Feeding Baby Birds

FEEDING BABY BIRDS

I found the following information on
  (It is worth giving this and similar websites a visit.  Do not rely entirely on advice from u-tube.  Some of those feeding methods may not be very desirable)

Diets:


Seedeaters (excluding doves): Sparrow, Weavers and similar species.
These birds feed their babies on insects and should receive the same diet as for insectivorous birds.
  
 Doves: If you cannot obtain a commercially prepared, balanced food like Aviplus, use Pro-Nutro, mixed with water and with added egg yolk and/or cottage cheese for extra protein and calcium.
Or make a soft clay mixture, using only Pro-Nutro and egg yolk (no water) and form small, pea-sized balls (the bird will still need plenty of water, as this food will be quite concentrated.)
 WARNING:  A bird that does not beg or cooperate may have to be force-fed after rehydration. Take care in opening the beak, using a fingernail or matchstick, not to bend the beak - especially the tender beak of a baby
A good idea is to make the food mixture very sloppy and, as we said with rehydration, to release it (using a syringe) drop by drop on the closed beak, until the bird gets the message. This works especially well with tiny baby Doves or even insect eaters like baby Plovers.
WARNING: The food is intended for the bird's stomach, not its feathers and eyes. Let common sense prevail!
 
Insectivores: Cape Robin, Swallow, Shrike and similar species. A mixture of Pronutro, scrambled egg and lean mince.

Frugivores: Bullbul, Barbet, White-eye, Lourie and similar species. As for Insectivores, but add 50 percent Purity baby food or fruit.
  
Carnivores: Raptors, Coucal and similar species. Lean meat, preferably including internal organs and mixed with roughage such as sterilized feathers. Raptors are mostly fed on (dead, euthanased by gas) day old chicks, obtained from a hatchery.

South African National Bird of Prey Centre at 083 585 9540.
   

All Birds: A lack of calcium leads to irreparable bone deformities in baby birds. Add calcium, mineral and vitamin supplements.

By Gordon M Duncan and Wings in Need
http://www.wingsinneed.org.za/

Animaltalk October 1999
End

Freedom once again for Tiny Tim?

6 December 2011
(preview of the full story still being edited)

While Tiny Tim was snoozing in his nice warm cage in the spare room, I rigged up the cage, which would have been his abode today.

I used a tall old birdcage and took the bottom off, then turned it upside down. And lined the bottom with some straw and a fluffy sock for a nest. I also put one low crossbeam in for just in case he did not want to sit on the straw.
Although he is too small to feed himself, I put some birdseed and water also in the cage. One never knows with this bird.

I got up at four thirty to put him and his cage out so Mary can find him in the usual spot at daybreak.

When I lifted him from the mouse cage, his little claw got entangled in lining and he was fully awake when I transferred him. He must have woken with a startle, poor thing.
I placed the cage in the usual spot with Tiny Tim clinging to the side. So much for the warm-sock-nest where I was hoping he would wake up this morning.

When I went outside to check on him he was sitting on the rim of the cage again, so I took the cage, Tiny Tim and all, and carried it outside to where his nest used to be. (Boytjie, his daddy broke it down long ago and is building a new nest for his next wife.

I lifted the cage as high as I could so he could jump onto the branch. He did not have much choice in the matter. It was lovely to watch his reaction from the high branch.

Boytjie thought it was a female coming to check out his new nest and became very excited, flapping his wings and trying to entice Tiny Tim to come and check it out.

That puts another slant on the saga of Tiny Tim. It may be actually the saga of tiny Tammy. He may be a she. For the sake of the unknown, we shall continue to call her-him a he.

Little Tim was sitting there checking out the new environment, yet it must have looked familiar because this is about where his nest was. His little head was turning in all directions.

Then he spotted Mary and tried to fly towards her but plummeted into the lower branches of the bush with Mary in pursuit.

Well that is the first and possibly last time that I can record the freedom of Tiny Tim.

