o'stephanie

o'stephanie
Location
Oregon, USA
Birthday
December 01
Bio
Happy to be here among friends.

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JULY 11, 2009 1:25PM

Baby Bird with a Broken Furcula

Rate: 24 Flag

Subdued and seeking comfort  

Learning to fly does have its hazards, and the fledgling was doing quite well at taking off and flying but much less well at landings. She must have run into something trying to land because she broke her furcula. (Technically this is the wishbone, the flexible fused collarbones in birds.)  Her wing bones are intact, but she is not using her right wing and cannot fly.   

Very sad starling
 

A look at this picture should convince anyone who may doubt it that animals have emotions much the same as ours. Even through the feathers, there is ineffable sadness in her expression.  She slept a lot, refusing to eat much of anything the day it happened.  I worried.  I spoke sweetly and regretfully to her. (Tone is understood between species.)

All bound up and nowhere to fly
 

An experienced bird person and I put a length of vet flex over her right wing, under her left wing, and around her body to secure her wing in place. After her first day of moping and sleeping, she had recovered her wits enough to press for her biological imperative to learn how to fly. (In her case, learn how to land.) This phase of growth for birds is akin to toddlerhood and adolescence combined.

On the go

She kept the binding in place for four days. With me holding her head and legs and turning her like a tiny rotisserie, Daughter was able to rewrap her right wing. The fledgling had that off in four minutes flat.

This is the reason that many birds will hatch out three or more clutches of eggs a season. There is a high mortality rate in nature for young of all kinds. Baby anything is at risk. I remember quite well the pregnant rabbit when my child was ten and how it turned into "The Summer the Children Learned about Death". This may end badly.

Questions if I know what I am doing... 

However, I am prepared to make accommodations for this little obstreperous bird. Even if she turns out to be flightless, she would still be able to make long jumps with a wing assist to safety. She would be given a predator-less environment. I dearly hope that she will be able to fly; however, if she cannot, we should be able to make do. She can join my dog with intervertebral disc disease, the geriatric cat, and my congenitally blind rabbit.

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Baby birds in the right environment can be very resilient. My ex successfully raised a number of injured young, I especially recall a house finch that for months after being released would answer her whistles. Good luck with this one Steph!
Awww...you obviously have a heart filled with compassion. Highly admirable. I do hope the fledgling heals and learns to fly as nature intended. If not, she clearly has the best alternative--staying with you!
Thanks for the update, albeit a somewhat sad one. I hope the darling starling mends and gains flight. (I've always wanted to be a bird.)

One of our backyard regulars is a sparrow with a broken left wing. He's been around for more than a year, hiding in the undergrowth and hopping out to grab the seeds that fall from the feeder. If your little one doesn't regain flight, I'm sure she'll do fine in your loving care. Kudos to you!
Well, I hope she is resilient. She was doing so well too. At least she is in high spirits, complaining loudly about not being out of her cage now.

Athomepilgrim,
That is certainly a strong little sparrow to have lived so long with a broken wing! Birds have such large spirits!
Oh, Stephanie! I’m so grateful this little fledgling has someone of your skill, compassion, and warmth to care for her (him?). We’ve been through many a scary bout of injury, illness, and the like with Franny and Zooey, and while they are often low in spirits when they’re feeling unwell, they bounce back with remarkable resilience as they do begin to heal. Don’t know if your little birdie has begun singing yet, but that’s often a sign of how chipper they feel—we start to get really worried if Franny or Zooey doesn’t feel up to singing. And as soon as they do start singing again, we know we don’t have to worry anymore. It sounds like you’re doing everything to make the recovery period as swift and painless as possible. Poor little birdie. (Have you come up with a name yet? W——?)

—Melissa
Enjoying this wonderful tale of resilience; the avian volcabulary as well --- the survivability demonstration and the turquoise brace---way cool, compassionate!
So sweet! Good luck with your tiny baby bird.
Rated.
UK,
I'm hoping that you are right. She seems in good health now but is pissed that she needs to stay caged.

