Three days ago a greenfinch took a non-lethal smack on our window, and luckily I was on hand for a rescue. It wasn't able to fly and would've been easy prey for a neighborhood cat, so I quick brought it inside and made it a happy home in no time. Still had a bird cage from when we tried (unsuccessfully) to save a juvenile house martin 2 years ago. And here you see the little fellow, which i thought was a female but am now wondering if it's a juvenile since the breast is quite streaked.
With no obvious signs of trauma, and no evidence of broken wings, I decided we'd try to rehabilitate it ourselves. Inserted 2 shallow dishes in the cage, one with seed I've seen them eating at the feeders and the other with water. Within a day we heard/saw the little fellow eating the seeds, which is great fun to watch as they skillfully manipulate the seed husk with their tongue and manage to spit it out without spitting out the seed. But this morning, his feathers were "puffed up" like he was cold, and by afternoon he was tucking his head under his wing like he was tired, both signs that he was suffering from illness. Sure enough, by nightfall he'd fallen into a sleep he'd never awaken from.
They'll be sad to lose their little friend (and me TOO!), who we watched and studied and got to know quite well in such a short time. In retrospect, I suppose I should've taken him to a rehab. center, where he would've received antibiotics and better care. But then again, the kids would've missed out on the whole experience -- and the joy of learning -- and the pain of failure that goes along with it.
1 comment:
sad story. Glad you could turn it into a learning experience for kids.
Great article on the concept of needing a Culture Dash:
http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/05/20/do-you-feel-the-urge-to-culture-dash/
It refers to a book called perfect madness. Sounds like one I need to read.
Post a Comment