Orphaned & young birds

Before picking up a bird look around for its nest. If you can find a nest that looks like the correct one, place it back in the nest. If you cannot find the nest, watch to see if the parents return, they may be out foraging for food.

Do not handle a young bird more than is necessary and don't disturb the vegetation, etc, around the nest. Birds are not rejected by their parents if a person handles them but disturbance around a nest can betray it to a predator.

If the young bird on the ground has feathers, it is probably a fledgling and is learning to fly. Unless it is injured, leave it! The mother will feed it on the ground for several days while it learns to fly. Keep people and animals away from the area if possible. A young bird may need to eat every 20 minutes during daylight hours. The parents can take care of it much better than you can, no matter how hard you try.

Outbreaks of disease in finches and other garden birds

Since summer 2005, a disease caused by a Trichomonad parasite has been reported in finch species in gardens. This was discovered as a result of work being carried out by the Garden Bird Health Initiative, of which the RSPB is part.

Every year outbreaks are seen during the late summer and autumn. This disease does not pose a threat to the health of humans, cats or dogs.

Which birds are affected? Greenfinches are reported most frequently, but other finch species and house sparrows are susceptible to the disease. Formerly, this disease was known from pigeons and doves, some birds of prey and gamebirds.

What happens? The trichomonad parasite lives in the upper digestive tract of the bird, and its actions progressively block the bird’s throat making it unable to swallow food, thus killing it by starvation.

Birds with the disease show signs of general illness, for example lethargy and fluffed-up plumage, but affected birds may also drool saliva, regurgitate food, have difficulty in swallowing or show laboured breathing. Finches are frequently seen to have matted wet plumage around the face and beak. In some cases, swelling of the neck may be visible from a distance.

How is it transmitted? The Trichomonad parasite is vulnerable to desiccation (drying out) and cannot survive for long periods outside the host. Transmission of infection between birds happens when they feed one another with regurgitated food during the breeding season and through food or drinking water contaminated with recently regurgitated saliva, or possibly from droppings of an infected bird.

What can I do? Good hygiene practice, specifically the regular cleaning of all feeders, bird baths and feeding surfaces, is an essential part of looking after garden birds and will help to lower the risk to birds of diseases, including trichomoniasis.

If trichomoniasis is suspected, it is recommended to temporarily stop putting out food, except in tit feeders, and leave bird baths dry, for around two weeks, or until sick or dead birds are no longer found in the garden. This is in order to discourage birds from congregating together, which may increase the potential for disease spread between individuals.

No effective treatment can be administered to birds in the wild, because it is impossible to ensure that the infected individuals receive an adequate dose and that healthy birds do not pick up the medicine.

From: www.rspb.org.uk

Injured Birds

Most injured birds will not respond to amateur care no matter how well intentioned. Keep them in calm conditions, in a dark container. Contact the nearest wildlife ranger or bring them to a veterinary surgeon as soon as possible. Remember, there are huge naturally occurring loses annually and you will not change the balance single handedly!

Wildlife Rangers can be contacted via the National Parks & Wildlife Service (Dúchas), Ely Place, Dublin 2, Ph. 01-647-3000.

In the south Dublin area the ranger is Terry Doherty 01-6687051 email terry_doherty AT environ DOT ie

Dehydrated, starved migrant birds

The severe weather in January 2010 brought tens of thousands of exhausted Redwings to Ireland. Mícheál Casey of Sligo BWI had some sound and realistic advice on attempting to treat them:

For what it is worth I believe that rehabilitation of hypothermic, dehydrated, starved migrants with low body weights and no fat reserves is unlikely to be successful in the vast majority of cases. Sorry to be so blunt & negative, but it's as well to face facts. The second half of the winter is the hungry half for birds, and these birds will have to be able to compete for diminishing food resources when released, and yet will have to be fit and fat enough for a long return flight in the spring.

If the birds you are dealing with are ONLY dehydrated and in good body condition, their chances should be good if rehydrated, but this is rarely the case. For rehydration, you would be better to buy calf rehydration products (e.g. 'Lectade' or similar from your local farmer's co-op or "Dioralyte" or similar - probably easier to obtain in Dublin), which will cost a couple of euros for a sachet, and will make up 5 litres of a balanced electrolyte/glucose solution.

Improvising with sucrose solutions (eg Coke or 7Up) might work as emergency first aid for humans who can digest sucrose, but in birds it risks making matters worse and also risks causing osmotic diarrhoea and further dehydration as the undigested sucrose passes through their gut.

I can tell from serial weighing of Blackbirds eating ad lib apples and pears that they continue to lose weight - in the thrush family these foods are a poor substitute for the more varied diet of berries, molluscs and invertebrates that they normally have. Having said that I am feeding apples and pears because it is all I can do. Dog-food and porridge are also sub-standard but useful foods

I do not believe that vitamin deficiency issues arise in three or four weeks of starvation in thrushes. The current mortality is due to hypothermia, dehydration, and simple starvation - insufficient carbohydrate, protein and fat intake in a form which can be digested. This is compounded by the rapid metabolism and loss of body fat as they try to keep warm, and the amount of energy expended in flying ahead of the hard weather and searching for food.

