Cranberry wrote:I know I shouldn't pick them up, but the trees were fell and it was raining hail so I didn't want to leave it laying there on the muddy ground. If it was a sunny day I'd just left it alone, no doubt.
I've concluded that it is a starling. I fet it lots of dog food (made soft by soaking it in warm water), and it seems to be really lively, but it can't fly at all, just sort of flutters then falls.
Cran, if they've fallen from the nest, at least from a US nest, you have to pick them up. Othewise they fall prey to predators. The best thing to do is put them right back in the nest. If the nest has been destroyed, you make a new one out of a butter dish or something, lined with moss or grass. This won't bother the parents one bit. You can even tuck them into the crotch of the tree, if there is a depression, and they'll be fine. Mom and dad will find them.
If they're old enough to start learning to fly, you may find them on or near the ground in shrubbery. They haven't fallen. If you put them in the nest, they'll hop right back out. It's ok in that case to put them in shrubbery where the parents can find them. They'll be fine.
If it was hailing, then you did the right thing. Tomorrow morning, you might want to see if you can find the parents and give him back to them. Watch for a while to make sure everything is ok. Look for any siblings he might have had. They might have gotten blown around, too.
He can flutter, but not fly, because he isn't ready yet. He may actually have been out of the nest before the storm, roaming around on the ground and in low shrubbery. He has good legs, it looks like, and his wings are getting there. Looks like he can hop and climb well. He may be flying soon.
I think if you can find the parents, he'll do fine outside with them. Probably doesn't need a nest anymore.
