fulfilling day, it will be gone and a special light gone from your garden.

Thrushes, at least the ones we have come to known personally, have all been strong characters. The larger mistle thrush being more so than the song thrush, but the latter can hold its own too. The other day Syl, my wife, was feeding our latest song'y, allowing it a rather large piece of bread, to encourage it to self-feed. Being very naive and trusting at this stage it took little notice of the local sparrows that always pop in when they see us feeding a new arrival. So there it stood, wondering what to do with its prize when…! There it was gone. A cheeky female sparrow whipped it out of its beak and was away with it in a flash, our luckless waif staring unbelievingly after it. A few days later found our hero chasing the sparrows away from its food. If we'd kept it confined in a cage, it wouldn't have learnt to handle itself in this way. 'Street wise' we call it.

Working at home in my den with the window open, tapping away at the computer keys, it's really nice to hear our song`y calling from outside in the garden. I answer it and in it comes through the window "So here you are!" I could almost here it saying. "Have you any grub for me?" with a cock of its head it implores, making its beautiful way across the sill. Now isn't an incident like this worth all the time and trouble spent?

I've always been interested in natural history as far back as I can remember, birds especially, they have a certain magic about them. Maybe because they can fly and we can't, I don't know, but each species has its own persona, its own character. Each individual bird within this species, having their own personality. Some of these little personalities have been enlightening, some amusing, some charming, all of them have been a pleasure. Some individuals among them, totally unforgettable and very enriching. The following accounts are of some of them we (me and my family) have been fortunate to know over the years.

Yarka
"Yarka" was a Starling. A drab looking Juvenile from Barnton in Cheshire. We met him (we never did find out its sex, but called it a him) whilst visiting my sister and her family. My brother in-law had found it at work one day and brought it home for the kids to look after. It was in an old budgie cage and seemed in good spirits, taking food readily through the bars. Knowing of my interest in these things, Beb my sister asked me if I`d take it in hand. Their dog, cat and hamster were enough for her to worry about she pleaded. So that was that.

He soon settled in and to keep a constant eye on him I began taking him with me to work. Being a self employed builder helped. I was building an extension on the back of a young Jewish couple's house, in a respectable part of the suburbs of my home City of Liverpool. As soon as we had the roof on and had fixed windows and doors.in place it was safe to let our Little Yarka fly loose about the shell. (Yarka by the way was the name given to starling by the kids up in Barnton, eg- A flock of Yarkas). The Young Jewish business couple were out all day at work. We let ourselves in each morning and locked up each night before we left, Yarka became part of the firm, getting into everything following me everywhere, treating me in fact just like a natural parent. He became imprinted. One day the Electrician was chiseling a hole through the toilet wall, lustily swinging his lump hammer, when in flew Yarka, to land with a flurry on the head of the poised hammer. Another day we found a note pinned to the wall in the kitchen reading. Dear Builders, we don`t mind you bringing the bird with you but could you keep it out of the sugar bowl. Mr. & Mrs. Goldsmith, thank you, and we thought they didn't know!
My old dad was intrigued with the little bird's antics and a bit of a showman himself if he saw the opportunity. One day the three of us took a drive to the pet shop to purchase seed for the hens. I had a Morris Traveler in those days, a faithful old bus she was. Yarka on my shoulder, flew onto the steering wheel, pleased with himself till we came to a corner but reluctant to give up his front perch, sort of payed himself out, first one way, then the other, so retaining his position on the wheel. A real character.

Anyway, we duly arrived at the shop I asked dad to stay in the car with the bird whilst I slipped in for the seed and was awaiting my turn at the counter behind a mature old dear when in walked dad, followed of course by the bird, which flew up to the counter top and skidded to a halt in front of the startled assistant."OH! " She cried and jumped not a little way of the floor. As did the old dear in front of me.
"Its all right ladies he's with me (meaning the bird and not me old dad) I leapt in and stopped the assistant following up her fright with blow from her raised hand. After explanations and much "well -I-never". We left the shop. I opened the shop door, holding it open for dad and the bird and unbelievably the later flew to the floor and walked out with me to the car, on opening the car door he just flew in to perch on the steering wheel again. I was as amazed as the two ladies and me dad were.

