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I stumbled across this little fella while I was doing some yard work yesterday. I spent a couple minutes watching him go about his business and he was intent on checking me out to the point where he started crawling up my shoe. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me for that bit so these shots are from a bit later on when I was apparently interrupting a busy day of corning and snaking so he wasn't keen on letting me get a shot of him stretched out. Overall I'd say he was around 3 feet or so.   
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Apr 29, 2018 20:07
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| # ? May 20, 2024 21:07 |
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Potential BFF posted:I stumbled across this little fella while I was doing some yard work yesterday. I spent a couple minutes watching him go about his business and he was intent on checking me out to the point where he started crawling up my shoe. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me for that bit so these shots are from a bit later on when I was apparently interrupting a busy day of corning and snaking so he wasn't keen on letting me get a shot of him stretched out. Overall I'd say he was around 3 feet or so. 
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Apr 29, 2018 20:19
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A giant house spider has moved in to an empty flower pot outside. Been there for almost two weeks despite some rain. This is how they spend most of their time but I usually never find where they actually set up shop. 
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May 1, 2018 01:35
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I've got a reputation at work as some sort of animal whisperer so everyone brings critters to me, usually insects like big moths or the occasional praying mantis. Today someone brought me a baby bird. I took him into an office to see if he can fly and he can almost, but not quite, he can flutter and hover for a few seconds. Seems he probably tried to fly out of the nest and fell, and his nest is a good 20+ feet in the air on some overhangs at work, maintenance wouldn't allow the use of a ladder to put him back. What kind of bird is he, and is there anything I can do for him to get him that last bit to maturity so he can fly away and live a normal life?
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May 1, 2018 10:14
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Ideally he would be returned to the area where he was found if it hasn't been too long. Many fledglings leave the nest before they are 100% able to fly confidently on their own because remaining in the nest is dangerous (the longer they remain in the nest the more likely predators are to discover them as they get bigger and the nest becomes more fouled). They will spend a period of time living out of the nest but still with poor flying skills, hiding mainly in undergrowth while their parents continue to look after them and feed them and they practice flying. A lot of people find fledglings and assume they have fallen out of the nest and cannot survive outside it, and while that might be true for some (they might have been kicked out of the nest or a predator might have caused them to abandon the nest early or perhaps a storm), more often they have left the nest and are still being cared for by their parents. It's definitely a dangerous time for birds and a big reason why many don't survive to adulthood (especially since in urban settings, there is often little ground cover for them to hide in). If that isn't really feasible, I would recommend calling a wildlife rehab to see if they could take him. Otherwise you need to determine 100% what he is (I'm not comfortable enough to guess as I'm primarily familiar with European birds and fledglings can be challenging enough to ID) and then you can find out what the juvenile diet is. It's really difficult to raise many fledglings to maturity because their diet can be quite complicated. Some will only eat live grubs, some eat certain types of seeds, etc and some have diets that change as they mature. You might be lucky and at his stage of growth he can live off the type of crushed seeds found in bird food (there are several species of common song birds where if you see the parent is taking seeds from a bird feeder straight back to the nest, it's not a good sign and the chicks aren't likely to survive, but once they are a bit older and out of the nest they will sit on a feeder and yell at the parents to ferry seeds straight into their mouth like little cheeping emperors  )I'm not trying to put you off or criticise either you or the person who brought him to you - it's a very good instinct to want to save a helpless baby bird. It's just that often this time of year people find fledglings that have voluntarily abandoned the nest and remove them from the care of their parents, and we aren't very good at replicating all passerine diets and needs (of course we often come across fledglings chilling out in the open, which is dangerous for them, so moving them to a bit of cover nearby is ok).
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May 1, 2018 10:57
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Yeah, unfortunately in this case the nest is in such a location(right above where trailer trucks frequently pass under) with zero cover anywhere that it'd be totally hosed if it's as you suspect. Like it's solid pavement a quarter mile in every direction from there. And it's proven it can't fly well enough to get back up to the overhangs. Both management and maintenance personnel said they will not use equipment to return him to the nest as company policy. Might actually be policy, but is likely just they can't be arsed. It is quite active and vocal, it's going nuts in the box I have it in right now. It might've been kicked out of the nest, who knows. I want to say it's a common sparrow or robin. There's a single wildlife rehabilitator in my town, so I'll give them a call and hopefully they can take it. It seems to be a common sparrow according to the below image, though it does seem to have some skin problems which, if it was kicked out of the nest, may be why.  Also HOLY poo poo my hamsters are not pleased by its chirping, I had no idea it'd bother them that much. They are losing their poo poo in their cages. Guess it's going out in the hallway for now.