The odds are pretty grim, and the numbers are daunting, but it certainly is worth a try if you can spare the time.

- Mícheál Casey

Window strikes

If you find a bird that has hit a window, leave it to recover for an hour or so if the area is safe, or put it in a ventilated, cardboard box in a dark, quiet place (not a wire cage!). This is one of the few injuries that respond well: they are usually just stunned by the collision. Birds sometimes see their reflection in a window and attack it, thinking that an intruder is in their territory. To prevent this from happening, hang things in front of the window or stick a dark cut-out of a hawk on the window.

Oiled Birds

Treatment of oiled sea birds is not for the amateur and should not be undertaken lightly. Professional treatment involves cleaning in detergent to remove the oil from the plumage and feeding with charcoal and food additives to absorb oil in the alimentary canal. They must then be kept in captivity for a period to allow for the recovery of the natural oiling process in the feathers. Many die during the treatment and there is some evidence that most do not survive long when released.

Your first responce should be to contact the Coast Guard immediately; simply dial 112 (or 999) and inform them of the incident, even if you only find a single bird. The Coast Guard do consider it an emergency, as it may be the first sign of a larger disaster, so please don’t be reluctant to call them.

Contact the Irish Seal Sanctaury, who have continued to work on building up their knowledge of the care of oiled birds and are more than willing to advise people on their care. Their phone number is (01) 835-4370, it will be an answer machine, but someone will get back to you.
Irish Seal Sanctuary www.irishsealsanctuary.ie

See also Oiled Bird Rescue Seminar

Botulism

Beached Herring and other gulls are a common enough sight around Dublin, particularly in the summer. Most are suffering from botulism toxin contracted on the public dumps. The dumping of waste food in plastic bags provides an ideal environment for botulism to develop. The nerves of the body are damaged and paralysis sets in very quickly. This is usually noticeable in an inability to stand and paralysis of the neck. Death occurs when the respiratory nerves are involved and the bird is no longer able to breathe. The corpse of a botulism victim is highly contageous to scavengers and all bird species can contract it.

Under favourable conditions - access to clean water, shade and no predation- birds can recover from low doses of the toxin. By giving large doses of electrolyte solution to birds, the toxin can be flushed out of the system. Birds that do recover from avian botulism do not show any increased tolerance for the poison.

It is believed that control of the environment is a better solution than attempting to treat sufferers, except in the case of endangered species.

Type C avian botulism toxin is not the same as the botulism associated with human food poisoning.

Handling an injured bird

Small birds, ducks and waders can be picked up gently with bare hands. Keep them away from your face and hold them firmly with the wings held against the body. Use a towel to cushion their bodies. Do not grab the tail feathers since they are a defense mechanism and drop out easily.

Hawks, owls and large sea birds are more dangerous to handle. Always approach and pick them up from the rear. Use heavy gloves especially when dealing with birds of prey. Cover their head with a towel or cloth to calm them in the best falconry practice and wrap their bodies with a towel or cloth to subdue them. Remember to keep their claws pointing away from you and work quickly to hold their wings against their body. These birds will strike at your eyes, so keep them away from your face and wear goggles, when possible.

Transporting birds

Use a dog carrier or a cardboard box. You should also have gloves, towels, goggles and paper towels handy. Ensure the box or carrier has sufficient ventilation. Pad the container with towels to keep the bird comfortable and prevent it from sliding about in the container.

The less room the bird has to move around, the less likely it is to cause more injury to itself. The bird's wings and feathers are very vulnerable to damage if the bird panics and begins to thrash about in a confined area. Don't use a wire cage.

Provide the bird with a calm, quiet environment, but do not keep the bird any longer than is necessary to get it to a veterinary professional. Darkness has a calming effect on birds and quiet is particularly important because of the bird's sensitive hearing. Keep car windows closed when driving and minimize the noise.

Seal Pups

With the Grey Seal pupping season well under way (September 9th, 2004) Volunteers and concerned members of the public are asked to be on alert if visiting beaches and keep a look out for seal pups. If you come across a pup, keep your distance, as the mother may be nearby and any disturbance will drive her to abandon the pup. If you feel the pup has been seperated from its mother due to storms or disruption, or is injured or in distress, then contact the Irish Seal Sanctuary at 01 8354370 leave a clear message and contact number and a volunteer will get back to you asap.

Do watch from a distance and check back after the turn of the tide, if the mother hasn't returned call the Irish Seal Sanctaury.
Do Keep children and dogs away for the site.
Do nothing that will disturb the mother and drive her away.

However
Do Not be tempted to put the animal back in the water, as this will most likely result in the death of the animal.
Do Not try and pet or handle the animal as seals are wild animals and will bite.
Do Not give the pup cows milk as seals are lactose intolerant and it will cause serious problems for the pup.

Further Information regarding seals or the Irish Seal Sanctuary may be found on the Irish Seal Sanctuary website: www.irishsealsanctuary.ie
- Pauline Beades
Secretary, Irish Seal Sanctaury

Contacts:

Irish Seal Sanctaury Phone 835-4370 www.irishsealsanctuary.ie
National Parks & Wildlife Service (DoE) Phone 647-3000
ISPCA Phone 497-7874