From now on I shall not attempt to cage him again. What is the point? He will just have to learn how to climb trees until his wings strengthen.

Tiny Tim - what will today bring in his little life?

(preview of the full story still being edited)


6 December


I was standing by the kitchen window yesterday evening when I noticed a tiny thing sitting on the cement floor looking up to where the cage was.

Tiny Tim may have been wondering how he could get back to his adopted nest but from past experience I know he is scared of me because perhaps I hurt him when I caught him.

I asked Hubby to do the honors of catching him this time, a task he performed amazingly without any trouble. Perhaps he has a more gentle touch with birds. He seemed to have no difficulty putting the butterfly net over Tiny Tim and lift him back into the cage. The chick looked exhausted though and I was not sure if he would survive.
It was lovely to know he will be safe for the night at least. We find so many unfortunate nestlings that died of exposure during the night, after they fell from the nest.

While we were not looking he must have recovered, and out of the cage he went again.
I was looking all over for him and then nearly tramped on him as I walked past his cage.

If he has been hiding in corners all day, I am not sure how much feeding he had. Because of his stressed state, I decided not to force feed him and started making plans for a nest with higher sides today. I just hope that Mary will be able to get to him and accept him in the new environment. How much interference will wild birds tolerate.
Suddenly his chances of survival are no longer very good. If birds stress over a long period them often get ill and die.

Photographs will be added to the post when edited.

The adventure of Tiny Tim continue

(preview of the full story still being edited)


1619h (Day 2 of captivity)
Tiny Tim left the nest and disappeared in my jungle of a back garden.


We went on some errands and when we returned he was perched at the top rim of the cage, but when we returned he was gone. I did not irrigate the garden today in case I drench him. It is near impossible finding a little bird in my bushy garden. I just hope that he can hop onto low shrubs.

If Mary was not caring for him, I would have placed him in the big cage, but then she would not have been able to get to him in order to feed him.

I believe that nature have, under normal circumstances, ways of sorting out its own problems.

Tiny Tim has a dedicated mamma, so I just closed all the doors and windows of the house, giving him time to adjust to outdoor living.

I do not expect to see him again, but if I do, I shall keep you posted.

Day 2 of captivity for Tiny Tim

Previous post


5 December 2011
Tiny Tim survived another night. I put him out at 5.30 after I prodded him to see if he was alive. He looks so dead when he sleeps.

Just prior to writing this report I heard Tiny Tim receiving his breakfast and when I rushed to the door to see if my ears did not deceive me, I was just in time to see Mary on the washing line cleaning her beak after the feed.

Will Tiny Tim manage to leave the mouse cage today? Whatever he does I decided that my role is strictly as an observer. Hands off! No interference. Famous last words?
Signing out for now 06.30am

Tiny Tim and Mary (Masked-Weaver chick and his/her mother)

(preview of the full story still being edited)

Birds and animals are amazing. We can learn so much from them.

Yesterday I noticed that one of the weaver nests broke apart in the wind. By watching the behavior of the male, I knew where I would find the chick.

From past experience I have realized that leaving the chick to fend for itself meets with disaster, the chick always dies.

I just had to take it and feed it myself, I thought. It was too small for the bird cage, so I created a nice warm nest like padded cup and put the little thing in there, then I placed it in a little mouse cage with a sliding lid on top. The chick was very quiet. It just sat there with its mouth open.

I mixed some Pronutro, which we keep in the cupboard to feed injured birds, and gave him some until he no longer kept his mouth open then I put a wooly cloth over him and tucked him in for the night

This morning it was lying so still that I thought it died during the night, but when I touched it, it stirred - still in a deep sleep.
I cleaned the cage and gave him another two feeds of Pronutro. Because I expected visitors, I took his cage from the lounge and put it outside by the undercover braai on top of the music center but under an indoor washing line.

