A bird hit my window, what to do

birds of a feather

A small bird hit my window and was lying on it back, breathing but not moving (stunned)

I moved him to the garage.

here he is now on his feet
http://imgur.com/GeNi8tS

kylith

Give him access to food and water. If he's only stunned he should fly off when he's recovered.

birds of a feather

I gave him breads crumbs and water. Any idea what type of bird it is?

DBB

It's a chaffinch hen.
I'd be inclined to close over that door and make sure no cat can get her. Leave her completely alone for a few hours. Give her time and hopefully she'll recover.

birds of a feather

Ok, I'll do that now.

I'll update in three to fours hours, Cheers

The Bishop Basher

I wouldn't have closed the door. You're locking a startled bird into an enclosed space. You may have trouble getting the bird back out and worse again, you may injure it in the process.

Birds seem to love my patio doors. I usually find they're either dead instantly or they recover within 10/15 mins and fly off.

We are surrounded by cats and haven't seen one get a bird yet. That said, i'm a great believer in leaving nature well alone and if a cat gets a bird well that's the way the food chain works.

DBB

Swanner wrote: »

I wouldn't have closed the door. You're locking a startled bird into an enclosed space. You may have trouble getting the bird back out and worse again, you may injure it in the process.

If they close the door, the bird is safe. If the bird revives, it's a simple matter of opening the door to let the bird fly out in its own time.
Indeed, the experts say to put the bird in a ventilated box in the dark. So they appear to diverge with what you're saying:
http://www.irishwildlifematters.ie/animals/birds.html

Birds seem to love my patio doors. I usually find they're either dead instantly or they recover within 10/15 mins and fly off.

If it happens that often, sticking a couple of strips of coloured tape, or any stickers, on the outside of the window indicates to bird's that there's a surface there to be avoided. You might try this.

We are surrounded by cats and haven't seen one get a bird yet. That said, i'm a great believer in leaving nature well alone and if a cat gets a bird well that's the way the food chain works.

We are surrounded by cats too, and they regularly kill birds.
Cats are not part of the food chain in Ireland. They cause depridation to native species on islands across the world. They are, for all intents and purposes, an invasive species which knock out the balance created by nature over millennia. Cats killing garden birds has little to do with "nature" in this context. I'm not trying to get into the rights and wrongs of letting cats roam free, but let's not kid ourselves that allowing them to kill our native species is "natural". It's delusional to think such a thing.

birds of a feather

He can fly now but he is still in my garage, he hit the garage window before flying back to top shelf

http://imgur.com/cXJ4ovD ( hard to see him at the left end of the green pole )

aonb

Leave the door wide open. Walk v.slowly towards the bird, from the direction of the window, if you know what I mean, then she will concentrate on getting to the daylight from the door (as opposed to from the window)

well done for rescuing her!
Ive put some pretty stickers on my patio door, which has lessened the number of birds hitting the glass. (We get regular birds flying INTO the house when the double doors are open tho, but can usually get them safely out by walking slowly/calmly in their direction 'leading' them towards the door)

birds of a feather

He wasn't really to fazed by me so I had to get a stick and tap it near him to make him fly away.

http://imgur.com/D4NKU38

He flew towards the door then went for the window, hitting the window for the third time.

Resting back on the shelf, I tap the shelf again with the stick and finally he flew out the door.

Thanks to all who helped.

The Bishop Basher

DBB wrote: »

If they close the door, the bird is safe. If the bird revives, it's a simple matter of opening the door to let the bird fly out in its own time.
Indeed, the experts say to put the bird in a ventilated box in the dark. So they appear to diverge with what you're saying:
http://www.irishwildlifematters.ie/animals/birds.html

The experts recommend a ventilated box as the bird can't injure itself any further. There's a world of difference between putting it in a box and locking it in a shed where it can recover and stress and injure itself further as evidenced by what happened here. Thankfully in this case the bird eventually got free however, having hit the window 3 times in it's bid to escape, it could have been a different scenario

DBB wrote: »

If it happens that often, sticking a couple of strips of coloured tape, or any stickers, on the outside of the window indicates to bird's that there's a surface there to be avoided. You might try this.

I have tried this but unfortunately it still happens all too regularly.

DBB wrote: »

We are surrounded by cats too, and they regularly kill birds. Cats are not part of the food chain in Ireland. They cause depridation to native species on islands across the world. They are, for all intents and purposes, an invasive species which knock out the balance created by nature over millennia. Cats killing garden birds has little to do with "nature" in this context. I'm not trying to get into the rights and wrongs of letting cats roam free, but let's not kid ourselves that allowing them to kill our native species is "natural". It's delusional to think such a thing.

Agreed for the most part. But I was simply saying that cats have a natural predatory hunting instinct that involves killing cats. It is natural to them regardless of how much humans try to intervene. Nothing delusional in this.

aonb wrote: »

well done for rescuing her!

But they didn't. All they did was lock the bird in a shed which it then had to be helped escape from. They made a bad situation worse for the bird.

I just believe as humans we should know when to intervene and when to leave wild animals alone. We always seem to think we know better when very often we don't.

Anyway i'm glad the bird got away uninjured and will live to fight another day.

DBB

Swanner wrote: »

Agreed for the most part. But I was simply saying that cats have a natural predatory hunting instinct that involves killing cats. It is natural to them regardless of how much humans try to intervene. Nothing delusional in this.

That's not what you said.

But they didn't. All they did was lock the bird in a shed which it then had to be helped escape from. They made a bad situation worse for the bird.

How unkind. In the absence of advice, the op got the bird into a place where cats could not get it in its stunned and defenceless state.
There is already a post somewhere here where a cat caught a stunned bird.
I'd imagine that getting killed would've been worse for the bird. She may have flapped around in the shed, but she got away safely thanks to OP'S intervention. There's a better chance she'd be dead now had op not bothered.

I just believe as humans we should know when to intervene and when to leave wild animals alone.

I think we intervene just plenty when we let our cats kill our native birds... But sure, isn't that just letting nature take its course?

birds of a feather

Swanner wrote: »

But they didn't. All they did was lock the bird in a shed which it then had to be helped escape from. They made a bad situation worse for the bird.

I've read a few of your comments and you like to argue.

Your right with hindsight, but your advice was too let nature take it course. Now your concerned that the bird flew into the window three time. Also the cardboard box is a great idea but you never mentioned it. I will know for the future.

I had no idea what to do, I had turtles as a pet so when I seen the bird on its back I thought it was going to die.

So I picked it up and put it in the passageway of the garage in a half box makeshift with paper. It pissed raining a few minutes later, I doubt he would have liked that.

I feed him some water through a capri straw. ( put the straw in water, then put your finger on the other end and the water stays..) He got up on his feet, didn't fly.

checking through the window every half hour or so he walked a little until three hours later he perched himself 8 inches off the ground. I open the door and he flew a bit higher hitting the window like a mockingbird,

I left him alone for a while but he seemed content sitting in my garage so I had to shooe him out, he went for the door but reversed and went for the window, then back to the shelf and finally out the door.