HELP injured female martin
-
amethyst.aviators
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2022 1:44 pm
- Location: NC
I havent posted here is a long time. I purchased a property with a decades long purple martin colony, and I am not too knowledgeable even after a couple years here. Today I noticed a martin on the ground by the gourd racks. I watched it a long time and it would not fly off. I finally went up to it. Its a female with obvious head injury. Her head injury is at the back of the neck area. It is a little bloody and there is feather loss. Her one eye is swollen. She tries to fly but she gets her wings flapping nicely but no lift off the ground. I have her in my garage now in a plastic storage tub, with no lid. Oh, yeah, I have noticed a hawk the past 3 days so that might be the issue. I want to try to save her and I dont know how. I put dried meal worms by her and I cant describe it but its like she has no energy. I realize she may likely pass but at least she is safe in a garage where no hawk or stray cat will make a meal out of her. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you
-
Birdiegirl
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Sun May 24, 2020 7:03 pm
- Location: Scott County Kentucky
- Martin Colony History: 34 cavities (combo of T-14, barns, and gourds)
2020- Visitors
2021- 1 pair, 5 fledged
2022- 11 pair, 36 fledged
2023- 20 pair, 78 fledged
Keeping her safe indoors is smart. You should try and find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Either call your state DNR or or PMCA has a list of licensed rehabilitators on their website at the following link:
https://www.purplemartin.org/purple-mar ... red-birds/
Hope you can get her some help, do keep us posted.
https://www.purplemartin.org/purple-mar ... red-birds/
Hope you can get her some help, do keep us posted.
Laura
PMCA member
PMCA member
-
C.C.Martins
- Posts: 2737
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024:
HOSP: 35 Starlings: 23
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 36 PMCA excluder gourds, 6 room trio mini castle with troyer tunnels and enlarged compartments.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024
PMCA member
Do you have a rehabber near by?
Dried meal worms will be good if you get some water to rehydrate them, best pedialite. Just dip them. She won't recognise it as food though. May need to handle her to get her to eat, touchy though cuz od the injuries. Rehabber asap if possible, its beyond what u can do.
Dried meal worms will be good if you get some water to rehydrate them, best pedialite. Just dip them. She won't recognise it as food though. May need to handle her to get her to eat, touchy though cuz od the injuries. Rehabber asap if possible, its beyond what u can do.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
-
amethyst.aviators
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2022 1:44 pm
- Location: NC
Thank you for the replies. I have tried to contact rehabbers in NC. I usually get voicemail messaging. One said they can't do martins. One said stuff that was excruciatingly obvious they do not get martins. For example, they had no idea they are insectivores. Also tried to argue with me its a fledge. Its not. I am 100% sure. I am not the smartest martin person, but I know the feather patterns. They do not know what you mean when you say you are a purple martin landlord and have a colony. What are "the gourd racks?" They said they'd take her, but they will not release her at a roost. I cannot retrieve her once healed to release here to live with my colony. They assured me she'd figure out how to migrate going solo. IDK.
I checked her, and she is doing MUCH better. I had placed this pine straw nest (yes, I tried to build a nest haha) in the tub, and put her in the nest. she is walking the tub now. She can move her head really well. She will turn and look at me when I speak softly. So the "no energy" bird that I had this a.m. has a some energy now. The left eye was swollen shut but its a bit better and its open. Her eyes are intact. The back of her neck has some feather loss. So that accounted for the blood but there is no deep cuts and wounds.
I checked her, and she is doing MUCH better. I had placed this pine straw nest (yes, I tried to build a nest haha) in the tub, and put her in the nest. she is walking the tub now. She can move her head really well. She will turn and look at me when I speak softly. So the "no energy" bird that I had this a.m. has a some energy now. The left eye was swollen shut but its a bit better and its open. Her eyes are intact. The back of her neck has some feather loss. So that accounted for the blood but there is no deep cuts and wounds.
-
C.C.Martins
- Posts: 2737
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024:
HOSP: 35 Starlings: 23
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 36 PMCA excluder gourds, 6 room trio mini castle with troyer tunnels and enlarged compartments.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024
PMCA member
Well!!!!!!! Thats better, feared the worst!
Ok, despite the no help rehabber, perhaps if you feel she can do well by herself....perhaps place her near the colony, elevated out of the tub so she can get airborne so she can see it, she may very well take off on her own.
If she is unable and weak, hate to say it but treat her like a chick jumper...gently pry open her beak with a fingernail and give her some soaked meal worms? She won't like it.
I'm relieved, and like the made a nest touch, well done
Ok, despite the no help rehabber, perhaps if you feel she can do well by herself....perhaps place her near the colony, elevated out of the tub so she can get airborne so she can see it, she may very well take off on her own.
If she is unable and weak, hate to say it but treat her like a chick jumper...gently pry open her beak with a fingernail and give her some soaked meal worms? She won't like it.
I'm relieved, and like the made a nest touch, well done
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
-
Martintown33
- Posts: 951
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:21 pm
- Location: Laplace,La
- Martin Colony History: Colony started in 1998. 2 s&k modified houses and gourd rack
Agree with Tom, if rehabbers aren’t a good match, since she’s trying to make a comeback, she needs some nutrition. Would be worth a try to feed her crickets or something nutritious, as you would a chick, and see if she gets strong enough to return to the colony. Really hope she makes it!
Rob
Rob
PMCA member
Laplace, La
Laplace, La
This sounds like the injured Martin I found a free weeks ago. Methinks a hawk would do more damage than what you’ve described. I blame sparrows or starlings or maybe even other martins, though I’ve never seen it happen. They are very competitive for the holes in my one box unit.
Sounds like you’re doing well enough. Keep it up.
Sounds like you’re doing well enough. Keep it up.