bird trouble
Sometime between when I last loaded my bird feeders on Saturday afternoon and today at 4:30pm the bird below got into some serious trouble in one of my bird feeders.
I was just putting out some seed before watching the Patriots / Colts game and I noticed an odd movement at the end of the feeder.
Somehow this bird had gotten into the end feeder--which I don't stock with anything-- upside down. Maybe it was escaping from a hawk and dove in there. In any case, trying to escape from the metal grid the poor bird had hurt one leg and dug up it's belly a bit.
It took a while but I was able to pull the grid off the bird feeder without further injuring the bird and then I slowly snipped apart the wires that were impinging on the birds wings and neck. Before I released it, I gave a cursory exam and one leg wasn't looking good but the bird was otherwise fine. One wing might have been wrenched a bit but seemed to be moving okay.
Upon release the bird rapidly, but not very gracefully, flew into some trees I have right behind my house. There's plenty of food around so I hope the fellow can recover from this injury. The trees give him good cover and he does seem able to fly adequately...
update: I looked outside at halftime and the bird had flown back onto one of the dishes on my deck railing that I put seed in and was eating. I don't like his odds though 'cause he was sitting in the dish to eat and not perched. He might make it if the one leg is good enough to hold his weight, not much chance if he can't stand to eat. Some cat will get him for sure.
I was just putting out some seed before watching the Patriots / Colts game and I noticed an odd movement at the end of the feeder.Somehow this bird had gotten into the end feeder--which I don't stock with anything-- upside down. Maybe it was escaping from a hawk and dove in there. In any case, trying to escape from the metal grid the poor bird had hurt one leg and dug up it's belly a bit.
It took a while but I was able to pull the grid off the bird feeder without further injuring the bird and then I slowly snipped apart the wires that were impinging on the birds wings and neck. Before I released it, I gave a cursory exam and one leg wasn't looking good but the bird was otherwise fine. One wing might have been wrenched a bit but seemed to be moving okay.
Upon release the bird rapidly, but not very gracefully, flew into some trees I have right behind my house. There's plenty of food around so I hope the fellow can recover from this injury. The trees give him good cover and he does seem able to fly adequately...
update: I looked outside at halftime and the bird had flown back onto one of the dishes on my deck railing that I put seed in and was eating. I don't like his odds though 'cause he was sitting in the dish to eat and not perched. He might make it if the one leg is good enough to hold his weight, not much chance if he can't stand to eat. Some cat will get him for sure.
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