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I've just caught a little game bird of some description in my garden, it looks healthy, but abit scared as the cats chased it into a window, so for it's safety I've put it in the spare chicken run. But i haven't got a clue what it is, my camera is somewhere where George only knows, so I can't even put a picture up. It is hand sized, and light brown on it's back, long(ish - couple of ") tail feathers which are sort of a gingery brown colour and has a white chest with black flecks on it.

I know it's not:-

Pheasent
partridge - I've read that they are about 15" but this must be smaller than that, it was holdable in one hand

could it be a quail? if so could it be kept for eggs? or if I release it what kind of environment would I be looking for, I really don't want to just let it go as there are so many cats around here and if I'm not going to eat it, I don't want them killing it for fun.

If we were to keep it even short term till I find somewhere to release it it is in a fair sized pen, has plenty of overgrown areas, that it is currently hiding under, has shade and water, if it stops kicking over the bowl, and I've put some corn in there, is there anything else it needs?

Help!!!

Sarahx

Grouse? http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/searc ... b&fr=moz35

ok got the camera on mobile to work, scared it out of the shrub and then kept my fingers crossed, it's the best i'm going to get.

clicky pic:-




colours are true to life!

Sarahx

I may be completely off beam, but that looks like a young cuckoo to me. If it is, you need to let it go as it's time for it to migrate.

Mike

having found the advantage of the baby not sleeping last night means he has a long nap this morning, therefore giving me time and the web searching skills of SPS, it looks like I have a baby red legged partridge in the run.

Now it begs the question take it somewhere away from the high population of cats to give it its best chance or look up garnish recipes?

Sarahx

Yep - you're right. I was way off beam after all

Mike

MKG wrote:Yep - you're right. I was way off beam after all

Mike

Congratulate SPS she was the one who suggested/found it, it is really really cute though so sort of need to get rid before the kids get home tomorrow as otherwise they will want to keep it as a pet, in fact I'm finding myself keep popping down the garden to see it and have a chat to Eloise.....thats bad when I've named it, isn;t it!!!!

Sx

Do you live in the heart of the countryside or in suburbia? It needs to be released but away from a built up area. In the meantime if you have some garden bird seed or chicken pellets or wheat you could give it that. Whole dried corn kernels may be too big for a baby bird - and it's only just fledged by the looks of things as it is still covered in baby feathers.

Having said that I had an adult one visit my garden every day for several months at a previous house - everyone who walked past my garden used to stop and stare at it in amazement. It loved eating the seeds that fell off the bird feeder. We did have countryside around but there were fast roads and housing estates (not English style but posh French style) as well, as it was on the edge of a little town.

It seems happy in the undergrowth at the moment, I've called the rspb just to see what it should have and they say that the size of pen that it is in should provide it enough grubs to be ok today, but it can have the corn just as an extra, so I've put the smallest bit in, it hasn't touched it as yet though.

They did also say release it where it is, but in all honesty if I was going to let a cat kill it I would have left my cats out to have it this morning, I didn't because I didn't want it dead! I know that releasing it will put it at risk of foxes, but then that is the natural chance it would have, and they would want it for food, not just to play with, we are on a housing estate, but Newmarket is surrounded by farming and obviously horse stables, so there is plenty of open land and little woods, so we will take it there, rather than letting the local tom cats get to it!

Sx

Normal advice would be to release a baby bird where it is because the parents may be around looking for it, but when faced with a choice like you've got I think you are going to do the right thing releasing it out in the countryside. I suppose it has a 50/50 chance of surviving in the wild (well actually I don't have a clue and I'm just making that up!) but probably less than that in suburbia with cats everywhere. I hope it will be OK, as they are really beautiful birds. Keep us posted!

I thought that about baby birds too, but supposedly as soon as they can move they are off from the nest and fending for themselves, so according to the rspb, and a couple of web sites there won't be a worried mother anywhere!

I've also not heard any out of the normal bird calls in the area and have been out in the garden on and off for the past week, even today after the cats were away I've had the door open and not heard any obvious calls for it

Sx

Well quite a lot of young birds are still fed by their parents even when they are able to fly and supposedly fend for themselves, as I watch with interest all the youngsters here flapping their little wings and opening and shutting their beaks waiting for mum or dad to bring them food - even when it's just some seed off the bird feeder which is all around them on the ground anyway! It makes me laugh - generally it's blackbirds, magpies, chaffinches and sparrows that I see doing that, also I've watched baby swallows doing this sitting on the telephone wire outside my house.

But you haven't heard any calls and I'm not sure about this but aren't partridges ground nesters? So it won't have fallen out of a nest so I guess it's flown off or wandered off of its own accord and hopefully all will be well. Fingers crossed!

YAY!

I can thank my Dad for my bird identifying skills as he dragged myself and my sister around all over the place looking at birds when we were young... and I do mean the flying variety