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Advice needed urgently - Swallow freezing to death outside front door

  • 02-12-2010 11:47PM
    #1
    highdef
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,709 ✭✭✭


    Evening all

    It's currently -11c where I am living in Kildare. In other news, a swallow has decided to bed down just outside the front door. The poor thing must not have got to move to Africa for some reason. It's in the corner on the ground. Does anyone have any advice of what we could do to help? I'm sure the poor thing will freeze to death with the temps so low. We've managed to get a scarf half covering it. Currently thinking about putting it into a basket normally used for holding briquettes and putting a blanket over it and keeping it in the very warm house for the night. Would this be a good idea or would the scarf do the job?

    Any other advice would be most appreciated.

    Thank you


Comments

  • #2
    goat2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,934 ✭✭✭goat2


    bring it in, put it in a box in a quiet dark room for the night, and hope for the best, give it a small bit of wet bread, keep it in the dark


  • #3
    irishharper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 52 ✭✭irishharper


    I'd bring it in do exactly like you're saying to do -im no expert but that sounds like best thing do- fair play to you for caring :)


  • #4
    chucken1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,761 ✭✭✭chucken1


    Aw the poor little fella.:(.Ya Id put him in a box somewhere warm (in a shed?)with some food and hope for the best. If hes ok tomorrow,he might fly away but if you could leave the shed door open in case he tries to come 'home' again. Fair play to you. :)


  • #5
    highdef
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,709 ✭✭✭highdef


    Found a small box, put holes into it and put a little bit of wet bread in it. Picked him up, he woke up (so still alive!) and got him into the box. I could feel and hear him move around for a few moments and then he quickly settled. have left the box on a chair in the hallway (house has underfloor heating so the floor would probably be way too hot for him). Hopefully he'll be fine in the morning. Thanks everyone :)


  • #6
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 2,290 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    highdef wrote: »
    Found a small box, put holes into it and put a little bit of wet bread in it. Picked him up, he woke up (so still alive!) and got him into the box. I could feel and hear him move around for a few moments and then he quickly settled. have left the box on a chair in the hallway (house has underfloor heating so the floor would probably be way too hot for him). Hopefully he'll be fine in the morning. Thanks everyone :)

    Hope it works out for you and fair play for trying to do something man.


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  • #7
    mymo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,556 ✭✭✭mymo


    If you have any cat food (the wet kind) you could give a bit of that, to be honest it won't survive the winter as its missed the migration window. Try posting in the nature and birdwatching forum, someone there had great success raising an orphan bird. You may get some good advice there.
    Best of luck.


  • #8
    Big Dee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 69 ✭✭Big Dee


    Very surprised a swallow is still in the country, let alone picking the coldest place at -11C! Only 13 have been recorded in Ireland since 1 November and all have been in coastal counties, mainly Wexford.
    Have you any idea if it is a juvenile or adult bird? Any obvious signs of injury?Either way I would image it's chances of survival as very slim, though it certainly was resilient enough to survive this past weeks weather. Swallows eat large qualtities of flying insects and at this time of year it would be impossible to locate any insects - this is the reason they fly 6,000km to southern Africa.
    Hopefully the nights rest and defrosting will give it a new lease of life. Birds undertaking long migrations fatten up before they depart, thus allowing them survive a few days without food, however with current/recent weather conditions I cannot see this happening.
    Let us know the outcome.


  • #9
    highdef
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,709 ✭✭✭highdef


    I'm almost certain that it is a swallow. When he flew, he looked swallow like, going by the wings. He's quite small but I know swallows are not the biggest of birds. As he can fly, I would imagine he's not injured...at least he's not showing it. I can hear him moving about in the box, now that he is warmed up. I'll keep him there for the night though.

    It's now almost -13 outside so not a night to be out. Is there someone I should report to about this bird. going by what you have said, someone is keeping a record on swallow sightings.

    Oh, and I have an abandoned swallows nest in the corner right above where he was sleeping on the ground. A couple of swallows were building this when I moved to the house a few months ago but they left it due to the activity at the front door - perhaps he came back to his "home" for shelter?


  • #10
    Big Dee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 69 ✭✭Big Dee


    Photo of juv swallow I took earlier this year - shows most of the id features - short v tail, red around bill, etc
    Off to bed now, but if you confirm it is a swallow, I'll pm you the reporting details tomorrow.


  • #11
    highdef
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,709 ✭✭✭highdef


    That's the lad I have in the box alright....for sure.

    Hopefully he's still alive in the morning.....Perhaps he will become a regular visitor over the winter, if he can make it through. the lack of bugs and flies would not help though.

    If you can pass on the contact details, I would be most appreciative. Good night, thank you and sleep well


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  • #12
    Toulouse
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,413 ✭✭✭Toulouse


    http://www.irishwildlifematters.ie/animals/birds.html

    There is some very specific advice there about swallows so please read asap and a page of contacts so hopefully you can find someone to help you.


  • #13
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,310 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    mymo wrote: »
    Try posting in the nature and birdwatching forum, someone there had great success raising an orphan bird.
    Found this one http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=157470 from 2004...


  • #14
    irelandspurs
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,085 ✭✭✭irelandspurs


    Snipped again and infraction issued.


  • #15
    highdef
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,709 ✭✭✭highdef


    Well I got up this morning and there wasn't a peep from the box. I feared the inevitable. Decided to dispose of him after I emptied the dishwasher. After I had done that, I heard scratching and little thuds. Jack (I named the Sparrow Jack) was very much alive in the box. I had read some of the advice on the links some of you sent to me (thank you for that) but going by how active he was, I didn't think hand force feeding was going to be possible.

    Brought the box out to the front door and opened the flap. He flew straight out and landed on the fence at the side of the garden. He sat there looking at us for about 20 seconds before flying off around the back of the house. Left the box in an open position outside the door in case he decides to come back. It's still -2 here with light snow so he'll be pretty cold if he doesn't get shelter somewhere


  • #16
    Big Dee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 69 ✭✭Big Dee


    Well done highdef. I hope you don't see it again (well maybe next spring) because he/she really needs to be heading south!


  • #17
    Feargal as Luimneach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    Any photo's of the bird? Is it a swallow? With the good summer swallows were nesting very late into the year. It could have been one of the late fledged birds. Unfortunately if it is a swallow he will almost certainly now die due to starvation:(. There are no flying insects around. Respect to the OP for doing his/her best for the little fella.


  • #18
    goat2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,934 ✭✭✭goat2


    fantastic ending, i have done same in past and all went well also, good on you


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