HELP, BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS! What to do with INJURED BIRD?

Wedge · 7 Jun 2011 at 21:30

So is it now ok?

i suspect it is/was suffering from shock?

An Exception · 7 Jun 2011 at 21:48

Not sure, below was the last I'v seen of him...

coltpython3 · 7 Jun 2011 at 21:54

bit concerned he cant fly

i wouldve kept him inside for at least another week. at least this way hes got food/water/warmth to let his wing heal

An Exception · 7 Jun 2011 at 22:13

^^^
Well he flew out the box on the table and onto the floor...

Tooks · 8 Jun 2011 at 11:59

There's a huge amount of compassion in this thread which is good to see, but there is also nonsense and downright misinformation, but that's OCUK at times I guess... It is not illegal for a vet to release a 'pest' for a start. But anyway...

It's a young magpie, and in the corvid world, magpies are the lowest of the low according to other corvids. I'm not surprised that a crow was attacking it, magpies are competition and a danger to their own young.

Anyway Ejizz, you appear to have done the right thing, and at the end of the day it's a wild animal and deserves to be living as such. It's up to it now to make a go of it, seems harsh, but that's nature.

In the future though, it's probably best to leave things like this to take there course, as hard and unpleasant as that is. It was probably waiting for a parent to come back and feed it, and is one of the natural hazards of being a fledgling and also the reason that birds have so many young. Many don't make it, if you think about it, we wouldn't be able to move for birds if they all survived.

Kudos to you for trying to help though, I'm sure it appreciates it!

Gundog48 · 10 Jun 2011 at 20:37

If you capture a pest it is illegal to then release it. It is one of those laws no one pays any attention to but a law nonetheless

yhack · 10 Jun 2011 at 20:44

Sell it

Rojin · 10 Jun 2011 at 21:04

Gundog48 said:
If you capture a pest it is illegal to then release it. It is one of those laws no one pays any attention to but a law nonetheless

Which law is this? All wild birds are protected by law, and I'm aware of laws against releasing non native animals. Is a magpie on some sort of pest list?

Gundog48 · 10 Jun 2011 at 21:19

Yeah, not sure the actual law but I know that magpies are (or at least were until very recently) on the same pest list as rabbits, squirrels and others that are legal to hunt. It's because of the large magpie population and the damage they can do to farms. I don't like they way they have demolished every nest in my garden that has not been in a box. They also used to try and attack my guinea pigs. Cracked egg, magpie decoy, .22 air rifle at close range, haven't had many back since!

test1971 · 12 Jun 2011 at 04:02

I know there is a law regarding Cananda geese, if you find one injured, you are not allowed to release it, they are considered vermin, you have to kill them.

=VTA=MANFACE · 12 Jun 2011 at 04:56

We have three mallards in our conservatory rescued from our pond, there was seven but the rats took four of them off the island in the middle. We have had them for six weeks now and are quite big - will stick some pics up - We will only let them go when we know it's the right time.

We also have a magpie called monty who has been with us for 13 years, he lives in a big cage in the kitchen. Very intelligent and very naughty too.

Tooks · 12 Jun 2011 at 09:39

test1971 said:
I know there is a law regarding Cananda geese, if you find one injured, you are not allowed to release it, they are considered vermin, you have to kill them.

That's not quite true. All wild birds, even Canada geese, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act which means you can't just kill them whenever you feel like it.

Canada Geese can be shot by authorised persons only at certain times of the year and other control methods at other times with the use of a licence.

I think there is some confusion on this thread about what 'pests' you can lawfully shoot and a list of invasive species that should be eradicated.

I would not expect my vet to treat a signal crayfish for instance, but they would help (and do) an injured fox/rabbit/deer etc, all of which can lawfully be shot.

People shouldn't assume that just because something can lawfully be hunted means it's somehow outside the protection of the various Acts of Parliament put in place to protect ALL wildlife.

I've searched for guidance and the 'law' that states when certain species should not be treated but destroyed, but I can't find anything. If somebody knows where it is, I'd be very interested.

Richdog · 12 Jun 2011 at 09:48

Wow, what did birds ever do in the wild before people were around to rescue em, eh? This birrd was not the victim of a human attack, it was the victim of an attack from a natural predator... the best thing you can do in these situations is NOT take them in and put them in a box, and let nature take its course. That's whats been happening for millions of years, and there's no reason it should change now with a common species like this.

An Exception · 12 Jun 2011 at 14:04

=VTA=MANFACE said:
We have three mallards in our conservatory rescued from our pond, there was seven but the rats took four of them off the island in the middle. We have had them for six weeks now and are quite big - will stick some pics up - We will only let them go when we know it's the right time.

We also have a magpie called monty who has been with us for 13 years, he lives in a big cage in the kitchen. Very intelligent and very naughty too.

Thought I'd offer an update, the next day my GF got up early in the morning before work, and went to remove the egg dish from the mat, and spotted the magpie standing on the patio looking at the egg through the window, later on in the afternoon I went out side and spotted him on top of a table on our deck, he didn't seem afraid and managed to get the below shot, this was now the last I'v seen of him...

Gundog48 · 12 Jun 2011 at 14:15

I'll have to check up on that law then, that's what I have always known! I am not saying the OP did the wrong thing by re-releasing it, that law is the kind of law that is ignored and not enforced. I know I have done a similar thing with an adult woodpigeon that looked as if it had been attacked by a fox. He was OK after a few days but would have been finished off in the wild as he couldn't fly to start with.

Randomface74 · 12 Jun 2011 at 14:31

You let it rest a bit in safety and let it go - that's about as good an ending as you could get. well done OP

Von Luck · 12 Jun 2011 at 15:01

ElDude · 12 Jun 2011 at 15:29

billysielu said:
You let it rest a bit in safety and let it go - that's about as good an ending as you could get. well done OP

Indeed. Doing the right thing rather than using some poor reason to kill an animal is always the best way to go. It says a lot about a person if they'd rather kill a bird because they don't like how that creature exists.

I don't like how a lot of humans live, but don't go around killing them.

taliesyn · 13 Jun 2011 at 10:57

Von Luck said:
....raiding the nests of less common birds they reduce species diversity.

Wow, we have a biologist in here! If you kill magpies you are reducing species diversity yourself, because funnily enough the magpie is a species.

What about sparrowhawks, buzzards, peregrines, hen harriers, hobbies, kestrels, goshawks, owls etc.. They will all eat other birds, even pretty little songbirds :eek:

. Should we kill them all too?

Well done OP. It's up to the bird now.

wildman · 17 Jun 2011 at 12:47

bake it in a pie, when the pie is open the bird might start to sing, if not give it to the queen who is in the parlour eating bread and honey ?

All else failing feed it strong mustard ?