HELP! I need young (wild) bird help...

[Flaxbee]

I just got a young, though not baby, bird away from a cat -- the bird's wings appear to be fine, as do its legs. A cat was just watching it in the grass -- obviously had caught the bird and was toying with it, waiting for it to move. It is a young bird - tail feathers aren't terribly long, but completely feathered. Just a juvenile, I guess.

Anyway - she just seems to be in shock. It is now night (I got the bird away at dusk) and I have put her in our platform bird feeder - can't bring her in because we have several cats of our own. I saw an adult of the kind of bird she is having absolute hysterics (how I found the cat/bird situation in the first place) in some trees nearby, but there's no way for me to get this young bird back into the trees - they're very tall and spindly, with no low or reachable branches.

What the heck can I do? I put water in the feeder (it's about 2 feet square, raised up on our deck railings - the feeder is a platform where birds can come and go -- very hard for cats to get to, but not impossible) and pulled some grass to put it around her, but she is just breathing hard and seems to be sleeping (eyes closed).

Do I leave her there tonight and hope she finds her way in the morning? Can birds learn to fly without their parent(s)? Will her parent(s) abandon her now that she's been touched by a cat (and me, though I had on soft gloves)? Help!

I know of no bird rehab places in this area -- have no idea who to call, we have no emergency vet clinics here.

[jilln]

1. Here's help

General info about bird situations:

http://www.animalconnectiontx.org/wildbirds.htm

Or, you can call this wildlife hotline - they will be there until 10 pm Central Time:

972-234-WILD (9453)

(If you can't call, I can do it for you and then post what they say)

How to find a wildlife rehabilitator:

http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=109

PS - It doesn't sound like the bird is safe in that spot. Can't you put it in a box and in the garage away from your cats or something?

[Flaxbee]

4. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

jilln - that was wonderful help. I just got back from delivering said birdie to a bird rescue specialist in my town - never even knew she was here. Thank you thank you so much, I really, really appreciate the help (and my husband is happy he'll be able to sleep tonight - I'd have never rested, worrying about the bird).

[jilln]

5. Yay!

That's great news. Glad to hear you had one nearby.

[BikeWriter]

2. Wildlife Rehabilitator Search

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

[Flaxbee]

6. thank you, BikeWriter --

I jumped on the links jilln provided and found someone local within about 15 minutes, and then less than a half hour later had delivered the bird to the rehabber. Phew. I'm going to bookmark all animal help links I can get, though, so thanks for your post.

[jilln]

3. Well?

Waiting to hear what you found out.