It is a very windy day and since weavers normally have a closed nest I put a cloth over the cage. The little thing never made a sound. I could not tell if it was stressed or comfortable.

While looking out of the kitchen window, I noticed the female weaver on the washing line looking around for her chick that fell from the nest the day before. It so happens that the tree where the nest was is next to the braai.

I then decided to remove the lid and cloth from the cage and returned to the kitchen window to watch what was happening.

The weaver soon returned and it did not take her long to spot her chick. She immediately flew away and came back with an insect in her beak. It took her a while to figure out how to get to the chick She hopped around the cage and jumped back onto the washing line and down again until she found herself above the cage on the line. Puzzle solved, and she jumped into the cage. I herd the response from the chick immediately. She fed the chick and regarded it as the nest from then onwards. She fed the chick about every 15 minutes or so until it fell asleep. Then she would just sit near the chick on the washing line.

My only worry is that the ants may find the cage during the night because of all the Pronutro I spilled in it. I think I shall bring it in tonight and clean the cage and put it out again tomorrow.

Humans can learn a lot about dedication and care for the young from birds and animals.

The thought came to me that without her chick, life must have lost its purpose because she spends all day looking for food and bringing it to the nest.

We still have a long way to go because the little thing has all its feathers but it is very small. Lets hope this one will make it and next-door’s cat does not catch the mother.

I like to name things so I think I shall call them Tiny-Tim and Mary. The male already has a name. We call all male Masked-weavers Boytjie because you cannot tell one male from the other.

It is a bit like how I named my chickens back in the days when I farmed with them. I named them by color. All the white ones were Aggie, the black ones Freda and the red ones Betsie. My friends were very impressed with my ability to remember all their names.

I shall keep you posted about the outcome.

Intaka Island

I tried to upload a video here, but it was too big so unfortunately I can only direct you to their site for now.


Intaka island, the biggest Nature secret of Cape Town, has another secret experience to unveil.

The island is not only for the birds.

When I get the time, I shall upload some photographs from our boat ride around the island. It is very inexpensive.

You can park your vehicle by the entrance of the bird-island and take a boat ride to the shopping mall and when done, return to your vehicle while you admire the most beautiful modern town in the world. All included in the price of the one ticket.


It is beautiful. Every now and again you get a glimpse of Table Mountain just to remind you that you are in fact in Cape Town and not somewhere in Europe.

INTAKA website

Intaka Island is a magical place

We visited Intaka Island near Century City again.  It is one of the best safe nature experiences in Cape Town.  An ideal place for bird photographers.

Global warming hits my Cape Town garden

It is official.  Global warming is here.   If there is any doubts, put it aside and do what the scientists of the day advise us to do to reduce greenhouse gasses; because we do not know how warm it will get before things change back to normal.

The shortest day is on 21 June.  I remember that date because it is my mother's birthday.     My mother has her birthday in the middle of the winter.

Today, 5 June, not yet mid winter, my birds are doing the spring thing.
They are breaking last year's nests down, building new ones and are in mating plume.

It is time conservationists put their old conservation thoughts on the subject into archives and start to work our how to preserve species during the global warming phase of the earth.

It is stupid to keep local species local if conditions are not suitable for the survival of the specie.

This is a challenge for humanity, but we have the intelligence to counteract these earth changes with drastic measures.

Nations must stop fighting against each other because now it is a time for co-operation; in the wake of the expected global natural catastrophes awaiting earth dwellers.

New Oystercatcher Blog

We decided to separate the Oystercatcher blog
from the  Plover blog by creating a new blog dedicated to Oystercatchers.

We decided to do this because the  African Black Oystercatcher is considered to be near threatened.


They are very territorial and the pair at Bloubergstrand is presently in a process of losing their breeding space.

Breeding Frenzy 21 July 2009

21-07-2009

The birds are still in a breeding frenzy in spite of the icy weather.
The females do not even give "Boytjie” the male weaver chance to complete his nest before they want to move in.
This afternoon there were two females fighting over this one half-built nest?
Boytjie has two other nests with chicks and another with eggs.
He has been a busy chap.


