Erm, okay. So, I'm new, and slightly desperate. Yesterday, I discovered a noisy mynah chick huddled under some lawn furniture in the front yard. It's still alive (thankfully) today, and I'm wondering what I should do with it - (it's still being fed and protected by it's parents), I've placed a jar lid with water in it out near it and thrown some food near it - dry biscuits which the parents ate and fed to the chick.I can't bring it indoors. I have two young, lovely,indoor, female burmese cats who would love to try out their hunting skills on a chick, or would probably smother or give it a heart attack. (I can also see it has external parasites, which I'd rather my cats didn't get). It's a fledgling, I'm not sure how old it is - it doesn't appear to be able to fly terribly well, but it can hop.
Erm. so, help?
Hi akebai, sorry to ask, am I missing something here? I have been going over and over what you are saying. To repeat what you said: the bird is fed by it's parents, your cats are indoors. The birds don't need "biscuits" (not part of their normal diet), the parasites are on most birds. So what is the problem?? Fledglings don't fly terribly well, it will soon, with the help of the parents, learn what it needs to know,how to survive. Sorry, if that sounds hard,but...Erm, what help would they need???
M-L
It is good that it has not been abandoned by the parent yet.
It sounds like it is in good condition. There's not much you can do. It is when they are grounded and abandoned that they will really need your help. Make sure your cats are kept well away from it. You can put it back in a tree, perched on a branch and watch it, making sure the parents still tend to it.
No need to feed it. It's the parent's job and it is important that the parents stick around. Biscuits aren't the recommended diet for Noisy Miners either.
Here's a good link: http://www.sydneywildlife.org.au/FAQRetrieve.aspx?ID=41685
Hope it helps and good luck!
Taz
Hup! Sorry, Araminta - The actual question was; Do I need to do anything? At the moment, it sounds like no, but keep an eye on it? I must note - they don't appear to be feeding it all that often, (I've seen them feed it twice in about 4 hours worth of watching? This despite the large amount of bugs and flowers around.)
Unfortunately, Taz, I'm all out of honey, and I can't think of anywhere else to get nectar-ish things :(
No don't worry. Honey's not for honeyeaters either despite the name. Just leave the feeding to the parents. They should rely on their own natural diet - fed beak to beak from its parents or on their own.
All you have to do is check on it once each day to make sure the parents are still feeding and protecting it. If not and it is clearly abandoned by the parents then you should call WIRES or your local vet to take care of it until it grows strong enough to fend for itself. :)
Taz
Will do :) Many, many thanks for the help :D
Unfortunately, the chick did not survive the sudden change in weather, ((given that it was still breathing at about midnight last night, and not at 9am this morning)) The adult birds have seen that it has passed on and have made strange calls - crying? and everything appears to be back to normal.
akebai, I'm very sorry the chick, you obviously cared about, didn't make it, for what ever reason. I have often thought about, how much, and how long for, if at all, birds would worry about loosing a chick? Some weeks ago, I saw a mother duck cross the road with 5 duchlings, when 1 got killed by a car. She kept on crossing the road, left the others on one side, and returned to have a look. Clearly recognizing the chick was dead, she walked on with the rest. Some other time, I saw a Magpie getting run over, the other Magpie came back, and started to eat the dead bird. I think somehow we project feelings onto birds, (and other animals?), that just don't exist in the animal world. A vey interesting topic, I will give it some more thought.
M-L
Gave it a "bit more thought". Is there happyness in the world of birds? We think, a bird must be happy, because it sings! But the singing has meaning and purpose. Defending territory, or attrackting a mate (stressfull? ), early in the morning, singing estabishes who is still alive, and reinforces the boundaries of the territory. So, although birds may seem happy to us when they sing, but their lives are quite stressfull!
M-L
I am very sorry for the loss. Nature can be so cruel and we have no power over it to change that. Even Darwin knows it best.
But I'm sure the parents will keep trying and produce stronger chicks the next breeding season :) and thus continues the circle of life!
Taz
Hey Tazrandus, never mind Darwin, what do you think about, what I said about the happyness in the bird world, and the meaning of the birdsong? Can they be happy, or is nature just one struggle?
M-L
I'm sure birds experience a great range of emotions - including happiness. I see this in my pet birds and I'm sure such emotions can be experieced in the wild. Your mileage may vary in terms of bird psychology.
Birdsong are a form of communication for birds. It's pretty much like the way we communicate I guess, instead of words they have these complex tonal variations and calls. They have different meanings as do words.
But in the end, all organisms are governed by one instinct - to survive. To half the human population it is not a very difficult thing. Birds will have to try harder and there's the struggle.
You cannot find happiness without struggle - that's life.
Taz
Well spoken Taz!! Somewhat reflecting my ideas.I just wanted to start a discussion, but Birbie told me this had been done last year, so might not take off again? (sorry, I didn'tknow)I just want to add, I think in the sceam of things, I find humans arrogant to believe to be vastly different to animals!?As you said the struggle to survive is the same. Unfortunately we have become much more aggressive and cunning than any other "animal"!
M-L
I think you have a very good point about the emotions of birds. What is strange is how they say that old song "kookabura sits on the old gum tree" when it gets to that line "what a gay old life it must be". I don't think a kookabura is very happy trying to claim its territory and fighting of rivals. What I think is the most fascinating creature in the world is the willie wagtail. It is so human like with its funny phrased song and it's joyful fantail. What amazes me is that willie actual moves his eyebrows depending on his emotions just like humans. I saw him the other day fighting a male and he won so now our backyard is his territory, and lucky for him he found a mate. Amazing creatures!
lol cooee. Those bush romantics/songwriters can interpret nature in whatever way they want and it would pass ;p
Owls and rockhopper penguin relatives have pretty funky eyebrows! To be honest, I never understood the "sweet pretty creature" call. It just sounds like some nice piping and rattles at the end.
However there is a great difference between humans and animals because we have so much advantage over animals. It's arrogant but it's true. But hey, it is also because of this that we are able to help them a lot too :) At least there are people here and out there who are able to empathise and have the kindness and enthusiasm to protect creatures great and small. Although there are still much of nature that is beyond our control and yes failure to recognise that is overestimating our power.
Taz
Tazrandus, there is alot inwhat you are writing, I agree with, one fact, there are a lot of people who are helping nature and wildlife. But I have to say one thing, we are not making good use of "the advantage over animals" we have!! ( just as wealthy Nations are not using their advantage over poor Nations, to help. Only few do, if you get my drift) I don't know how old you are, but back then, when I worked for Amnesty and later for Oxfam, I came across people who would say, if we didn't have events beyond our control, we couldn't do any good deeds. Failing to see the fact, most of the trauma to nature and wildlife is man made, and we have an obligation to help. I don't see myself as having an advantage over animals, and I truely wish, humans would use the so called "superiority", to see the impact on nature, we cause! (should I be provocative by saying this, it is my intention!)
M-L
You raise some good and interesting points too, Araminta. I can see your work with Amnesty and Oxfam coming through, you'd make a fantastic activist ;D
True, Mankind cannot learn without making mistakes or facing trauma. Let's hope we don't continually make the same mistakes then or we'll forever face the same trauma as do the creatures that have to suffer from our dirty deeds.
Taz
Thanks Taz, let's hope....
M-L