Ive got a sick blackbird i saw him at my bird table he was looking a bit bald around the head, the other birds don't like him they attack him he flys off,yesterday morn i found him sitting on the bird table with his eyes closed i was so close i could have picked him up,he opened his eyes and flewdown on the grass and hopped behind the water butt,i left some food near him and left him, later that day i took more food and water as he was still there in the same spot ,he did look a bit brighter,i hope he lasted the night ,as i said we take him to the greenhouse were its more sheltered, this is the second weired looking bird with the no feathers on the head, anyone else seen odd birds and what should i do to help as we have cats in the area.
It sounds as if he may be a bird who has lost his mate and/or territory and he's moulting hence the baldness.
They are very partial to sultanas if you would like to offer him a treat - I buy the economy ones that Tesco and the other supermarkets sell - 84p for 500g.
Birds are worn out by the breeding season and you see them sitting under the hedge one day and dead the next - your boy may be OK but he will need his own territory or he will struggle to survive and find food in the winter.
I saw the sick blackbird this afternoon,he flying about fine looks ten times better, I put out sultanas and dry porrage oats they went down a treat :toothy10:
:blob7:
Hurrah!! I just love it when you manage to "save" a bit of the wildlife we share our lives with :happy7:
It is so rewarding!
Well done. Porridge oats are an excellent, and relatively cheap, bird food which I mix in with seed and peanuts (which I crush). It's particularly good in springtime when birds are feeding their young.
Don't forget to soak dried fruit before you give it to the birds :happy7:
Its Just stressed out,it puts that much work into looking after its young it has no time to look after itself
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291100/The-blackbird-thats-bald-coot.html
Shortly after I wrote my post a friend phoned up to ask us to look after a very small collard dove.
We've never looked after such a small bird before so the tips on this thread will be useful, Thankyou.
Love the bald blackbird :happy7:
Hi,Pumpkin hope your wee dove is not to ill ,We named the bald blackbird, Bag of Rags :sunny: Ive got a hedgehog using the plastic greenhouse ,he comes for his wee fed, he stayed one night Ive made a straw box just in case he wants to move in ,(the rents cheap)am to soft oh said ,well somebody has to be in this world :toothy10:
Good news for the baldie bird is that during winter black birds don't tend to be that territorial..often you can see many birds feeding in groups. So for time being he has opportunity to build up strength and grow some feathers..come late winter and he is in good order to get his own area to live in a new girl friend to live with..
It is good idea to give the bird some soaked up 'complete' dog biscuits..they have right amount protein in them and it will nutritionally help to grow new feathers...they will need that protein. Friend of mine who regularly rear blackbirds and orphan starlings use it to feed the birds with it and they love it.