Birds Nest fell . . Babies on ground . . Any tips ?

Drumpot

Hi,

I think it was a swallows nest that was built on the roof of our house. Long story short when we went downstairs this morning it was obvious that the nest had fallen off the roof and there were 3 baby swallows.

One was on the ground and two were on the windscreen of our car. None of them were chirping, but they are all still alive. Their mother is flying around the nest (not sure if she can hear them).

I moved them to a platic container and bedded it with cardboard I use for my rabbits bedding. I didnt put a roof over it as I thought it was the best chance for them to be found by their mother. The only reason I moved them was because there are loads of cats in this area (one only just walked by where one of the baby birds was stuck) and they wouldnt last long where they were.

I have left them in the box on top of the car as near to the nest as possible.

I am not even sure the mother knows they are there as they arent chirping! I am sorry to say that I wouldnt give them much hope, particularly as their mother does not seem to know where they are and they seem too weak to do anything. One of them chirped a bit when I picked it up and tried to move a bit around the box, but they are very inactive otherwise! Has anybody got any tips ?

wonderfulname

Feel like scaling your roof? Best thing you can do is put them back roughly where they were, nest and all - the mammy can make the relevant repairs, to be honest they don't sound like they're going to survive, then again swallows are incredibly quiet when they know you're on to them so fingers crossed.

Drumpot

wonderfulname wrote: »

Feel like scaling your roof? Best thing you can do is put them back roughly where they were, nest and all - the mammy can make the relevant repairs, to be honest they don't sound like they're going to survive, then again swallows are incredibly quiet when they know you're on to them so fingers crossed.

I wouldnt be able to get the nest back up. For one it was on the front roof part of the house and I wouldnt have a ladder big enuogh to reach it. That aside, the nest was completely destroyed!

Feel really sorry for mother as shes frantically flying around where the nest was but I dont think she knows where they are! I could put them on the window ledge (in the box I have them in) which would be closer to where the nest was (but not very practical). If the mother found them, I preume they might have a chance ?

wonderfulname

Okay well in that case it's probably time to take matters into your own hands, they really need feeding soon, I don't know where you are so here's a countrywide list of relevant contacts, I had care instructions typed but I'm hesitant to give them, shouldn't be talking peoples word on the internets, we'll go with the same sites perspective on that, it's not fun by the way.

EDIT: Ring first

Drumpot

Spoke to a friend who owns an avery .. They look after injured birds but said that Swallows are particularly difficult (and they hadnt much success looking after them).

They suggested getting the babies as close to the nest as possible so put them on window ledge in container. Havent seen the mother in awhile so bit worried.

I live in Bettystown so none of those contacts are particularly near me. Phoned the Trims one and left a message, hopefully they come back to me soon. They said on the voicemail that they collect the birds but if needs be I will drive them out there. Hate seeing animals in distress (as I have 4 pets - 2 dogs and 2 rabbits!). Last time I found a baby bird on a road and took it to the local vet who did what he could and told me to bring it home. I tried my best but it only lasted the night!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Really all you can do is get them as near as possible to the original site. Use as much of the original nest as you can and leave them alone. It happens and is not the end of the world. If would be a greater loss if the parents were killed.

Drumpot

I phoned one of the contacts (kells) and your man just told me to leave them as near to nest as possible. He also suggested that I bring them inside and leave them in a warm dark room for an hour or so (so babies can get warm up and get their chirps back!).

I left them in a container with some of the nest bits and some cardboard bedding and a tshirt (best I could find) wrapped around just over half the container to keep them warm. They are now perched outside my bedroom window (window and curtains in room closed).

I have been outside several times and I am convinced that even after all this time at least one (if not both) of their parents is still flying around trying to find them. The container is no more then 15 feet from their original nest but it looks like for whatever reason the parents cannot find the babies!

I watched the birds chirp to each other, but am just concerned that the parents cant find them. Tried to phone the contact, Kevin in neas.ie but cant get hold of him (he did say I could phone him tonight!). Just feels like the parents are so close yet so far ! Should I leave them out over night ? As kevin said, if they get too cold they will not be able to chirp and they are prob very dehydrated at this stage!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

You really have done enough. Do NOT take them inside. Leave them be and stop checking on them or the parents. To be honest, NEAS aren't exactly experts on Irish wildlife.

Drumpot

Alayna Brief Festival wrote: »

You really have done enough. Do NOT take them inside. Leave them be and stop checking on them or the parents. To be honest, NEAS aren't exactly experts on Irish wildlife.

Thanks for advice. .

Funnily enough, was outside there an hour ago and they were chirping away as happy as larry . . Theyve stopped now!

Also, I just remembered that earlier I saw something differant in the container (like a piece of slug or something) that I didnt put there . . Could the parents be throwing food in ?

