Yet another window bird strike, this time with a happy outcome!

[Paul_B]

We have some reasonable sized windows (70s picture windows) and one window has a nice pine tree that reflects into it. We get a fair few wood pidgeons or collared doves being taken out by that window. However today we had a goldcrest strike a different window that is too high to get a reflection from any tree. No idea what caused this strike.

Anyway, the front door flight of steps outside and it was on one of them facing the outer side wall of the steps. It was moving its head from side to side, obviously nursing a headache and confusion. It was sat there for quite some time. We put a lid of water in front of it in case water drunk might help it. In the end my partner picked it up and carried it inside. We then took it to the back and put it down on the ground under a tree tucked to one side on retaining wall. It was so calm in her hands and just looked around at us. Cute as they go!! Anway it wouldn't let go of her finger when she put it down. She had to really encourage it to move off. Then as soon as it touched the ground it flit up to a branch and sat there watching us.

Anyway, as our smallest bird (yeah I know firecrest is a contender but that is a more migratory bird, the Goldcrest is native all year round in the UK as in all of the UK) it is a really beautiful bird when you get to see it so close up. It is smaller in your hand than it looks I reckon. It was a female i think as it did not have th blue flash that males supposedly have. It was not a boring coloured bird at all. Subtle shade changes of green with that two black lines with a yellow in between it. I would say more of a yellow/green than a bright green when seen that close up.

We had no meal worm feed for it though to help it get going again so whilst it is not there any more I do wonder how it is doing.

Have you had any similar "rescues" or close encounters? What species and what did you notice about it from when you were that close to a wild animal or bird?

 

[Pattree]

It’s a while ago now. Like many people we get spotted woodpecker to the feeders.
This guy probably hit a window. We found him in the yard.

In the words of Granny Weatherwax: “it aintn’t dead “


We put it into a cat cage and an hour later it was awake
.

We released it after an hour.

 

[Watch-keeper]

We had a very unfortunate incident a couple of years ago.
A few of our windows have fly screens outside and we had a bird strike to one of these netted windows. Unfortunately, it hit with such force that its beak snapped off and was left stuck in the netting. We didn't hear the strike or see it but when we saw the beak went outside to see if we could find the bird but there was no bird. Just hope it died on impact and was carted off by the local fox or something. Pretty sure it was a woodpecker.

 

[grainweevil]

My various bird rescues/encounters this year have had happier outcomes, I'm glad to say.

Just on Sunday a young wood pigeon from our resident flock gave the landing window an almighty thump, leaving behind a nice feather dander print. Looked out to see it looking a trifle discombobulated on the conservatory roof, but upright and alert. Later on I saw it again on the house roof and it whisked its tail feathers at me, I'm sure in pigeon for "You know what happened, I know what happened, but we will never speak of it again."

A couple of months ago I noticed a house sparrow seemed to be chirping unusually loudly. I thought not much of it; they often kick up a fine and monotonous din in the tree outside my window. Then it dawned on me the noise was coming from behind me, not the window in front. Tracking it down, I found a fairly newly minted sparrow sitting halfway up the stairs, tweeting fit to bust. I'm assuming our daft cat had somehow persuaded it into the house, because it showed absolutely no signs of having been attacked or carried. And it was lively. Took a while to catch it, and then had to put the laundry basket over the top of it while I chivvied a freshly interested cat away to another room. During which time the sparrow discovered the handle hole in the laundry basket... So having caught it once again, I deposited it into a hedge not far from where I suspect it had recently fledged, and just hope a parent returned to find it. They certainly shouldn't have had any difficulty in hearing it!

And a month or so prior to that, I had a fine time extricating a young robin from the greenhouse. He or she was utterly determined to be stuck behind the staging, rather than helped out of the door, but we got there in the end, no harm done.

Butterfly and other insect rescues are my usual fare, but this year it's been all birds, no butterflies. Which, honestly, with two parrots in the house and bird 'flu knocking about, I could do without. But it was interesting to feel just how incredibly light and tiny they were compared to my two considerably sturdier avian chums. The latter have a lot more in common with the window-thumping wood pigeon.

 

[Paul_B]

It’s a while ago now. Like many people we get spotted woodpecker to the feeders.
This guy probably hit a window. We found him in the yard.

In the words of Granny Weatherwax: “it aintn’t dead “
View attachment 90734

We put it into a cat cage and an hour later it was awake
.View attachment 90733

We released it after an hour.

Our previous bird strikes the neck was broken, you could feel it when you handled it. Your tale got me worried, did we put birds in the bin that could have come round? I am confident not on account of the necks of those birds being broken. Plus I think both times we put it in a box with ripped up newspaper in on a broad window sill for many hours. I will note what you did and make sure there are no lazarus like back to life cases before we bin the bodies.

 

[Pattree]

@Paul_B
Don’t worry you are very probably making the right decision. We have a small window in a porch that is open to the outside on both sides. Half a dozen blue tits and a robin suicided there before my daughter in law put some decorative stickers on it. In each case we were sure they were dead and binned them but we left the wheelie bin open for a while. None of them left.

 

[hughtrimble]

Our previous bird strikes the neck was broken, you could feel it when you handled it. Your tale got me worried, did we put birds in the bin that could have come round? I am confident not on account of the necks of those birds being broken. Plus I think both times we put it in a box with ripped up newspaper in on a broad window sill for many hours. I will note what you did and make sure there are no lazarus like back to life cases before we bin the bodies.

Can I ask why the bin? Could leave them for a scavenger, or bury them, or food waste, if you're convinced they are dead.

 

[Pattree]

Quick, easy, convenient and no significant environmental impact.

I am neither religious nor sentimental.

 

[hughtrimble]

Quick, easy, convenient and no significant environmental impact.

I am neither religious nor sentimental.

I didn't mean bury as in ceremonial, just the act of putting the energy off the carcass back into your garden (if you have one), or food waste, or leaving for a scavenger, rather than landfill.

 

[Paul_B]

Can I ask why the bin? Could leave them for a scavenger, or bury them, or food waste, if you're convinced they are dead.

We have a dog that might pay them too much attention. Better to bin it than any of the other ideas. Our dog is a terrier that once ran off 50m plus in a straight line and dug down to bring out a buried tennis ball. It would find it if we buried it or left it for scavengers.

When my partner was putting the bird down on a retaining wall under the tree our dog came out. It looked out from the kitchen doorway and sniffed. It showed a turn of speed to cover the distance across the patio to get to my partner that I have never seen it have before. Luckily my partner held the dog off and I grabbed it to pull it back. The bird came around as soon as she put it on the stone and flew up to a branch. The dog still tried to get it and climbed up the retaining wall until it got stuck.

So I think the bin is a wise solution once we have given it a chance to come round if just knocked out. If the neck is broken (as in the head was almost separated it felt like) then it is really no option but the bin.

 

[Paul_B]

I didn't mean bury as in ceremonial, just the act of putting the energy off the carcass back into your garden (if you have one), or food waste, or leaving for a scavenger, rather than landfill.

It is a nice idea but I do not want that scevenger to be our dog. It is a border terrier and they are actually known to have dodgy or sensitive stomachs to what they eat.

I really do not want a night being continuously woken up to let the dog out to eat numerous plants to provoke an emptying of its stomachs / intestines from one way or the other. Not least because the clean up mess inside the house if we are not quick enough to wake up and let the dog out!!

Funny enough when the dog is sick we rarely see the actual sick, even when inside the house only a messy patch on the carpet. Dogs are the ultimate scavengers and do not always know what is not good for them. I think cats can be similar.