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May 1, 2018 11:25
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Yeah, I would guess house sparrow as they nest here as well so are common sights, but I'm not familiar enough with American birds to be very confident or know if there are juvenile look-alikes. It's a shame he can't be returned to the nest  He's probably so vocal calling to his parents for help. If it is a sparrow, they are one of the easier ones to raise so you could give it a go yourself if the rehab won't take him. Juvenile sparrows have a pretty diverse diet; they prefer live food but will eat seeds so long as they aren't too big.
Enfys fucked around with this message at 11:42 on May 1, 2018 |
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May 1, 2018 11:40
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Will they eat mealworms? If so, I can pop down to the pet store and grab a container. My hamsters will likely enjoy having some too.
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May 1, 2018 11:56
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They should gobble up mealworms like candy, so that's a good idea. A peace offering for your hamsters as well.
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May 1, 2018 11:58
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Perfect. I'll pick some up later today. Hopefully he'll be okay until then.
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May 1, 2018 12:01
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Definitely looks like a young sparrow. https://www.wikihow.com/Raise-a-Baby-House-Sparrow Meal worms should be fine. You may want to get some mineral dust while you're at the store. Young birds need to eat very frequently, so be prepared to deal with that. You also need to keep him warm. I'm pretty concerned that you'll come home to a sad sight.
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May 1, 2018 14:11
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Enfys posted:Ideally he would be returned to the area where he was found if it hasn't been too long. Many fledglings leave the nest before they are 100% able to fly confidently on their own because remaining in the nest is dangerous (the longer they remain in the nest the more likely predators are to discover them as they get bigger and the nest becomes more fouled). They will spend a period of time living out of the nest but still with poor flying skills, hiding mainly in undergrowth while their parents continue to look after them and feed them and they practice flying. A lot of people find fledglings and assume they have fallen out of the nest and cannot survive outside it, and while that might be true for some (they might have been kicked out of the nest or a predator might have caused them to abandon the nest early or perhaps a storm), more often they have left the nest and are still being cared for by their parents. It's definitely a dangerous time for birds and a big reason why many don't survive to adulthood (especially since in urban settings, there is often little ground cover for them to hide in). This is good to know and explains a lot! We had a nest of mourning doves in a hanging basket on our front porch, and recently we found the fledglings on the ground below, hiding behind a rhododendron bush, no mom in sight. We didn't move them but we did leave thema bunch of meal worms. Eventually we noticed their mom was hanging on a power line across the street and watching them, and I guess still coming down to feed them. This morning I saw one of them flying a little bit so they're almost there! alnilam fucked around with this message at 14:25 on May 1, 2018 |
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May 1, 2018 14:22
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It's possible. That said, I put him in the tub to see what he could do and he can really book it on the ground, and get about a foot off the ground when he jumps and flaps his wings. If he's not terminally ill it shouldn't take more than a couple days to get him going I should think, if he's able to get that high up. I put him in an old hamster cage with a little house which he alternates going in and on top of, and some paper towels. I have some sand too. I'll tear up some paper towels into strips for him to use as a nest I suppose. Edit: even if he doesn't make it that's okay. He faced certain death in the UPS parking lot from either hundreds of trucks or the half dozen feral cats that live on the property. No cover, no protection, he would've been toast. So this at least gives him a chance. Captain Invictus fucked around with this message at 14:35 on May 1, 2018 |
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May 1, 2018 14:23
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Keep us updated! Also you're awesome for taking the little lady (?) in.
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May 1, 2018 15:18
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He died. I think the mother kicked him out of the nest because he was sick, he had feathers missing in multiple spots, and he died in less than 12 hours after rescue. He gobbled up mealworms but I guess he was too far gone. Poor little guy.
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May 1, 2018 22:21
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May 1, 2018 22:26
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Thanks for giving him a chance and saving him from being squished or eaten. I'm sure he enjoyed those mealworms 
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May 1, 2018 22:30
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Thanks for trying, Invictus! Little birds are so, so fragile. 
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May 2, 2018 02:33
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I caught a jumping spider in the kitchen and before I let her go I seasoned some flies with the bug-a-salt and fed her one that was still kicking We are bffs now. Also, the bug-a-salt is amazing and everyone who lives in a swamp should own one, if only to prepare meals for your spider friends
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May 4, 2018 17:48
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 Qué es esto? Florida near Tampa Bay in a Gulf inlet. It caught a fish out of the water.