Presume if they havent been found by their parents at this stage they wont last the night! I know its nature, but its just sad!

Drumpot

Update :

The good news is that the babies are still alive . .

I chose not to intervene in the hope that their parents would come back and look after them. . The reason was because I was told that even intervening can mean you are prolonging the inevitable because Swallows (the birds I think they are) are notoriously difficult birds to take care of. Not just that, how would I set them lose or teach them to fly and hunt etc!.

Anyways, I went out last night several times and there was a bird that i believe was communicating with them (flying near were the nest is and chirping to them and they chirped back).I didnt see it land on the container/new nest but I reckon its dropping food into the babies!

I have given the babies no food or drink and its been at least 36 hours since they fell out of their nest. Would it be fair to say that there is a great likelyhood that their parents are dropping them food (as surely they wouldnt of still been alive at this stage for that long without food/water).

I tried another one of the contacts on the list posted above as the first person I rang was just too difficult to get ahold of. If it is that the parents are feeding the babies my next concern is the precarious position on the window ledge. I will buy something more stable, but want to make sure that I do not scare away the parents. If I had to take the babies off the ledge for 5-10 mins to put them into something more permament, would that scare away the parents or in anyway compromise the safety of the birds ?

I looked on them there and they are at least still alive and look alert . Can baby birds last this long without food/water ?

wonderfulname

They live about two days without food and water, if their parents are feeding them feeding times are highly regular, so you should see something happen if you keep an eye out for 20min.

Drumpot

wonderfulname wrote: »

They live about two days without food and water, if their parents are feeding them feeding times are highly regular, so you should see something happen if you keep an eye out for 20min.

2 days!!!!! Damn, I thought they were in the clear and that they would of been dead by this stage if they werent getting food/water from their parents . .

Should I hear them chirping away for food ?

Again, just checked them there and they look like the three of them are just relaxing (no signs of stress). also, there looks like there is a dark sort of blue on their fur . Is that what swallows have ?

wonderfulname

They should be chirping, but they fall silent if they figure anything dangerous is around so you won't hear anything if you're standing over them. I'd stab a guess that they are if the adult birds appear to be interacting with them.

At this stage, if they're screwed, you're not going to save them, and if they're not, you shouldn't be poking at them, so I'd ignore them.

Drumpot

wonderfulname wrote: »

They should be chirping, but they fall silent if they figure anything dangerous is around so you won't hear anything if you're standing over them. I'd stab a guess that they are if the adult birds appear to be interacting with them.

At this stage, if they're screwed, you're not going to save them, and if they're not, you shouldn't be poking at them, so I'd ignore them.

Was talking to another wildlife person who thinks that they prob are being fed by the parents . .

Ok, so theres no way to know exactly (unless I see the parents feed, which I havent to date).

My next concern now is the stability of their current nest. Its in a precarious spot and has no protection from rain (except a t-shirt), no drainage for rain to not fill up container and no entrance for their parents (if indeed they are feeding them!).

What he suggested is that I try to sort out a better home because of the threat of rain and something (cut in side of nest) for the parents to get into.

Like you said, at this stage if the parents arent feeding them, they are more then likely Donald Ducked anyways, but if their parents are actually looking after them, taking them away for 5 mins to improve the stability of their new nest will not scare the parents away.

BTW, I have only looked at the birds 3 or 4 times since I put them on the 2nd floor window ledge, simply to check if they were still alive. I dont look in for fun and I am only trying to give them the best opportunity to survive. I keep blinds closed at all times (not to scare the parents).

If I had of taken some peoples advice (have called over 5 differant people , 3 from the contact list above, in relation to this) I would have them in my kitchen and would be trying to feed them myself. I am trying to leave them alone as much as possible, while making sure that they have every opportunity to make it. I am intervening as little as humanly possible!

Believe me, I dont take these things lightly and whether I check in on them or move them to a better nest, I will consider all potential variables much more then most.

wonderfulname

So is there a happy ending to this story or...?

Drumpot

wonderfulname wrote: »

So is there a happy ending to this story or...?

So far so good . .

I can confirm 100% that parents are coming to my makeshift nest and feeding their babies. I have seen it and babies are still alive and well to boot .

I am still struggling with what to do over the new nest itself . . Up until now I have untervened as little as possible and want to keep it that way, but can anybody give me advice on whether I should do anything with regards to the following.

The original nest I setup was a real makeshift thing. Its actually a plastic red plastic rectangle box with no roof and it has full sides. Its about 6 inches high and the about 12 - 14 inches in width. I padded it with my rabbit bedding which seems to keep them warm and I put in as much of their old nest as possible.