Thanks to all for stopping by! Hopefully, I will have some blurry flying pictures next.
oh, i'm praying that this turns out all right. i wanted to ask what melissa did, have you named this little one? or do you want to wait and see if it makes it through this trial. i love that you and your daughter are such bird whisperers and that you could bandage the wing. love love love and gratitude and prayers for this little nameless birdie.
thanks for keeping us posted
oh my goodness! do you by chance have a video camera? this would make a wonderful film series. thank you so much for sharing this experience with us. i'm wishing hard for her wishbone to heal quick!
bstrangely,
Do not own a video but do wish I had one now.

So far, so good. They are surprisingly resilient. resilient. resilient.

Naming sometimes takes a while. Personality will come out more and more. Someone suggested Winnie for Winifred or it could be Winston (although that is the obese goldfish's name...)
I am enjoying this ongoing story!
Thanks, MB! I hope she survives me!
OOps, did not mean that I hope her life span exceeds mine! Just my care!
Hi Jane!
I got real excited cause I gave her a bit of cherry, and she figured out how to get it from the tip of her beak down the gullet! She fed herself something without me shoving it down her throat!
Love your heart, your imagery, and your photos. Turning her like a tiny rotisserie indeed! Most evocative. As she has recovered enough to resent her incarceration (and what an obstreperous look in that last photo1), she obviously has plenty of spirit and will to succeed. All the best to the tiniest W in your house.
this is so sweet

humans leaving the nest are quite vulnerable too!
How many people would bother doing what you're doing with this little guy/gal of a bird? You're awesome Steph.
Thanks, O.K. for dropping by for yet another animal of mine. Dad had quite an impact on us kids.

Kathy,
Yes, so true! Daughter is moving this fall to another Oregon city and I am already nervous.

Nana,
You are a dear, always. So glad to call you friend! I was so glad to see your post again on the meth kitchen. It was just too good to languish in the archives!
Stephanie,

When my sister was younger we used to say you could tell how loving her heart was because she was always rescuing baby birds and caring for them until they could survive on their own.

Your two posts reflect that same loving heart.

Care for the smallest living creatures can often indicate the capacity to carry burdens for issues of the greatest importance. That is clearly true in your case.

Rated and appreciated
Furcula - great word! Hoping for all the resiliance little bird can muster.
Good luck to the little bird. She is very lucky to have her own personal angel.
Loving your bird series. A wishbone is a furcula? Man, I can't wait until Thanksgiving to impress everyone with my wishbone knowledge.
Bless the beasts and the children.
o'steph, your menagerie cracks me up. :)

I'm sorry to hear the baby's injured. Sending good juju and karma her way. And keep the updates coming!
Oh, I wish much luck to the little fella. I had read your other post about him as well. It made me want a baby bird all my own to tuck into my bra! I hope he recovers!
I think your temporarily flightless friend will be fine. Natures young are very resilient when something doesn't eat them while wounded. The worst that could happen is that you end up with a fantastic new house pet that has an incredibly compassionate mentor. Sounds like a win-win.
I'll tell you one thing--that little bird sure landed in the right place.
Dennis,

As you always do, you make me blush with your insightful praise. It is true that I care for the least of creatures and am unafraid of talkling the big issues--at least with my mind and my pen.

Owl , ablonde, Ocean is Blue, merwoman, and area51 (I know that place!)
Thanks so much for your well wishes for the little bit of fluff.

Grif,
Furcula does sound like a word to impress the relatives with come Thanksgiving! Rolls off the tongue well too!

Michael,
I am counting on her resiliency!
Daughter says that there are turkey feathers all over the horse arena in the morning. She supposes that the turkeys have a nightly "baby bird buffet".
Such is the life cycle...
Thanks for the good wishes for the fledgling
Great. One of my ads says "Get rid of starlings!"
Lucky bird to have landed with you. My grandson and I liked seeing her bandage and hope she has a happy life. You are clearly an animal lover and compassionate caretaker.
Hey Steph,
This was such a special and tenderly written post. I had a baby bird plop on the ground just feet from me yesterday, blown from her nest on a windy day. Knowing not to touch her unless absolutely necessary (as in your case), my sons and I instead watched from the window. It's mother encouraged it to fly into low branches and it took all afternoon but the little guy was able to move off the ground before our cat discovered the free meal.

I love wildlife posts most of all, and your kind sentiment just addds to it's flow. Your little bird is lucky to have you.
This is too cool Steph. You can tell she wasn't happy just looking at the expression. I'm a firm believer animals have emotions.