OT-ID for Black bird that sounds like a duck?

shawna1972

New member
Found a nestling that had fallen from a nest in my gutter/eave and can't get it back in,Was lying face down,Face bloody,slugs eating away at it :( Happens every year all over our property and I have to foster them for at least 2 weeks . I usually have to put up a temp nest near the origional and then when the baby is able to see the mom and call to her the mother usually takes over.:thumbsup:

Problem being I dont know what to feed this one? Because I don't know what type of bird it is? Been feeding dry cat food "High protien) soaked overnight with addition of apple sauce,berries and a crushed calcium tablet for now every 20 minutes.
Going to find some meal worms tomorrow but wondering if anyone can help me Id without a pic?
Mother who is very active at the nest is all blackish/dark brown with a sound "like a duck wha wha" lol Sorry its all I have :( the baby is totally pink and eyes not opened yet :( Guessing a few days old.
My first guess would be a common starling but the clips I have been listening to do not sound like this one?
Anyhow he is alive and eating good! Pooping good! and is in my room in a hanging easter basket lol -"I have cats"! Have the hot water bottle under him to keep him warm and he's sleeping :) Checked him over (no mites) cleaned him up and he has one tiny cut that caused the blood (thinking from the fall)
but all in all I think he'll pull through.

Ive only had to take one bird so far to our lady who does avian rehab and even then they were hesitant about taking him in (we have one rehab lady here and that's it so basically I had to learn to care for them myself on a temp basis if I couldn't place them back in the nest.and even then its not a sure thing because Ive had a few I placed back only to make it to the ground the next day and die. :(

So any help with an Id is appreciated or extra care tips are welcomed :)
 
before you mentioned Starling that's what I was thinking. I've heard Starlings make many weird noises. Grackle might be another possibility.
 
Unbelievable Shawna - if you were closer I would ask to come visit the baby in the easter basket :)
Props to you for taking such good care of the animals around you!
If earth worms are acceptable, the cheapest place to get those is at Walmart - Dick's has them as well. If you know of a bait store, that's the best option and they will have the biggest variety. Last resort - big box pet store. Expensive and sometimes not so fresh.
 
haha Yeah its a sight for sure :) Yeah I wish I could use earth worms :( but they are filled with parasites , so Ive always done the meal worms but the gross thing is u have to cut off the meal worms head! Yuck but I guess they will bite the babies throat or belly.
Dont know the outcome of this little guy though I see a huge bruise on its belly :( must have been from the fall. ahh well keeping my fingers crossed.
 
Didn't know that about earth worms!
Been feeding them to my box turtles for 8 years - maybe they can process the parasites better than birds?
Also - wax worms (or maggots blah) might be a nice option. Still might have to decapitate them though :(
Too bad you have to use meal worms - I'd say they're the grossest :)
 
Didn't know that about earth worms!
Been feeding them to my box turtles for 8 years - maybe they can process the parasites better than birds?
Also - wax worms (or maggots blah) might be a nice option. Still might have to decapitate them though :(
Too bad you have to use meal worms - I'd say they're the grossest :)

Yeah I didnt know that either until talking to a lady who does rehab in another county.
And "YES" meal worms are gross but high in protien. :)
Speaking of which (baby bird is gone for a day!) whew finally get a break! lol

Found another rehab lady here (shes 20 minutes from me) I explained the situation and pretty much asked for help because I was worried about the discoloring on the belly. Well turns out it's an infection brewing (most likely from the fall,His head,) ??????
Anyhow she took him home and said she's going to give him an injection of antibiotics and some electrolytes and a special kitty food with more vitamins and bring him back tomorrow :)
Poor guy! But Yeah she was amazing! She even came to pick him up :) No hesitation what so ever, and very eager to help! If anyone lives near me I can pass along her # "good to have at times like these" she also does some wildlife rescue.
She also told me I worry to much lol "ya think!" I told her its just the way I am with any animal/fish lol they dont have a voice and need people like us to help out! And yeah I always worry way to much (not healthy!) hahaha
So Ill keep you updated and maybe snap a picture. He's so cute he has like 4 hairs on top of his head and some fuzzys on the rest of his body! :)
 
Dont know why my pc is taking so long to post a reply under "Quote" Sorry about that Tim.

Anyhow to answer you question. Stephanie.........Great asset to Wyoming County!!! But
unfortunately She had to close down die to lack of funds/donations :( But stephanie basically worked under the aspca and worked with justa goodell (dog control)
So mostly domestic/farm animals. She did not do any wildlife rehab or avian rehab.

The lady Im referring to .........Linda Mann (wildlife rehab) although does not take in (RVS) but she does take in wild birds and such or helps you care for them IF they are able to be returned to the mother on premises. Her # Tim is (585)493-9228 She lives in Pike NY so she's not to far from you or I.

Tim I also have another # or anyone who lives in Buffalo that found a (RVS)= Rabies Vector Species. This lady is a great asset also because anyone who has found a skunk,fox,coyotee,fawns,bat and the like and tried to turn them over to a wildlife rehab facility that is not (RVS licensed) guess what happens? Euthanasia :( They have to hold the license to be able to care for them and release them . Anyhow her name is ......
Elsie Able and her # is (716) 592-1861.
Also if anyone does not know this if you do find wildlife On the RVS list (do not have any contact)call the # listed above as if you have come in contact with the animal.... its an automatic death sentence for this animal :) but with that said you have 48 hours legally to hold an animal on this list while looking for a rehab center to transfer or them pick up the animal and as long as no bites/scratches/saliva contact came into play the animal can be saved and released :)

Hope this helps Tim. I am always on the look out for new contacts as where we live we see these animals on a daily basis. I just had a family of raccoons on my deck the other night sitting on my deck looking through the slider screen checking out my cats lol
 
Ughhh sad update: Linda-Rehab lady called a few minutes ago and He died a little while ago :( She said once infection starts in a nestling its hard to turn them around.
I Guess its part of nature. Well if anything makes me feel good about this is the fact that we tried, I mean he was lying freezing with slugs eating away at him,So at least he died with warm bedding and a full belly. Sad thing is this starling has about "What I can hear"
A few more babies in that nest, I hope she doesn't decide to kick anymore out!
 
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