I have half it covered over with a t-shirt that gives them protection from the weather and helps keep warmth in.

Ok . . I will take the advice of those in the know, but my concerns are that a heavy torrential shower will fill up the nest (there are no holes at bottom of nest. I was told if I am to try and fix it up, to wrap clingfilm around the roof to waterproof it. My concern is that the parents (as far as I have seen) havent actually landed on the nest. I have only seen them hover over it and drop food in. If I close off the roof they wont be able to just drop food.

Coupled with this is my concern over whether or not I should saw a door in the side (perhaps the parents would land if they could walk in ? Will this help the babies get out when they are ready to fly ?) .

There is also the fact that the nest is not exactly firmly stook to the window ledge, I would like to move the t-shirt away from the bottom of it so the bottom of the container is touching the concrete on the window! I dont want to take the nest in for any amount of time, but there are risks leaving it as is as there are not taking it in . .

For example, if I took the nest in for 5 mins and the parents saw, would they come back or could that potentially scare them away ? If so, then obviously its not worth it . . Also, would the babies be ok for 5 mins in an alternative bedding (ie it can be stressful moving them or picking them up!).

So far, the less I have done, the better its been for the swallows, but these are just a few things I would appreciate some guidance on. Its so satisfying (highlight of my weekend tbh!) to see the babies survive thus far!

Victor

Punch some holes in the box so it can drain - make sure they are at the bottom of the slope on the sill. Glue (Blu-tac?) the box to the window sill. Can you cut the edges of the box so it can be accessed more easily?

Drumpot

Victor wrote: »

Punch some holes in the box so it can drain - make sure they are at the bottom of the slope on the sill. Glue (Blu-tac?) the box to the window sill. Can you cut the edges of the box so it can be accessed more easily?

Should be able to saw a hold in the side. Should I saw to the bottom or more like your image (saw about half way down)?

Also, will the parents know how to get in ? I know its a silly question, but I presume that the parents would see the new gap while hovering over the nest, but so far the parents have dropped food in the half of the nest not covered. I just want to make sure I dont jeopardise what has so far gone well!

Will the parents come back if I take the babies in for a few mins ?

Also, should I wait until later to do it ? Parents seem to be around less later in the day, so I would of thought this would upset things less ?

Also, I was thinking of trying to buy something more practical and doing it up and putting them into it. . Up until now the parents have been dropping food into babies through hole in current nests roof. Am I jeopardising this by giving them a new nest or will the parents simply learn quickly that they can get into the nest themselves ? (presuming of course that the parents are happy to do so!).

Victor

I wouldn't go changing things dramaticly. Taking the 'nest' away might not be appreciated.

I take it the box is something like a biscuit tin? What is it made from?

I imagine the parents are slightly wary of the box, so let them get reassured first. It may be that they are wary of entering an enclosed space that wasn't of their own choosing.

Drumpot

Victor wrote: »

I wouldn't go changing things dramaticly. Taking the 'nest' away might not be appreciated.

I take it the box is something like a biscuit tin? What is it made from?

I imagine the parents are slightly wary of the box, so let them get reassured first. It may be that they are wary of entering an enclosed space that wasn't of their own choosing.

Grand thanks . .

Ok, I will wait until later when the parents arent coming as frequently ..

Box is plastic, actually off one of my childrens toys . . At the time I found the babies out the front I grabbed the quickest thing to hand . .

So i need to knock holes in the bottom for drainage, a hole in the side to encourage the parents to get into the nest and figure out how to give the nest more stability on the ledge. .

The way the window is (you open the top half of it), it would be difficult to stick the nest to the ledge so I was thinking if I punched two holes on the window side of the nest and tied strong wire to the nest through these holes and pulled the wire through the window?

I just want to do something that means I wont have to bother them again !

Also, how long does it usually take for swallows to learn to fly etc ? Just curious as to when I should expect them to fly away!

Drumpot

Ok, quick update . .

I am trying to upload a picture from my phone to here (struggling to figure out how!).

The baby birds are actually on the roof of the nest now . . With that I reckon I should leave them be . . Is there a chance they might be ready to fly ?

Drumpot

Should I just leave things be ?

Tazz T

Looks like they're getting there. Well done, Birdman of Bettystown.

Traonach

They are house martins. They look like there near ready to leave the nest. Their flight feathers are fully developed. I wouldn't interfere too much at the moment.
Excellent work you've done with them:)

Tazz T

I daresay if they make the first flight, you'll see them again next spring.

Drumpot

Thanks for all the tips people. .

Will keep an eye on them, but do nothing unless its unavoidable . . Looks like they have everything in hand!!

Hope they come back next year . .

Its the little things in life that give us so much pleasure! !

Drumpot

This is the view from downstairs outside my house . .

