CLOSED: Baby bird

My son brought this baby bird home. Can anyone identify it for me please?

House Martin. Need to try and get it back in a nest with some foster-parents a.s.a.p. - the nests will be in eaves right above where your son found it. It might just be old enough that perching it on a wire near the nests will be enough; the parents will hear it and come to feed it.

Food: insects.

Resin

Thanks so much for the quick reply. Unfortunately the guy that originally found the baby bird lives in Longhirst and he took it too his work place in Morpeth, as he didn't know what to do. My son works there too and brought it home on Wednesday. Do I have any chance of getting it to fledge?
I put it in the pocket of my fleece dressing gown and I'm feeding it on mealworms soaked in a little water!

That is good food yes. Feed it as many as it wants to eat, starting as early in the morning as you can face getting up. I'd say it is probably at least 4 or 5 days away from fledging yet, and will still need supplementary food for a week or two after that while it learns to catch its own. At least its aerial insect-hunting is innate, you won't need to teach it to catch flies! But it will take a while to perfect its technique.

Resin

Many thanks, I appreciate the information given and will do all I can and hope all goes well when this little baby bird flies off in the big wide world.

This message was edited Jul 26, 2009 4:09 AM

Good luck with it Chris, I hope he manages to fledge ok.

Great info Resin!

Thanks Sue, will keep you posted :)

One other thought - might be best to chop the mealworms up a bit just before feeding.

Resin

What a sweet little bird, hope he makes it.

I have been chopping the mealworms up so that it can swallow them easily. Here is a photo I took today.

This message was edited Jul 27, 2009 4:43 AM

He has changed since I saw him on Saturday, looking good. Well done!