OMG ....another one bites the dust

Seren_2

Not sure if this should be in the threads for pets or this one.

Since last Monday I have had 2 collar doves drop dead in my garden, one was looking very ill when I got home from work on Monday, he died later, then Tuesday a.m. another was dead on one of my lawns in my back garden and this a.m. another one was on my patio, it did not look well I walked up to it and it just stood there, I went back to it later and it had only moved a few yards, I left it some food and water, but I have a feeling it has died.

Then I heard alot of flapping of wings in the shrubbery part of my garden, could not see it but it didn't sound like a small bird, it sounded like a bird in distress.

Should I contact the RSPB or RSPCA, does anyone know if there is a virus going round? hopefully not "The bird Flu".

sleepymy

I would contact someone about it, doesn't sound too good. Must have been quite upsetting for you!

Seren_2

Yes, it's been very upsetting, especially when you are close to them and they do not/cannot fly away, you know something is wrong, they are beautiful birds.

sleepymy

I had a little starling fledgling in the garden the other week. It didn't have the sense to fly away from the cats fighting on the fence near it and I was worried all day that it would get killed. Birds are such inoffensive creatures to most people, it can be very upsetting when they die in your garden I can't imagine how upset you must be. I'd probably be gowling, but then I'm a sucker for anything with fur or feather.

It might not be disease, it could be that a neighbor has possibly put down something (accidentally hopefully) which has poisoned them. I don't mean to be upsetting you further, just showing that it may be an alternative to disease.

Debt_Free_Chick

Very odd .... it does suspiciously sound like poisoning

jaxxy00

Sorry to hear of this, although i have no idea what is causing it. Perhaps you could phone the RSPB and see what they say, let us know.

Ive just come on here (and will be doing a new thread) to find out if theres anyway of stopping sparrowhawks from diving down and grabbing the birds out the garden. Poor things. Its happened 3 times now in the last few weeks. It happened again yesterday and it took a sparrow.

Seren_2

Someone told me today that birds usually go to the woods to die, but she said collar doves tend to stay around houses, she said she has had two die in her garden, not recently and not in the same week, but over years.

I wondered if there was some poison somewhere.

Debt_Free_Chick

jaxxy00 wrote: »

Ive just come on here (and will be doing a new thread) to find out if theres anyway of stopping sparrowhawks from diving down and grabbing the birds out the garden.

Afraid it's nature's way. Just about every living creature has a natural predator. Nature sorts things out for itself - the food population for the sparrowhawk will not be fully consumed, as that would spell the end of the sparrowhawk.

Poor things. Its happened 3 times now in the last few weeks. It happened again yesterday and it took a sparrow.

I'm willing to be that the sparrowhawk is eating more than 3 times in a few weeks They take other small birds too e.g. greenfinches.

Mother Nature will ensure that an equilibrium is maintained. In the meantime, you can only marvel at the speed and accuracy of the hawk's hunting method.

A practical suggestion ... do you have feeders? If so, place them within a few feet of a hedge or tree, to give the small birds somewhere to flee to when the hawk approaches. Hawks like to hunt over an open area where they can swoop, without interference from other objects. If the feeder is out in the open, you are effectively offering the equivalent of a McDonalds Fly-Thru :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

jaxxy00

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

I'm willing to be that the sparrowhawk is eating more than 3 times in a few weeks They take other small birds too e.g. greenfinches.

Mother Nature will ensure that an equilibrium is maintained. In the meantime, you can only marvel at the speed and accuracy of the hawk's hunting method.

A practical suggestion ... do you have feeders? If so, place them within a few feet of a hedge or tree, to give the small birds somewhere to flee to when the hawk approaches. Hawks like to hunt over an open area where they can swoop, without interference from other objects. If the feeder is out in the open, you are effectively offering the equivalent of a McDonalds Fly-Thru :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I had to smile at your last comment, but yes the feeders have a large snowball bush within a couple of feet and a large climbing jasmine and honeysuckle about 3 feet away in the opposite direction.

I thought about it after and yes they are probably catching more birds but were just not here to see them. At least we have helped in the production of the sparrows and starlings (helping with nesting, food etc lol, its the neighbour with all nesting boxes) as they have had many babies and i think its those that are getting targetted.

Primrose

Do you have a problem with rats in your area? It;s possible that somebody is putting out birdseed which has got rat poison mixed with it to kill the rats and the birds have possibly eaten it too. If they have ingested rat poison the only way you can lure birds away from it is to provide a bird table with a covered roof and put seed down there, where they can feed safely. Once they know where to come and feed they will come every day. But the are generally quite nervous birds and it will take a while before they get used to coming to a bird table.

Seren_2

I don't know if anyone has had rats recently, our neighbour had some a couple of years ago, they were nesting under her shed, the pest control came and put poison down.

I have a large lantern style bird feeder by my kitchen window, this is completely closed in and it holds a large pkt. of sunflower seeds, the collar doves use it, also lots of other birds.

Haven't seen any more ill/dead ones thank goodness.