Summer holidays arrived. We had rented a cottage for a week on the Llyn Peninsular on the North Wales coast. we rented a cottage for a week. The old Morris Traveler was packed up solid. Syl and I and the two kids, with my sister and mum and our entire luggage, some of it piled on the roof rack. Among this was a special box containing Yarka.
When we arrived I installed him in a small box room all for himself, but he didn't like it in there so I decided to take him over the fields for a long walk and just leave him there, as I wasn't quite sure what more I could do for him and he was making a right mess of his room. So off we went.

The fields there were very wild as were the hedgerows. Yarka soon became engrossed in foraging for food and as we'd walked about half a mile by then, it seemed a good time to slip away and leave him to it. Back at the cottage I related the sad parting to the waiting family who were all sad to see him go but relieved to be free of all his mess "Never mind its the best thing for him. He had to go sometime, and so on. An hour later I thought I heard a familiar squawk coming from outside somewhere and poked my head out of the door to investigate. PLONK! Yarka landed strait onto my head. "FOUND YOU! FOUND YOU!" he squawked. At the top of his little lungs. I just walked back in and stood there with him on my head." Looks like he wants to stay folks" and so he did.

From then on in he went everywhere with us. To the beach even, where we spent most of a very hot day on Black-Rock Sands. Forgetting to take water with us for the bird, he drank orange juice quite happily. Using our party as his base, he began a systematic patrol of all the nearby family groups, cadging a meal where err he went, much to the delight of everybody. As we got up to go he beat hastily back to ride my shoulder to the car, not wanting to lose me a second time.
Each night we would take a leisurely stroll up a local heather clad hill to allow our little tike to find some wild food. He would fly on ahead up the track, stopping and gesticulating at any likely looking rock for me to turn over. He then dived in to snatch up any woodlouse or such that were exposed. On one of these forays we disturbed an Adder which slid quickly away in the thick heather. Though I was sore tempted to pick it up wisdom won the day and we let it go.
We were near the top of this hill one-day and Yarka, pushing far ahead, disappeared over the skyline. He was gone some moments when, from over the top he came in a hurry, chased by a very determined little girl, who, every time Yarka stopped to complain, which he was doing quite vociferously by now, would stoop to try and sweep him up in her eager fingers. As they drew level to us I exclaimed. "Don't do that love, he`s with me" She looked at me as if I was a penny short of tuppence and pressed on with her quest. Doing her best to rescue the dear little bird. So I whistled and called him to me. This he did gladly, landing with relief on my shoulder. The little girl's face was a picture, She was speechless and just couldn't believe her eyes.

Autumn was approaching, time for starlings to be off and away, but Yarka was too imprinted as yet. Dad and I, working together on a job, took a stroll around a nearby park with him in our dinner hour. There, in some vast rose gardens, we came on a crèche of juvenile starlings feeding on the ground. Yarka joined the throng of chattering birds so we left him with them and continued our walk. Some half an hour or so later found us back at the gardens, the starlings still there and Yarka unrecognizable amongst them. We debated the best thing to do. Shall we leave him with them or what? We decided to leave him and made our way sadly toward the exit car park. A hundred yards further on I turned to give one last whistle, just in case. One of the starlings then lifted off on pumping wings and made strait for us, to land on my shoulder in a flurry. He was back.

I still regret that last whistle. I should have let him go then while he was with his own kind. Every morning I got into the habit of letting him out into the garden to search for his own breakfast whilst I attended my ablutions in the bathroom. This fateful morning I was interrupted a short time later by a knock on the front door. I nipped down to open it, only to be greeted by a young neighbor holding up in his outstretched hand, the bedraggled body of a lifeless little bird. "Is this yours, our cats just fetched it in?" It was Yarka.

House Martins
It was my old friend and former business partner Douglas Quine who started the next interesting adventure. Doug sadly died suddenly some years later, so I would like to dedicate this next piece to him.

Doug arrived early for work one morning some years ago now. Clutching a small cardboard box. In it were four tiny nestlings of the genus Delichon Urbica / House Martins. A man painting the exterior of his house opposite Doug's house had removed the whole nest from under the eaves, not realizing there were residents inside. We immediately set about saving them. The first thing to do was to get them some maggots and feed them. This was soon accomplished and the four half feathered chicks fed right away, with not the slightest hesitation.

