FLEDGLING RESCUE...from a water tub!

I found this European Starling Fledgling floating in our cows water tub inside of our free-stall barn. I thought he was dead until I saw eye movement. His body and legs were stiff. I placed him outside in the sunshine, and the adult Starlings immediately flew down to see him. I checked on him frequently during the next 1 1/2 hours, noticing improvement with each visit. One time I picked him up to put a make-shift nest of hay under him and he grabbed onto my finger with his claws like it was a perch. I had to pull his claws off my finger, it was so cool! I went to get my camera and he was sitting up like this when I got back, which was a huge improvement. I watched him start to hop. At first he hopped into the pen with our very large bull, so I had to convince him that perhaps he should go in the other direction. He then hopped into the tall grass!

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/oi37​Xw

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/omPV​GH

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/o3zn​wx

Now that is a true lover of Birds, my lens hood is off to you Sandy! Saving the dreaded Orc/Starling, Bravo!

Well what a wonderful story and a happy ending too. Great job Sandy an nice images too!

Oldjackssparrows wrote in post #17031698
Now that is a true lover of Birds, my lens hood is off to you Sandy! Saving the dreaded Orc/Starling, Bravo!

Thanks Bret...you are so funny! I just can't discriminate against any bird...even the mean ones!

butterfly2937 wrote in post #17031725
Well what a wonderful story and a happy ending too. Great job Sandy an nice images too!

Thanks Carol. I took these with my 24-105 lens, assuming he wouldn't be up and about. I was pleasantly surprised when he recovered so quickly. These photos were taken less than two hours after I pulled him out of the water.

Great story and shots Sandy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done - let's hope he made it - nice shots too!

TedEllis wrote in post #17031857
Great story and shots Sandy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mlc wrote in post #17031882
Well done - let's hope he made it - nice shots too!

Thank you Ted and Mike. I hope he survived too!

Luckily he was floating like a duck so his head remained above water, otherwise we all know the outcome would have been different.

Who knew that Starlings floated? Nice story and cute photos, Sandy

Snydremark wrote in post #17031940
Who knew that Starlings floated? Nice story and cute photos, Sandy

Thanks Eric! Lucky for him, he knew it!

Great story. Nice shots.

Always great to hear a story with a happy ending! Great job Sandy, & great shots too. We had to put a long cotton lead shank in our water trough because the squirrels kept drowning

Very Nice Sandy, You changed the course of history for that little one!! hopefully he will heed his good fortune and be an upstanding Starling in his community, lol

Nice set. and story.

Good for you Sandy, he's one lucky bird!

Peter2516 wrote in post #17032702
Great story. Nice shots.

Thanks Peter.

CMOats wrote in post #17032868
Always great to hear a story with a happy ending! Great job Sandy, & great shots too. We had to put a long cotton lead shank in our water trough because the squirrels kept drowning

Thanks Cheryl. I actually started putting out a pan of water for the squirrels and chipmunks after I found one floating in my horses water bucket. The birds prefer the pan to the bird bath.

Pondrader wrote in post #17032907
Very Nice Sandy, You changed the course of history for that little one!! hopefully he will heed his good fortune and be an upstanding Starling in his community, lol

Thanks Jeff...we can only hope!

bigjohninva wrote in post #17032980
Nice set. and story.

Thanks John!

Wallace River wrote in post #17032991
Good for you Sandy, he's one lucky bird!

Thanks Ian, and yes I think he was pretty lucky too! Right place, right time! (Though it was the wrong place for him when he fell in the first place!)