Wednesday 13 August 2008

Even More

Another two baby pigeons in today, cutsie little babies, also an adult who had a close shave with a cat but is ok minus loads of feathers so he will have to stay for a while till they grow back.

We also had another young goldfinch who got stuck by the neck in a bird feeder. He has a bad wound on his neck so I am not sure if he will make it but fingers crossed for him.

Tuesday 12 August 2008

More.......

Little house martin and a young pigeon.

Thrilled to bits with the martin, I had to force feed him last night but this morning, he started taking food from me so he should be fine now. I think he is just a youngster who tried before he was quite ready.

Young pigeon is more or less the same, no injuries but unsure of what to do, hadn't even the sense to come in out of the rain daft little thing.

I will keep an eye on him for a day or two then pop him in the pigeon aviary with all the rest, I think that will make 14 plus four in the house.

All pigeons doing well, Pickle and Podge don't need feeding any more but Meggie insists on being "topped up".

By the way, no-one brought the cat in, he just appeared on his own from nowhere which is a bit strange as we live in out in the sticks with hardly any neighbours.

Still feeling under the weather but a bit better each day so I am on the mend, as is Psittacosis Sam.

I received a lovely card and message in the post from a gentleman who brought a pigeon in the other day, Dan Holloway, thanks Dan, I really appreciate it :~)

Well it has been pouring with really heavy rain here today and I would be very surprised if we don't get and waif's and strays later today so watch this space. All my little newly released ones were sheltering in the pergola and the release cage when I went and checked.

Monday 11 August 2008

Got a blooming cat now !!!!

Stray cat has turned up in need of urgent vet treatment. Poor fella looks as if he has been living rough for some time. He has a huge abcess on his face and weepy eyes.

He has been to the vet and been checked over and is now on meds and living in a pen in the garden as I can't bring him in with my cats in case he has something nasty. No identichip or collar !!

I have tried to find his owners with no success so far but I will have to do something with him as he can't stay here....absolutely not and there is no point in him batting his big yellow eyes at me...he is not staying !

I still feel very grotty but getting a bit better each day thank goodness, I have felt extremely rough.

All critters are doing well and the latest baby pigeon is adorable.

Psittacosis Sam, the contagious crow is responding very well to antibiotics and I still haven't found any where to get him tested to see if that is what he has actually got.

Friday 8 August 2008

You will never believe it!!!!

You know I joked about gapeworm?? well, not so far from the truth.!

I went to the doctor today as I don't seem to be getting better. First thing he asks after he examined me was had I been in contact with any birds recently. He isn't my regular doc so doesn't know about the haven. Well, I laughed and asked why and he said that he thinks it may be Psittacosis :~0

I then told him about the birds but said they were all healthy so I didn't think so. He gave me antibiotics which are the treatment anyway.

Then when I got home, it struck me..... The crow from Sunderland is still poorly and I have been wracking my brains as to what could be wrong with him. I looked it up on the internet and he has all the symptoms of psittacosis....as do I so looks like we may both have it.

It is hard to diagnose apparently and is more likely in parrots or pigeons.......not that there are any of those here...Right!!! lol.

Trouble is, if he has, he really should be put to sleep as it is almost impossible to get rid of all together and even if I fixed his symptoms, he would likely be a carrier in the future.

Now I am really worried that if I do have it, I may pass it to the other birds...if I haven't already so I am wearing a mask when I go near any of them.

So..I am taking the pills and hoping I will soon start feeling better but if I do have it, it explains why I have been feeling so ill, it is sort of like pneumonia apparently. (sympathy welcome)

Other news, I lost the little pigeon with the head injury this morning. Poor baby had a fit and then died. RIP sweetheart.

Both Rooks have now been released but Squiff starling doesn't want to go. Chips and everyone else are still around.

Three...yes three new pigeons today, two juveniles and one little baby, very sweet.

Strange coincidence....the people who brought two of them in from the vets were telling me about a friend of theirs who hand reared a crow and released it recently...when I asked where they lived, it became obvious that it is the one we took in from the pub recently!!!! The woman who reared it lives just up the road from the pub where he was living. He is now called Marley by the way.

Right, off to feel sorry for myself for a bit, catch you all later xx




Still Lousy

Still feeling pretty awful, some sort of chest infection....maybe I got Gapeworm from the Sunderland Crow :~) !!

We have had some highs and some lows...we lost the sparrowhawk who started passing blood so obviously had internal injuries. We also lost one of the Scottish crow yesterday. I have no idea why, they all seemed fine and then I went in yesterday evening and he had died. He was nice and plump so eating well and there had been no outward sign that anything was wrong so I really don't know what went wrong with the little fella. It wasn't the one with the dodgy foot it was the healthier of the two so very strange.

Everyone else is well, we have released Chips who is flying around the garden and chirping cheekily. Squiff said he wanted to go and after much discussion, we decided to let him rather than have him stressed, he then stayed in the aviary after I opened the door so not sure what he wants really.

We also tried to release the rooks yesterday, had the door open all day...end result, Salem has gone and the wild one is still in there. Nowt so queer as birds eh?

Little goldfinch is doing great along with the Grinches (Greenfinches).

Had an influx of pigeons yesterday, a juvenile who had fallen from the nest, an adult who appears to have been hit by a car and then Rich found a littleun on the side of the road on his way home. He has had a horrible bang on the head and may have lost an eye, too soon to tell yet. All seem ok this morning though. I wonder what today will bring, the phone never stopped ringing yesterday.

Everyone else is doing well.

Tuesday 5 August 2008

Sorry everyone

I have had flu for days now and I feel dreadful. I am having a devil of a job coping with looking after everyone, feeding and cleaning so just haven't had the energy to do the blog as well. I have had to tell Hannah to keep away as she goes on holiday next week and I don't want her catching this before she goes as it is horrible.

We have released load of little feathery people in the last week or so. One of the Tawny owls has gone, the magpie, a jackdaw, the little blackbird and little Sid the starling.

Also, we released two of the swifts, third time lucky for Sparky who eventually flew off like a little star.

Chips and Squiff are now outside in an aviary as is Meggie and the little pigeon.

Since I last posted, things have been a bit quieter than goodness with not so many newbies.

We have a cockatiel (Toto) who was found being beaten up by some moorhens, he is doing great and has settled straight in and moved in with Sid in his cage. I thought Sid would have a problem with that but they get on really well and sleep side by side in the cage.

We had another dove who was just feeling under the weather, she is now in with the big pigeons, as are Pickle and Podge who are only having to be topped up occasionally.

Also we have a tiny goldfinch that I thought we would lose yesterday. He was found soaked to the skin the other day and has caught a chill but after getting him going with tiny drops of sugar water, he seems to be holding his own.

Today, we got a young sparrowhawk with an injured foot. I think he will be ok to go back to the wild but will have to stay for a few weeks with his foot strapped I think.

We had another crow come in from Sunderland, a cutie but he has a chest infection so is in isolation and we had a crow from Norwich also. I think he has been hand reared and then released as he was living at a pub and scrounging food from the customers. This in itself was ok but the children found him a bit scarey. That is the problem with hand rearing corvids, they get so tame that they go to humans for food when they are hungry and having a big black bird landing on you isn't always welcome.

The little green finch babies are doing very well and are just about starting to eat on their own, another week or so and they will be able to go into the outside cage I think.

We have put up an outside pergola sort of thing where the wild bird feeding station is in the last couple of weeks so that there is a shelter for all the released ones who are still hanging around, the muskateers and blackbirds are still here, as are all of the doves.

Right, thats it for now, must go feed meggie, catch you all later xx

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