You can see where the original nest was (at top corner of triangle of house). .

Traonach

Drumpot wrote: »

Thanks for all the tips people. .

Will keep an eye on them, but do nothing unless its unavoidable . . Looks like they have everything in hand!!

Hope they come back next year . .

Its the little things in life that give us so much pleasure! !

Put up some House martin next boxes, where the old nest used to be in the autumn. Put up more than one, they like nesting together. With some luck you will have this years parents nesting again and perhaps another pair as well.
You can buy them of the Birdwatch Ireland website and the money goes to protecting Ireland's birds.
http://shop.birdwatchireland.ie/birdwatchireland/index.php?cPath=25_27

happyoutscan

This thread has brightened up my day, thanks OP and well done!

prettygurrly

fascinating story and well done on keeping them alive. my bf is a roofer so has come across a few baby birds on his travels.
before it became apparent that the birds will leave the nest soon i was going to suggest that you get an identical box, make the modifications that you need and then do a super fast transfer but they seem to be ok now! it's lucky that its this late in the season that the nest broke down. good luck

chucken1

Phew!!! Well done OP...I was nearly afraid to read the 2nd page of the thread

jandm

chucken1 wrote: »

Phew!!! Well done OP...I was nearly afraid to read the 2nd page of the thread

I'll second that - well done OP

Drumpot

Feeding time !!!

Their mother is feeding them and all three are perched on the side of the nest!!!

chucken1

Its ok now till all their relations come demanding a lovely new house like that too

Drumpot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY93K11w9Go

I know its a bit long, but there was so much action today, I had to film some of it!

Drumpot

Anybody know when I should expect the birds to fly on their own ? I presume its ok that they have been going to the toilet in their makeshift nest ?!

chucken1

Now Drumpot,you're not the momma lol. Ive no idea when they will take off. You'll miss them wont you

I know Swallow mommas and dads throw the dirt from the nest..thats as much as I know

They seem to have adapted to their new house..probably thinking well Im coming back here next year ..so get ready for them

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Drumpot wrote: »

Anybody know when I should expect the birds to fly on their own ? I presume its ok that they have been going to the toilet in their makeshift nest ?!

House Martins fledge between 19 & 25 days after hatching.

They will soil the nest in the later days as the need for hygene deceases if they are not staying in it much longer.


Well done,by the way!!!

Drumpot

Thanks everybody . .

Delighted that they survived . . I work in an upstairs office at home and its great hearing them chirping away and then seeing their parents swoop in and feed them.

I am nearly sure that this is their third week (since I heard them chirping on the roof) so I expect that they will be off soon!:(

Ah well, will have to get one of those nests suggest by previous poster so they come back next year! The t-shirt is covered in sh*t, but I will leave things be as suggested (especially as leaving them be appears to be the best thing for them!).

I actually thought at one stage yesterday the babies were flying as there were 3 or 4 birds (instead of usual 1-2) flying around the nest. I wasnt sure if it was the babies or if it was other birds and the babies were going inside the nest!

Also saw some birds fly and perch on the nest . .

Drumpot

Final Update . .

Birds left the nest yesterday . .

Delighted that they survived. Thanks for all the tips and support . .

tricky D

Wow. It's very fortunate that the Martins survived. The magpies or others could easily have finished them off on the ledge. I'd leave the 'nest' there for a while in case they might need it for roosting at night after feeding during the day.

Well done!

chucken1

Well done Drumpot

I love a happy ending.

nomdeboardie

:D:D
Good work OP!
The 3 wee birdlings looked very iconic lined up together in the video. Made me think of the "Three Wise Monkeys" or something

snowstreams

It would be a good idea to leave the nest there for a few more days. I remember i had swallows nesting in my parents shed. When they fledged they still used to come back each night for a week or so.
But im sure they could fly to other decent roosting sites if the nest is gone!

Drumpot

snowstreams wrote: »

It would be a good idea to leave the nest there for a few more days. I remember i had swallows nesting in my parents shed. When they fledged they still used to come back each night for a week or so.
But im sure they could fly to other decent roosting sites if the nest is gone!

The nest is still on my ledge but they havent returned since I last posted . .

Bit dissapointed as it was nice hearing the chirping outside the bedroom window, but the satisfaction of seeing them make it was so satisfying . .

Hope they come back next year as I will be all the wiser to protect their children if another nest collapse unfolds . . Will defo try and get some birds nests up around the garden/house . .

I used to be knicknamed Dr Doolittle by my friends because I have 2 rabbits and two dogs . . When they heard about the birds they thought it was hilarious . .

Ah well .. Thanks again, everybody for all the guidance . . Nice to know that I can rely on Boardies to help out when they are needed most!!