We noticed the same frenzy among the weavers at Horse Trails, but not at Rietvlei.
I think the absence of birds breeding at Rietvlei is because "Friends of Rietvlei" have been chopping trees there again.
The "alien" trees that were full of nests last year is lying in heaps of wood chips now.
There is no sign them being replaced yet.


Did the birds know that the reeds were going to flood?
Why this mid winter breeding?

Flooded former Rietvlei, Cape woodland.

2oo9-07-16


The birds in our garden have been breeding since before the shortest day in the year, 26 June 2009.
It is freezing cold and there is snow on the mountains.
This is the first time that I see birds breeding in mid winter.

Is this mid winter breeding a reaction to all the alien trees being removed from our area in such a way that we are having seasons without any high vegetation on our floodplains?

Do the birds have to spread their breeding throughout the year so that each one gets a chance to nest?

Perhaps the birds know about a looming natural disaster that we are not aware of?

Whatever the case, while we are destroying the lung (woods) of Cape Town in an attempt to save, what we perceive as being the natural vegetation ( At some stage of the global history), in such a way that no consideration is given to birds and animals who settled in the woodlands of the area, life is struggling to go on.

Together with the plant species that we are trying to save, many birds are also becoming endangered and leaving their normal habitats.

For some reason we seem to be concentrating on removing the alien trees at the expense of all other mammals and wildlife who habitats our wetlands.

We seem to be introducing sand-veld (fynbos) vegetation into an area that lies below the flood-plain.
When the water rises, there are nowhere for animals and birds to go. There is nothing for them to climb onto.

Snakes are driven into domestic dwellings.
Larger animals that are stopped by fences just drown.

The motives behind the conservation efforts are good throw.
What is being done is done to save our plant species.
I just question the wisdom behind how it is being done.

I understand the removal of alien trees, but I do not understand why indigenous trees are not being replaced.

We have been removing alien trees since 2002. Today in 2009, while the rest of the world is planting trees, we are still removing trees without replacing them.
Is it one big conservation folly?





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Poor little tortoises.
This Table Mountain view is beautiful if we forget that it once hid behind a woodland.

Photograph

Photograph from Eddie Arpesella's Safari-album

Nature

Nature thrives where people don't

Good beach weather - Stress for breeding Oystercatchers

XXXXbaai, Cape, 06 December 2008

It is a lovely sunny hot day in Cape Town today.

We spotted two pairs of Oystercatchers and three pairs of White-fronted Plovers on one of the beaches between Blouberg- and Melkbos Strand.

The oystrcatchers are endangered but not protected in our area. We saw a man with two large dogs on a lead, but they were let loose once they reached the beach. I do not have a problem with a dog roaming free, but many people do not realize the potential harm these dogs cause when they chase endangered animals, either breeding or with vulnerable chicks. Crows and other predators are often nearby waiting for an opportunity to swoop down on unprotected nestlings.

I have, on more than one occasion, watched a predator bird circling around someone walking through a protected nature area. The birds have learned that people disturb birds so that they leave their nests and hatchlings unprotected.

Sensitive workers are needed in conservation areas

Beach cleanup, along nature conservation areas, should be done under the supervision of our conservation department; and not by the parks department workers.
Contract workers are often employed to work in sensitive areas with no training regarding conservation. They are expected to be sensitive to the plants and animals, in conservation areas, and often left to their own devices.

Last year beach cleanup teams were operating while the Oystercatchers were rearing their chicks. The plovers and other beach dwellers were also not considered.
Luckily, these people were quite lazy and did little other than sunbathing.

The school children that were sent to collect rubbish along the beach during breeding season did more harm. They trampled over the sensitive area in groups.
Seaweed, that hosts a multitude of little animals that form part of the beach birds' diet, is being removed to tidy the beaches.

