My Hurt Bird

bluetick · Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:17 am

This is the Bird I posted had hurt wing over a week ago. I put him in another gourd with younger birds and he stayed for a couple days and they feed him but then he got to jumping out every day. I couldn't believe it. I put this bowl of water there and egg pieces and he started eating and drinking like a baby chick. I didn't think he would eat or drink. I have more pictures to show. Dave

He would get on this stump and talk to the birds so I put him a house there.

I know there is a chance something may get him at night there but he can go and come in the gourd there with out using his wing. My martins are doing great except this one. I have about 80 coming back to the gourds at night now and it's some thing to watch. Dave

taxidermy lady · Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:10 am

Ahh you are doing your best. He seems content.

bluetick · Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:01 am

I call my bird Samantha ( I really don't know if she is male or female ) is still doing good. She got up in one of the thick Blue Spruse trees last night and I couldn't see her to put her in the gourd. This morning she was down for her eggs and a drink. I tried meal worms but she don't seem to want them but she likes the egg. She will eat 3 pieces and then get a drink. She seems to be getting better. She works her wings all the time. I hope that she will fly again soon.

taxidermy lady · Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:12 am

Great news. She may take off any day, good luck!

klcretired · Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:18 pm

Excellent job Dave

baileysambone · Thu Jul 24, 2014 7:20 pm

Dave,
Was just checking on the status of your hurt bird. Did she make it ?
Yvonne

pmlover · Fri Jul 25, 2014 2:06 pm

I hope your baby makes it dave.
Your doing a great job
Dick

William A · Sat Jul 26, 2014 11:31 am

Good work Dave with the hurt bird. Please post an update. Good Luck

bluetick · Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:23 am

Samantha is gone. On the 18th I had just gave her some egg for the evening and went to work in the garden. I looked up there to the stump that she sit on and she was standing there. About 8:20 I looked up there and she had went up into one of the Blue Spruce trees that I had planted there before I got Martins. We keep them trimed real low and when they get a little bigger they will be cut because of my Martins. When I went up to the house I tried to find her and put her in her gourd but the blue spruce trees are so thick and I didn't see which one she went in. So I left her there. I had done this before. The next morning she would always come down. I fixed her Breakfast on Sat. Morning and she never showed. That night I sit in my garage with a dim light on waiting to see what came back to the trees as a nest of baby ground sparrows were also gone. That night about 10:30 a Skunk came checking the pines. I didn't know skunks would eat birds but I would say that one will not again. I set traps there for 4 more days and nothing else ever showed up. So I believe the skunk got Sam and the ground sparrows. My wife and I fell in Love with Sam and this old Bluetick Man misses her. She had got so she could fly about 4 feet and was getting better. My wife got on me for not catching her and putting her in the gourd earlier. Guess I am not perfect but any thing that kills a martin here had better not return. Nuff Said. Bluetick Dave P.S. I will post one last picture of Sam in a blue spruce when I come back from lunch. I don't have my camera here.

Matt F. · Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:32 am

Dave,
It sounds like, thanks to you, Samantha could have been strong enough to have flown up and and away.

taxidermy lady · Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:55 am

Yeah I can't imagine the skunk eating her unless she was laying on the ground. They just root for grubs in my yard. I hope she's flying!

bluetick · Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:02 pm

The last picture I took 3 days before she came up missing.
We will always remember the first pair we had in 2012. SY birds and they raised 3 young and we have a lot of pictures of the five together.Last year on April 4 our first pair of ASY birds came and we took a picture of them and made a Christmas card of them with them sitting on the Super Gourd's porch. But we will never forget Sam as she learned to eat egg first and then meal worms and drink from a bowl just like a baby chick. She would jump up on the side of the bowl and drink. She would even try to take a bath in the bowl. I will say this we combed the ground under the pines and never found one feather. I looked all over where something could have taken her into the weeds and no feathers. That night on the 19th there was a bird having trouble lighting on the perch and falling down on the gourds and then it flew over to another gourd rack and finely went in side. My wife thought it might be Sam as she was starting to fly better. I don't know but we can only hope. We didn't get up that morning until 8:15 and I always feed Sam at 6:45 before I went to work. Maybe it was her we can hope. I told my wife that baby ground sparrows leave the nest a lot sooner than martins and she had been watching them for over a week so maybe they just left and Sam did fly up to the gourds that day. Their nest was still there as if nothing happened to them. I really don't know if Samantha was a male or female that's why I named the bird that because the name works both ways. I hope Sam is flying as she had a disire to live and I had a desire to see that she had a chance. Bluetick Dave

taxidermy lady · Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:52 pm

Dave that is a wonderful recovery job! Your Sam's hero forever

bluetick · Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:31 am

I hope that Sam is one of the ones flying. Got two new 16ft. poles and 24 gourds yesterday that I will have up by this week end Sharon so my birds will know I mean business for next year. This year I fledged 70 so far counting Sam and have 6 more to go. I am putting the units up so the birds will know the new housing is there. Bristol Ridge Colony has came a long way since one pair in 2012. Bluetick Dave

klcretired · Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:12 am

Hi Dave,
Glad you purchased more poles and Gourds...pretty soon you are going to have a Super Colony!!!!Keep on...keepin on brother!!!! More Power to Ya
your martin Friend
Kenny

taxidermy lady · Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:30 am

Yeah that's great, I feel the martins know you will be there for them!

I love hearing all about everyone's stories!

birdy girl · Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:48 am

Dave I sure hope Sam made it and comes back to your place next year. It is so amazing how these sweet birds wins our hearts and how much we do for these sweeties. You did a great job taking care of Sam. Such a sweet story of you and Sam. We are all going to be so lost when all martins leave our colonies for their southward journey.