My Birdie Visitor / A C3D Story

If I were me, I would not believe the following for a second but since it DID happen to me I do believe it for it is all true. Promise!

So here it is....A C3D birdie encounter story.

Tuesday we were trying to take more tropical plants into the house before it gets too cold at night. Some plants needed to be repotted so I set up an area on the steps to the back door with pots, soil, water where my husband could sit and be domestic.

I dug out some banana plants and a palm or two and sat on the step to help place them into pots. A mourning dove flew down and started walking around on the patio searching for seeds. There were some seeds left where we had scattered the seeds our parrots rejected. The dove strolled about appearing to be not very concerned that humans were so near.

The seeds on the patio appeared too large for the dove to swallow so I backed myself up the steps and into the breezeway, (an enclosed porch/sunroom type thing), and took the last of the seed we had for our pet finches. Going back to the door I grabbed some millet sprays too and creeped back to my position on the back step.

The dove, a male with new feathers sticking out of his head making him look like part hedgehog, was very close to my husband. Had he stretched out his arm he could have touched the dove! I cautiously tossed some seeds off to the side to avoid frightening the dove. He watched as the food was scattered and slowly made his way to the feast set before him.

He picked the seeds up and swallowed them one by one by one. After several moments he stopped eating and shook his head. The seeds he had swallowed came flying out of his mouth. Hmmmm. Something must have gone down the wrong way and so he started to pick up seeds again.

Then he expelled the seeds he had gathered once more. He had a problem. He was unable to swallow the seeds. So we asked him if he had a problem. Asked him if he'd like to get caught and we'd try to help him. He just looked but did not answer.

We spent a good two hours watching the dove and talking to him. We went inside to set up our aquarium but left the back door open with seeds and water in the breezeway should he decide to come inside.

We checked many times during the afternoon and he did not come inside but stayed on the patio. Near five in the afternoon I did not see my dove friend. He must have left. I went out and started putting away our abandoned plant enterprises. As I finished putting away the pots I stepped back and nearly bumped into the dove as he now sat on the birdbath.

I asked him if he would let me catch him. No reply. He just stood there. He was within easy reach but I would have only one chance to get him. I asked the dove to wait a moment while I got a net to improve my chances for a successful catch.

I got the bird net and now he was on the patio again. I slowly approached him continuing my one sided conversation. He was walking away from me. Hmmmm. OK. I did not want to frighten him so I went and got some more seeds for him. When I came out he flew onto the roof and watched what I was doing.I left a bowl of seeds for him.

~~ Goodnight little dove. Stay safe!~~

This morning (Wednesday) I slowly opened the door to see if the dove was still around. Not only was he still around but he was huddled against the back step! I asked him if he would let me catch him. Again he did not answer.

I got down on my knees slowly and approached him from the step above. GOT YOU!! I could not believe it! I snatched a wild mourning dove with my bare hands! Wooooo hoooo!!

He was thin but I have seen worse looking birds. I offered him some water from a bowl and he drank readily. I put him into a carrier with a towel for traction, seeds and water. I took him to work this morning to see what was his dilemma.

Opening his beak there were many seeds. I scooped them out and saw the obstruction. A thick yellow plaque just at the entrance to his throat. It looked like semi dried oatmeal stuck to the top and back of his throat.

With a water soaked cotton swab I was able to remove about half the thickness of this plaque which prevented him from swallowing seeds. I tried to moisten the remainder but it appears to be firmly affixed to the underlying tissue. I soaked 4 more cotton swabs in antibiotic solution and soaked the mass with the solution after I had taken a sample for culture and analysis.

I suspect he has mycoplasma but the culture and analysis will tell. I mixed up some baby bird cereal for him, warmed it, and passed a thin rubber tube into his crop and he was fed.

I have fed him several times during the day with the baby food and the tube into his crop. He is more alert and active. He still tries to eat but the seeds do not go down. He is a pooping machine though! As I am typing this I can hear him calling his mourning dove song from the dining room.

LOL!! Doesn't everyone have a mourning dove guest in their dining rooms?

So far so good with the dove we named: Who. If all goes well he will recover and go outside and tell tales of captivity by a Chickadee. If things go in another direction at least he was warm, he was fed, no one hurt him and he was loved.

I will keep you posted how Who is doing.

C3D

Told you it is a difficult tale to believe!
But it IS TRUE!

What a story! and what a smart bird to take his problem to someone who knew how to help him

Fingers crossed that he makes a full recovery and lives to tell the tale to his great grand-eggs

oh wow
how nice are you to go to so much trouble for that little bird
i would do the same as i love my feathered friends too
yes please please do keep us updated on "who,s" progress
and could we have a few pics please as i don,t know what a mourning dove is

well done for being so kind :smt041 :smt041

That was such a lovely storey. Hope it doesnt end. Want it to have a happy ending, which will not be an end, but a start.

Well done to you.

How do you know what to do?

Oh, and very polite of you to ask if he minded being caught. Sure he would have answered had he not had the obstruction in his throat.

that is such a beautiful story - I really hope the bird makes it alright

That is a great story,and a wise bird,hope he recovers to tell all the other birds that live near you if you have a problem go see this nice person .

Hi TamT,

Chickadeedeedee is a vet in the USA so thats how she knew what to do
The dove was a very lucky bird when he wandered into her garden

Aww that was a lovely story C3D. He was a very lucky dove and I really hope that he makes it - he is in the very best of hands though Its nice that after all you and your family have been through the past few weeks that you still have time for a mourning dove (what is a mourning dove - is it like a solitary one or something ) that can't eat As if you needed any more doves anyway Don't forget to keep us informed of his progress, we would love to hear how he is doing

Hi C3D (again) just read the story on Birds, just lovely, asked if there were any piccies there too! Hope that Who makes a full recovery

Foxy, they are called mourning doves because they are dark under the eyes and look like they've been crying - hence - mourning (I think)

That's a really great story and really looking forward to the updates on little Who