Bird/Lawnmower/What to do?

[thebiglebowski]

So I let my grass get waay too long. Cutting it today and I see a dead bird on my driveway. As I'm cutting the grass, I ran over another bird. I think it was the mate of the one that died and was staying by him/her in the nearby grass. They look like the exact same kind of bird.

Thing is, the bird I ran over isn't mangled. If it was, I'd do what I needed to. I'm no bird expert, but it's wings look fine. It won't fly though. It has a few drops of blood near its beak where it must have gotten hit.

For now, I got a big box, threw some grass in it, and fed the thing a couple worms. It won't fly though. It's not even trying. Just sitting there chirping. Best case, it just flies away later today. If it doesn't, what should I do? Is it better to keep a wild bird caged up in a box or put it down?

ps I'm not a bleeding heart who cries over a cat who catches a bird or something like that. I just feel like since I'm the one that did this to it I should do the right thing and not just leave it to starve or get eaten by something else.

[mhansel411]

My mom does this all the time. Sticks it in her jacuzzi tub and feeds it by Hand and shit for a few days then sets it free. Just try to see how it's doing and if you can do anything to help it, if not take it to the woods and have nature run it's course?

[AlexH.]

kill it and eat it

[One Hundred Fifty-Two]

Do you know why the caged bird will fly?

When its cage is opened and it looks to the sky,

The reason is because from the inside of a cage,

The world often looks like a stage,

Where the actors roam wild and free,

And they all live together happily,

So the bird in the cage begins to wish and yearn,

That one day his freedom he will earn,

for it is a proven fact that every creature who was able to roam,

no creature likes feeling alone,

For God built the urge, he put it inside,

Inside our hearts these feelings will always reside,

So the next chance you get,

Hug the ones you love,

Hold them close and do not forget,

It could be worse...

You could be the caged bird,

Who even if he could fly, may never get the chance to be free...

[thebiglebowski]

My mom does this all the time. Sticks it in her jacuzzi tub and feeds it by Hand and shit for a few days then sets it free. Just try to see how it's doing and if you can do anything to help it, if not take it to the woods and have nature run it's course?

Thanks for your opinion and not making a joke.

[exitenglish1208]

i tried to save an injured bird about a month ago and got similar asshole responses from friends. i had a shoebox with grass and stuff in it but it died after a few hours, it was a bummer. best of luck

[One Hundred Fifty-Two]

I heard they have doctors for animals.

[user456]

Male and female birds don't look entirely the same. In most birds males usually have vivid colors and females are dull. So if the birds look exactly the same than most likely they aren't mates. Can you describe what the bird looks like?

If it won't fly than most likely it has injuries that you can't see. Like maybe a broken wing or concussion. I doubt it will eat any worms that you just throw in there and it's probably really scared. Try to put it in a quite dark area and see if it will calm down. When it does try to release it again. If it doesn't fly you should take it to a animal doctor. Call your local hospitals they can probably help if not here's a helpful site:

http://wildliferehabinfo.org/ContactList_MnPg.htm

[philviral]

Back up and get it with the blade next time...

[thebiglebowski]

Kept it in a box overnight. It started calling out this morning and then I watched a bigger bird come down and feed it a worm.

New theory is that is a young bird that can't fly yet (which is why it didn't get out of the way of my mower). I thought it was big enough to fly but I guess not. Gonna keep an eye on it for a couple days and hopefully it will understand it needs to take off. I'm just a little worried it will think of the box as its new nest and not have motivation to take off. Not sure if I should put it back on the grass or leave it in the box.

[thebiglebowski]

Male and female birds don't look entirely the same. In most birds males usually have vivid colors and females are dull. So if the birds look exactly the same than most likely they aren't mates. Can you describe what the bird looks like?

If it won't fly than most likely it has injuries that you can't see. Like maybe a broken wing or concussion. I doubt it will eat any worms that you just throw in there and it's probably really scared. Try to put it in a quite dark area and see if it will calm down. When it does try to release it again. If it doesn't fly you should take it to a animal doctor. Call your local hospitals they can probably help if not here's a helpful site:

http://wildliferehabinfo.org/ContactList_MnPg.htm

Appreciate the info but I'm fairly confident it isn't seriously injured. It will occasionally flap its wings, just kind of like a bird that doesn't know how to fly yet. Hard to describe. I feel like I'm already going out of my way for the thing, so hospitals and animal rehab centers probably aren't going to happen.

[user456]

Male and female birds don't look entirely the same. In most birds males usually have vivid colors and females are dull. So if the birds look exactly the same than most likely they aren't mates. Can you describe what the bird looks like?

If it won't fly than most likely it has injuries that you can't see. Like maybe a broken wing or concussion. I doubt it will eat any worms that you just throw in there and it's probably really scared. Try to put it in a quite dark area and see if it will calm down. When it does try to release it again. If it doesn't fly you should take it to a animal doctor. Call your local hospitals they can probably help if not here's a helpful site:

http://wildliferehabinfo.org/ContactList_MnPg.htm

Appreciate the info but I'm fairly confident it isn't seriously injured. It will occasionally flap its wings, just kind of like a bird that doesn't know how to fly yet. Hard to describe. I feel like I'm already going out of my way for the thing, so hospitals and animal rehab centers probably aren't going to happen.

No problem. I like birds. I can't tell you what is exactly wrong with it but birds will still flap their wings when they are broken or injured. It could just be scared. But if you choose to watch over it for awhile keep it in a dark area...birds overheat really easily.

[lonesomexloveus]

Male and female birds don't look entirely the same. In most birds males usually have vivid colors and females are dull. So if the birds look exactly the same than most likely they aren't mates. Can you describe what the bird looks like?

If it won't fly than most likely it has injuries that you can't see. Like maybe a broken wing or concussion. I doubt it will eat any worms that you just throw in there and it's probably really scared. Try to put it in a quite dark area and see if it will calm down. When it does try to release it again. If it doesn't fly you should take it to a animal doctor. Call your local hospitals they can probably help if not here's a helpful site:

http://wildliferehabinfo.org/ContactList_MnPg.htm

Appreciate the info but I'm fairly confident it isn't seriously injured. It will occasionally flap its wings, just kind of like a bird that doesn't know how to fly yet. Hard to describe. I feel like I'm already going out of my way for the thing, so hospitals and animal rehab centers probably aren't going to happen.

it's probably a fledgling. i've been watching a camera our DEP has set up to monitor the falcon nest on top of a building downtown, and the 'baby' bird is super close to fledging and flaps it's wings to practice all the time. they also have teams of people set up to monitor it, because sometimes the first couple flights they take, they get too exhausted to fly the whole way back to the nest and wind up stuck on the sidewalk. these people then swope in, snatch it up, and stick it back up on the ledge the nest is on.

[thebiglebowski]

Thing was in bad shape last night. Didn't want it to get too comfortable so I took it out of the box (trying to force it to try and fly). It started raining and I think it got really cold. It couldn't even stand up on its own. Thought it was finished.

Took it inside and put a heater near it (but not directly on it). It dried off and was moving around a little last night, but still couldn't really stand.

This morning it looked good again and I watched it's mom feed it again (you can tell when it is coming. the thing chirps like hell). Guess it pulled through in the night. Left it for an hour, and now the box is empty. So I think it flew away! At least my story is over.

[pjaicomo]

Yay!

[mcm1610]

Or a neighborhood cat got it.

[lonesomexloveus]

Or a neighborhood cat got it.

SSHHHHHHHH!

[thebiglebowski]

Or a neighborhood cat got it.

Maybe. No blood, no feathers, though. I've never seen a cat around my house either. Never know, but flying away is far more likely.