BikBok Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 My daughter and her friend were walking along the golf course and found it on the grass. There are quite a few cats that patrol along the golf course (it's in a residential area) so they picked it up and brought it home. There are ponds near us but this bird does not have webbed feet, it does have quite long toes. What is it and how do I care for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Spur winged plover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Yup, Spur winged Plover. Damn noisy things, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 yes .. it already has been demonstrating his lungs... but what the heck do i feed it? Catfood? I'm not feeding it my guppy fry lol. The girls have walked the golf course looing for others and/or parents but can't find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 they nest on the ground, probably best to put it back where it was found. Otherwise, put it in a box lined with a towel. Under the towel put a plastic bottle that you have filled with hot but not boiling water. 2 bottles is good so it can have its body supported, one on each side. If you have a heat pad even better. Another towel goes over the top to keep the heat in. Make sure the box is too high for him to jump out too, and out of the way of cats etc. To feed him, raw mince mixed with cooked egg yolk and mixed with water to a slurry. Use an eyedropper and aim for the right side of the beak (its right). Tapping the side of the container may stimulate it to open its beak to be fed. it needs to be fed once an hour dawn to dusk (say 7am to 7pm) and you can tell if it is full by feeling its crop (lower part of the neck) - should be nice and bulgy after a feed. Expect it to die anyway they are not easy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Ahh, the dreaded 'Gaak gaak bird' as our neighbours kids used to call them, cute, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 this article may help http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww36e.htm and there is a forum on the site, the people there are great. Its mostly americans so you can stay up all night getting help from them lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 thanks... that's good advice. I will do my best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 forgot to say: food must be WARM, like a baby's bottle temperature, and must be made up fresh each time. I bet you are regretting this now! You could call the vet and ask if there is a bird sanctuary in the area, or sometimes the kindest thing to do is to put it out of its misery. If you can find the exact spot it came from it would be best if it goes back there. Its parents are more than a match for cats, spur winged plovers are vicious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 http://www.geocities.com/drosera123/recipes.htm this site too looks big enough to be fed once an hour as I said, but it'll let you know if its hungry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 I am regretting that it was me they bought ti home to! and that my daughters friend didn't leave it be like my daughter urged her too. But they were worried about the cats too. The fenceline along the golfcourse is known as "the Cat Highway" to locals. Agghh but what can I do when two girls bring home a bird that can't just be abandoned! I've raised baby sparrows before from featherless chicks but this is something quite new to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 you cant put it back now that you have touched it. even if its mother does find it - she won't accept it back. feed em worms or something, but if you really run out of ideas, get some kaytee baby formula for birds (hand rearing mix) but be warned - i doubt you can train them to shut up hahahaha. oh. feed once an hour, every hour. maybe if you're lucky you wont have to get up at 3am, to feed it. 5am will suffuce. then you have to feed it every hour again. dont feed it catfood- that is only for older birds that have plucked them selves and feathers are not growing back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 you cant put it back now that you have touched it. even if its mother does find it - she won't accept it back. I just recently read in a book saying thats not true. Apparently a popular misconception which has been spread for the best of reasons - bird protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 I believe that this species has recently been classified as being a native species. And as such it is now illegal to interfere with its breeding. Please correct me if I am wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Spur-winged plover The grating rattle of the spur-winged plover (Vanellus miles) or masked lapwing has become a familiar sound in open country since this Australian immigrant started breeding in Southland in 1932. It has a distinctive yellow face mask, black cap and vertical shoulder band, tan back and wings and white front. The wings have spurs. Fiercely defending their nests, these birds shriek at and dive-bomb harriers and magpies that fly nearby. They have become established on the mainland and Stewart Islands, the Chathams and Kermadecs, and have been recorded on subantarctic islands as well. Common in farmland and coastal sites, they feed on earthworms, insects and molluscs. From June to October they lay one to four khaki, blotched eggs in a scrape on rough open ground. This abundant, self-introduced species is considered a pest around airports and its protected status is under review. Retrieved from:http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/BirdsOfSeaAndShore/WadingBirds/5/en Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 You are right. Touching baby birds does not make the parents reject them. Plenty of ornithologists will vouch for that as much of their research involves close contact with nests and babies. I think this myth arose to prevent kids from bringing babies home and also prevent any contact with diseases. Bikbok: Maybe you can call the local SPCA and see if they are willing to help you out with the bird? I just recently read in a book saying thats not true. Apparently a popular misconception which has been spread for the best of reasons - bird protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 If you are feeding minced meat make sure it does not contain sulphur dioxide. I fed some to a baby magpie once and it spewed like a volcano. The butchers are not supposed to add it to minced meat but some have been known to (if they add mutton it goes grey and the SO2 makes it pink again) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 The easy way to find out if SO2 has been added is to add a small amount of malachite green solution and if it goes clear then SO2 is present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Retrieved from:http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/BirdsOfSeaAndShore/WadingBirds/5/en Conservation Status: Protected common, self introduced native Mainland Status: Abundant in S.I. and Southern N.I. - common elsewhere Size: 38cm, 370g (male); 350g (female) Life Span: 16+ years Breeding: June - late November Diet: Earthworms, insects & their larvae, crustaceans & molluscs. Retrieved from http://www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/Fauna ... Plover.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 I just recently read in a book saying thats not true. Apparently a popular misconception which has been spread for the best of reasons - bird protection. i didn't realise lots of people said or knew that only said it cause ive seen lots of birds leave chicks if humans touch them, and in some cases they even killed them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Sometimes the parents reject/kill the baby because they already did so in the first place, even before the humans got there. Often the parent or its baby's siblings sense the youngster is weak and they will actually kick it out of the nest. Birds have a relatively poor sense of smell, rely more on visual cues. Certain parents simply get scared away by the humans...other birds will continue to attack while the human is near the chick...depends on the species really. What situation have you seen these chicks being left by their parents? i didn't realise lots of people said or knew that only said it cause ive seen lots of birds leave chicks if humans touch them, and in some cases they even killed them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 hey do you think bloodworms would be ok? I've got plenty of those in the freezer. btw .. it's so cute! it runs along with it's little `chicken' wings out. I've had to make do with some watered down catfood tonight until I can get something better sorted tomorrow. It's pooping and everything so here's hoping it will still be cheeping in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 about parent birds rejecting chicks.. last summer my cat bought in a whiteeye . We handled it to put it in a box for a while till it was calm and then had a look for injurys. By this time it was dusk .. Next morning we put it in a birdcage outside and the mama bird heard it and came.. it was a fledgling. SO we opened the birdcage and watched from inside. Slowly the mama bird led it bit by bit out of the cage, onto the fence , onto lower branches , then higher till it flew a decent distance to (being half a backyard )... the golf course! We live a balls throw (hit) from the golfcouse. Have also reunited starlings with the parents and they didn't reject either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 someone found babies. put them back. parents killed them then someone stole the babies. i put them back. parents killed them. I tried stealing a baby - mother cockatoo beat the living daylights out of me serves me right. was such a high thin tree too. i found some more babies attacked by a cat.. this time i just nature run its course cause all the parents wanted to do was seem to want to kill the babies hey by cat food- did you mean like jelly meat? that should be ok ish. but definitely not watered down pellets- which is what i previously thought you meant/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 No not cat biscuits, pouches and canned stuff like whiskas and dine. The dine is all fish based and has very little additives so I'm wondering if the fish based catfood will be OK seeign as they are aqauatic birds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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