Sunday, May 28, 2006
Bird in the vent
I've only been in my new flat a week, and a bird has managed to drop
into one of the wall spaces. I panicked a bit at first, thinking I had
a really impressive rat infestation, but rats don't make slapping,
flapping noises. Now I can hear it scrabbling pathetically against the
plastic grille on my wall vent. There's no way of getting to it from
outside (I mean it - it's a blank wall), and no way of getting the
grille off without destroying the vent (no visible screw holes or
anything, and nowhere to conveniently insert a Stanley knife).
The stupid thing is clearly injured and will die whatever.
Wot the blazes do I do? Let it die where it is, and hope it doesn't
smell too bad? Or do I make a mess of the wall in order to free it, so
it can die in the garden? It can't be that big - from the sound of it,
I'd guess it's a grownup starling or tit or somesuch. At the moment,
all I've done is cover up the vent so no light can get in, which seems
to have calmed it a bit. But it's been there at least a day now.
So in the meantime, it just scrabbles around at the bottom of a dark
hole waiting for death, like some ghastly metaphor for something.
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13 comments:
ring the RSPCA emergency service.
if it got in surely you can coax it out somehow. yeah, ask the RSPCA
Oh dear! RSPB? feed it some cheese?
where's Bill Oddie when you need him?
worms
Good advice, thanks chris. They couldn't tell me anything new or startling, but the girl at the RSPCA was adamant that leaving it there was a bad idea... so I've had another go at the vent and managed to get it off. Right now, the vent is open and I've left a cardboard box underneath it to catch the thing when it tries to fly out (unless it just flies off, in which case I'll be impressed.
Better go check on it, actually.
It was a starling, by the way.
Sounds like something from a Poe poem....
nevermore......nevermore.....
Poor guy. He won't eat if he's in the least little bit of dark. Most birds are daytime feeders. Unless you can manage to get him to come to the light he's a goner!
Well, in that case you'll be pleased to know that he's now perched on the edge of a cardboard box, looking rather bunched up but otherwise apparently okay. He managed to flutter that distance so I guess he can fly, and I'm just keeping an eye on him from the other side of the room. My wall is looking a bit scratched, though ;)
Oops, made it to the window sill. Poor thing, he's not quite an adult - that flying looks a bit inexpert. Now I've met him, I kind of hope he doesn't end up a corpse in the back garden...
Oh, there he goes.
all's well that ends well.... unless your cat catches him now in a weakened state.
sounds like a fledgling - perhaps mum is nearby in the garden. can you patch up the vent so you don't get more visitors?
Probably got in through a ridge vent or soffit. You might want to consider wadding some aluminium screen into openings that lead to your attic.
SHE may not come visiting you again, I hope.
I guess it's a bit late to suggest a fishing pole and some worms? Oh well, I guess your way worked too.
A trout in your vent?
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