Once again we took them to work to feed at every opportunity. The slightest tap on the box had them gaping for food and they grew very fast. Any one working near the box would automatically feed the little devils. This time we were building a bedroom and shower room extension on the rear ground floor of a house. By the time we had the walls and ceilings painted the birds began to fledge. They would come out of their box one by one and fly around the white painted bedroom like little jets. One day a large bluebottle fly was at rest on the ceiling, standing out conspicuously. One off the brood had a go at picking it off and nearly crashed into the wall, but at leased showed that it did have innate hunting abilities. At home, all four chicks would sit high up on the curtain rail in the living room, coming down when called to have a meal of maggot proffered to them in the pliers by my two sons Gregg & Dean (just children then) who would sit on the couch together and feed each bird as it hovered in front of them before flying back up to the rail.

Transporting the birds to and from work in the Morris Traveler was uneventful until they reached the flying stage. Fixing a wire-mesh over the driving window gave them plenty of fresh air, so sometimes they were left sitting in their box in the car. One day all the birds were missing. We just couldn't figure out how they'd got out and all our searches around the area drew a blank. The birds had flown! They just had to be in the car somewhere. Our Steve, my nephew who was with me, climbed inside through the window to investigate, Yes! He could hear them, but where were they? I whistled through the window and four little heads popped out of a small hole in the roof lining. The little imps had made themselves at home up there in our absence. From then on they made this their own traveling speck and the journeys went smoothly till one day one of them slipped out of the open door and away into the blue. This incidence decided me, they must all be released soon, but how?

It was decided then to release all the brood simultaneously back at the original nest site. Choosing a fine day we took them back up to Doug's house, as many of the houses on the estate had house martin nests under their eaves. When we arrived the air above the estate was full of them, hawking about high in the blue. It was just a question of opening the box and standing back. They all peered skyward with heads a-cocked, seeing for the first time, with their undoubtedly marvelous eyesight, their like far above them. Calling to one another in 'martin`ies'. Without a farewell gesture of any kind they took to the air. Climbing with purpose toward the darting wheeling throng above, soon to merge with them and be lost to sight to us at last. We heard no more of them.

Some years later another brood was handed in. These fell, with their nest, off a house near the airport at Speke. About the same age as the first bunch, it wasn't long before these too were flying about the house.

I made a small hole in the side of a suitable little cardboard box - the better to emulate their own nest. Setting this up behind me on a shelf in my office. Just a click of the fingers would fetch them out one after the other to fly at great speed around me before eventually landing, one by one, on my outstretched hand with each bird selecting a finger. All four of them would wait to be fed.

At times all the birds would be in the air at once, flying about the living room, sort of cruising while waiting their turn to be fed. It was on one of these occasions that one over anxious bird flew in and clung to my beard. As I opened my mouth to say something it just popped in and sat on my front teeth with its head inside my mouth and its tail out. I had to physically extract it, as it seemed quite at home in there. After this incident any time I clicked my fingers it would fly from its perch strait into my open mouth. Which I suppose resembled its nest-hole.

When this brood were still nestlings I tried to put them back in the original colony. Making a cardboard nest resembling as close as possible a martin nest. Finding the exact house, I duly climbed up and fixed this box on the very spot the birds came from and sat below in the car to watch the proceedings. Before long a martin began to show interest. Swinging up to the box, but at the last minute pulling away. Although we sat for some time hoping for the best, it never did land and seemed to be distressing the neighboring birds, so reluctantly I retrieved the box and gave up.

I'm still not sure if one could even hack* martins as one would other birds. How would they behave? It's a question I should dearly love to know and some day may have the opportunity once again to find out. These birds however I didn't hack. Deciding as before in just releasing them when I deemed they were ready. And found them so when their flying skills outgrew the room they flew around. At first they controlled themselves. Flying with some care, but as they grew into the equivalent of human teenagers, so their eagerness to be away went to their heads and their flights were bordering on suicidal. They flew so fast they would sometimes lose control. A wing tip would catch the ceiling, a turn maybe too wide and a near accident looking imminent. This then was the time to let them go. I noted that on a good day the wild martins were to be seen over our house Although not knowing where their colony was I reckoned they would be suitable companions for my brood. So one day I set the box up on the patio wall facing the sun. Once again they spilled out with hardly a glance back and climbed up quickly to their awaiting brothers. We never saw these again either.
*Hack: An ancient falconry term for control-releasing a bird into the wild.