The preservation of indigenous animals are as important as plants. Their numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate.

We should consider that Plovers breed in the same area where the sea spews out the rubbish.
We should not wait until they hit the endangered list before we take action. Prevention is ever better than cure.

My garden, 31-8-2008

My garden, 31-8-2008

After an early spring with the daisies appearing early and the birds breeding out of season, it seems that winter decided to complete its cycle. Spring stood back again and we just had three days of the worst winter weather we can have with rain, wind and hail. It is said that there is snow on the mountains again. In my garden I see the evidence of the cold snap.

One of the early bird nests blew out of the tree, with chicks, one week away from leaving the nest. The parents decided to peck them to death, before ripping the nest apart.

My husband climbed up the ladder to strengthen the other nest containing chicks.

It is a miracle they survived the cold spell so long.

In the back garden I see evidence of eggs that fell from nests. There are no chicks to be seen, because a stray cat visits that part of the garden.

It is early spring in Cape Town

19-08-2008

The daisies are blooming on the field behind our house. There seem to be quite a lot of them. I want to go and check on Rietvlei to see if their removal of all the trees resulted in the expected fynbos paradise.

So it is official. The fynbos regards Aug. 19 as the first day of spring this year.

My mask weaver, in our front garden, has three females in nests. This morning I heard the sound of baby birds coming from one of them.

Yes Spring starts on Aug. 19 in Cape Town from now on.

20-08-2008

My garden

One of the Weaver chicks emerged from the nest this afternoon. I saw its mother feeding it while it sat on the edge of the feeder flapping its wings. It is a nice big fat chick; we must have put enough food out. I must admit the sounds coming from the nests when it is full of chicks always spurs me on to put a bit of extra whole wheat bread out a bit more frequently. I must do this quietly; because my husband say it is not fair to spoil the birds. I just can’t help feeling motherly towards them.

Even the female looks well fed, not as thin as one would expect a bird that spent the last few weeks sitting in the nest.

It is a lovely sunny (spring-August) day here in Cape Town.

=====================

19-08-2008

The daisies are blooming on the field behind our house. There seem to be quite a lot of them. I want to go and check on Rietvlei to see if their removal of all the trees resulted in the expected fynbos paradise.

So it is official. The fynbos regards Aug. 19 as the first day of spring this year.

My mask weaver, in our front garden, has three females in nests. This morning I heard the sound of baby birds coming from one of them.

Yes Spring starts on Aug. 19 in Cape Town from now on.

It is Winter Spring in the Cape

It is winter spring in the Cape. One day sunny, the nest rainy.

The masked weaver in the front garden built his second nest already.

The whole garden has a spring feel today.

These untimely warm spells after rainy weather seem to create havoc among the animals.

My friend returned home from a long absence recently. Before she left, she relocated all her tortoises, on her return; she found two dead baby tortoises in her garden.

These tortoises hatched out of season, and there were nobody home to give them water or food on hot summer days.

Tortoises normally hatch in autumn when there is enough food and water around. My friend's tortoises hatched after a rainy period in the middle of summer.

One of the first things they look for is water to replace dehydration that developed during their incubation period. They also look for food. They then look for a nice sheltered spot to hibernate for the winter.

A garden tortoise will look for a spot to hibernate similar to that of the one where the egg was laid.

All this has to happen soon after they hatch.

The tortoises that hatched after a summer rain, found the ground dry and food scarce.

In my friends' case, her tortoises died.

I do not know what happens in the wild.

The plight of the Cape Plovers (and Oystercatchers)

Read articles about the plight of Plovers at the Blouberg Strand beach in near Cape Town.

(click on the headings of the articles to read the whole post.)


http://plover2save.blogspot.com/


http://www.a-whitegranny.iblog.co.za/index.php?s=plover

http://www.white_granny.iblog.co.za/index.php?s=PLOVER