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| From In the Garden |
The highs and lows of feeding birds and having lots of wildlife in your garden are many and varied. Sometimes I'm not sure if the highs outweigh the lows. We had a visitor here at Tiger Gardens when a cedar waxwing apparently broke its wing. I had just went to the backyard and came back and found this sweet little thing on the ground lying immobile. It was a mighty lucky bird the cats did not find it first, or worse yet BJ. Though luck might not be a good word as the wing is certainly broken.
The first thing I did was secure the bird in a safe place away from predators. In my case I put it in a old bird cage I had hanging around as a decoration. I then placed water and sunflower seeds in the cage. It was very thirsty and drank when I poured some water near its beak. I could not get it to eat so I then went and picked some blueberries from my garden. I read cedar waxwings are fruit and insect eaters but still could not believe it would not eat any sunflower seeds. I found it near the bird feeders so figured it was eating there. It is possible that if it was it may have been attacked by another bird and injured. So sad.
The bird enjoyed the water and seemed content for most of the day. It even drank on its own but would not eat any food. Sadly, the bird slowly languished and wound up dying. I wish there was something more I could've done for it but I'm not sure what one does for a wild bird with a broken wing. Kathleen of Kasey's Korner just had a similar experience with a baby flicker in her garden so I know I am not alone in dealing with wild birds in the garden. Does anyone else know what to do in these situations or have experiences with wild birds and injuries?
in the garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