Scully
"Scully" was a great tit. I don't remember where he came from, but he was a charmer, full of mischief. I sat him on a plant we had then. A bread tree plant, the type with large leaves that had holes in them. It was supported by a moss-bound tube stuck into to pot itself. It was here Scully took up residence. After a meal of maggots he would retire here and go to sleep on one leg with his head tucked over his back.

We had a dog-called Max then. He was our first GSP (German Short Haired Pointer). A real hard case, but this didn't bother Scully who would fly down to the rug in front of the fire where Max was spread out asleep and explore all about him. GSPs are hounds and hounds have floppy jowls. Max was no exception. His jowls would flop open as he slept, exposing his cruel looking canine teeth and fleshy inside cheek. It was amazing to watch this tiny little bird hop up and begin pecking about in there Looking like something out of Disney. As soon as Max realized what was annoying him he would jump up and slink away. The bird showed no fear of him at all, landing on his back, head or tail, but on one occasion lost a few tail feathers under Max's huge paw.

He was soon hacking about the garden. Flying in and out of the house at will. It must have been a good summer, as we left the doors open for him. When he felt tired he would nip in and perch on the plant in the corner or on a little model we had pinned on the wall over the dining room door. This model was one I made myself of a Peregrine taking a Rook in the air, a picture of which appeared in an old falconry book I'd read. It was only about four inches or so in size and was held to the wall by a pin. Little Scully would balance on the back of the peregrine all night fast asleep. Just like the martin, he too would cling to my beard and peep into my mouth or peck up my nose. Generally making himself a nuisance. It was a sad day when he moved on.

With a little help from my friends
One year our wild garden Blackbirds built their nest just over the patio doors, hidden in the thick ivy and wisteria just bellow the rear bedroom window. The birds had begun feeding young, we could here them calling at feeding times as the hard working parents flew back and forth, back and forth all day long. Soon though it became apparent that the male blackbird had been killed for I'd seen the remains of a dead cock bird in the road the previous morning and had kept a special eye on things up there in the ivy. Sure enough it was our cock bird. The hen was on her own. Sylvia, my wife, and I determined that we would help her all we could and began throwing her some food, which she gladly accepted, getting tamer by the day.
Out on the patio one afternoon Syl, having just fed the mother, watched as the hen flew industriously up into the hidden nest to feed her waiting brood when something all of a sudden flashed over Syl's head to crash violently into the ivy where the female blackbird had just disappeared. There was much screaming and fluttering as with great determination and shear bravery and pluck, the hen blackbird fought off the deadly attack of a female sparrow hawk. It had happened so fast Syl related to me afterwards, that she could only stand and stare. Had the gutsy hen blackbird won the day on its own or was the presence of Syl enough to put the hawk off its stroke? The attack being so close to the nest undoubtedly gave the hen the extra courage needed. Whatever, it was one lucky bird.
In the meantime, we'd had three wild fledgling blackbird chicks handed in. These had now reached the releasing stage and were coming quite readily to us for food, but how would their presence in the garden affect our trusty feathered friend in the Ivy. I had an idea. I waited till she'd just fed her brood. When she left I nipped up a ladder and peeped in at her them. Yes! There were three of them. And what's more they would fledge anytime now, hopefully on the morrow, Saturday when I could be with them all day.
Saturday had me up early, but I was nearly too late, for one chick had indeed fledged, I could hear it calling close by in the hawthorn bushes. The female however had returned to the nest to feed the other two. This was my chance. As soon as she left I was up the ladder again with my own little brood, dotting them amid the Ivy as close to the nest as possible. I felt a little guilty offloading them all on her and her, a widow too, but it worked like a charm. She came back and fed them all, unwittingly adopting them.
The look on her face when three of her charges would break away and come down to me to be fed. She would cock her head on one side trying to understand. Yet she accepted the situation and between us we raised them all.

The Law regarding wild birds

REHABILITATION The Nestling

REHABILITATION
The Nestling