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May 4, 2018 18:11
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Little green heron.
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May 4, 2018 18:25
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Green Heron!
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May 4, 2018 18:46
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Thanks!
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May 4, 2018 19:52
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Aaa I had a visitor at my bird feeder that I've not spotted in years!!    Male rose-breasted grosbeak. I really really hope he starts making regular appearances!
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May 5, 2018 02:54
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whats this? kill it with fire y/n
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May 5, 2018 21:28
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It looks like a moth pupa. I couldn't begin to tell you what kind but it might turn into something pretty!
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May 5, 2018 21:41
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  Lifer Diadophis punctatus edwardsii 
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May 5, 2018 21:56
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Aaah what a beautiful animal!!
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May 5, 2018 22:13
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Potential BFF posted:It looks like a moth pupa. I couldn't begin to tell you what kind but it might turn into something pretty! maybe I will keep it in a cage until it molts to see
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May 5, 2018 23:50
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Minesweep posted:maybe I will keep it in a cage until it molts to see Good idea, we'd all be really interested! If you do, please check out this care guide to give your new buddy the best chance of emerging healthy and strong  I know it says it's for butterflies, but it should be relevant to anything that might come outta there. Good luck!
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May 6, 2018 14:02
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vaguely posted:it should be relevant to anything that might come outta there. 
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May 6, 2018 17:51
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Wow, a Gnomoria avatar. Huh. Haven't thought of that game in.......well, since like 2 months after it came out. I went out to make some dinner and heard some buzzing and banging on the window. Figuring it was a fly or yellowjacket, I readied my trusty swatter. But no, it was a bumblebee! It was weakly bonking against the glass before resting on the sill. I let it crawl on my hand and it tried to drink my fingers with its proboscis. I gently let it out on the outside sill to rest until the rain stopped(after about 5 minutes of it stubbornly clinging to me and crawling in between my fingers so I couldn't easily get it off my hand). A few hours later I looked and it was still there, so I made some sugar water and got it back on my finger. I set it back on the outer sill, again after much protesting since it seemed to like the warmth in the crook of my hand, and after a few seconds of cleaning itself it flew up, hovered back and forth a bit, and took off. Godspeed little guy! Here's some awkward photos as in most of them I tried to both take pictures and also feed it at the same time. Only one photo had the proboscis visible, without the flash. It drank a surprising amount of the sugar water.    and here's the little cutie cleaning itself   
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May 6, 2018 21:21
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Looks like Bombus vagans. Thanks for taking care of her!
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May 6, 2018 21:51
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the yeti posted:
Oooh where'd you find him?
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May 6, 2018 21:52
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Mak0rz posted:
I've mentioned it before but I have a massive bumblebee nest that is underneath my driveway and extends under the basement which has a partial dirt floor (the house is like 170 years old) where they sometimes get in through. Every spring bumblebees occasionally get stuck in the house or basement, sometimes I'm lucky enough to find them before they starve to death.
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May 6, 2018 21:53
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Yay for saving bees! I love how ticklish bumblebees are when they slurp a bit of sugar water off you It's been a horrible, cold wet spring here, so growth has been delayed. I'm seeing bumblebees around, but I would guess they're struggling this year as not much is flowering yet.
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May 7, 2018 12:20
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El Burbo posted:Green Heron! I keep expecting this one to extend itself like in that one gif. I was out and found a bunch of what looks like salamander young!  Look at those ear sprouts! It looks like a massive bunch of baby axolotls. So many colors too, the frog/toadlings I find tend to be single color only for the entire mass.
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May 7, 2018 13:26
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Timberman beetles that appeared instantly after felling a tree. 
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May 8, 2018 08:29
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I couldn't get close and digital zoom sucks but there's a woodpecker couple nesting in a tree behind my store and I finally saw the baby today! The adults were much higher up in another tree kind of watching it and making woodpecker tweeting noises.
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May 10, 2018 19:07
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I went for a hike along a coastal forest ridge yesterday and it was apparently black snake basking day i think this guy may be a rat snake? he was extremely chill and didn’t really pay much attention to us as we walked right over him. I’d guess he was 3’ or so  this guy, on the other hand, was very wary and kept his distance (as did I). I have a hard time telling black rat snakes from black racers but I thought this guy might be the latter? My friend thought he was some kind of rattlesnake at first because if you look closely his tail tip is exposed vertebra. He also seems to have quite a bit of scarring along the rest of his body, I’d guess he was about 4’ or so. If anyone could help with ID id be appreciative! this was in coastal ct
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May 11, 2018 01:42
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