I feel like a murderer

[ChickMagic]

Yesterday, 2 baby mourning doves fell out of their nest after a very bad, windy storm. I tossed some seeds at them - they were sitting on a stone planter. They didn't know what to do with them. So, I went around the planter and tried to catch them because they were cold (I have a heating pad in my office). Well, they flew up to a nearby tree - a short one. It took them a while to find each other, but they cuddled. They were having a bit of trouble perching.

Stupid me climbed up on the stone planter and tried to catch them. I figured that if I could keep them warm, I have baby bird food at home. Well, they flew to a much taller tree and I heard that one of them fell from the tall tree and died. If I hadn't been so hell bent on saving them, they might be alive now. :cry:

Why can't I just leave well enough alone??? :cry:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. aww dont be silly.

you did what you could. sometimes creatures die despite our efforts. thats not your doing.

:hug:

:loveya:

hope all is well with you.

[ChickMagic]

2. Things are bad all the way around

Thanks for the hug. I need it. :hug:

[elehhhhna]

3. honey, you did the best you could at the time.

you were acting out of love and respect--that hasn't changed.

Cut yourself a break.

[ChickMagic]

4. Thanks

I guess I'm reacting to my sadistic boss and even a patient outside said, "You must be the crazy bird lady." I had no idea I was infamous. I do wish I could have helped the little guy. I feel really bad for his sibling. They always found each other and cuddled.

[I Have A Dream]

5. Well, ginbarn, the only other alternative would be to never do anything.

We never know what end results our actions will have. We can only do our best, which you certainly did. You didn't act irresponsibly in any way, so you're not responsible for the unfortunate end result.

Please forgive yourself; I greatly respect what you did.

In reference to the crazy bird lady comments, who wants to be like everyone else anyway? The world needs more people like you, in my opinion.

:hug:

[ChickMagic]

9. I'm learning to cackle as we speak

I did my best, but I probably should choose my battles better. Thanks for the kind words. :hug:

[driver8]

6. You tried to help -- please don't beat yourself up!!

The world would be a much better place if more people cared like you do.

[ChickMagic]

10. I'll try not to

It's hard, though.

[stuntcat]

7. good heart

:hug: do not feel bad

[ChickMagic]

11. Thank you stuntcat!

:hug:

[alphafemale]

8. If he'd of fallen from the lower branch, the fall might not have killed him - BUT

He'd have probably been a meal for any roaming scavenger, that would have been a worse fate.

Nature's cruel. And sometimes relentless. You did the best you could.

[ChickMagic]

12. True enough

I've rescued many birds - mostly pigeons and cedar waxwings, but those babies got to me. What I did was out of love rather than harassing them for fun. In that, I can be proud.

[billyskank]

13. Unintended consequences

It's not your fault. But from things such as this we learn wisdom. :hug:

[ChickMagic]

15. You're right

I saw his sibling this morning and he has learned to eat seeds. Had I chosen my battles better, he would still have his cuddle partner. It made me cry.

[pitohui]

14. BABY doves can't eat seed, for future ref here is what you should do

okay, first, stop blaming yourself for not knowing everything about everything, there is so much mis-information in this society about baby birds that mistakes are inevitable, also, the one that fell from the tree almost certainly had an illness and it was nothing to do with you, mourning doves leave the nest well before they are "finished" as part of the natural fledgling process, healthy ones can catch themselves and flutter a little to break the fall

now for future reference --

when you find baby doves, you need to put them back in the nest they fell out of, they feed on pigeon milk, produced in the parent's crop, they cannot eat or digest seed, it would kill them anyway

second choice, if you cannot get them back in the nest, contact a bird rehabber to take care of them and get them the proper care so they can be raised and ultimately returned to the wild

i always do #1 with pigeons, except once, when i absolutely could not find the nest and the bird was clearly ill with thrush, most mourning dove nests will be found low and close to the house, such as in hanging baskets

in your case, the birds may or may not have fallen out of the nest, but from your description of how they knew to move together and cuddle, they were at a stage where the parents would be able and willing to search for them outside of the nest and continue feeding them -- i don't believe the bird fell because of you, i believe the bird may have already been ill or chilled or something -- there are a good many diseases that can affect doves such as thrush

i have pictures of healthy mourning doves who successfully fledged after leaving the nest in a very unfinished state, maybe someday i'll get off my duff and post them -- take home point is: i don't believe the baby bird fell because of you, falling and flapping is normal for them, recovering and finding the other dove sibling (they come two by two) is normal behavior too, so i think this little guy probably had some illness beyond your or anyone's control

[ChickMagic]

16. Oh, they were very nearly fledglings

I have baby dove formula at home (I do at times rehab animals). I put the seeds out to see how far along they were. They certainly weren't there yet. It was cold - mourning doves make really crappy nests and we had a huge storm that I'm quite sure blew them out. My thought was to warm them on my heating pad in my office and take them home to put in a breeder box and feed them with formula for a couple of days. They grow up FAST!

I saw his sibling back in his original spot (I never could find the nest - I looked all over) but he no longer has anyone to cuddle with. I just should have left well enough alone. Next time, I'll know.

I noticed that they were having a bit of trouble perching, which is why they prefered the stone planter. The bird that died went high into a tree, separated from his sibling. I think he was chilled combined with not quite knowing how to perch.

I've been rescuing critters all my life, so I'm not a novice. I did look for the nest for a loooong time. When they flew to a lower branched tree, they got in trouble with a territorial male. You should have seen the cuddling after that!

I had some fledgling jays - the darned things fledge on the ground with stray cats all around. The mom was attacking anything that moved. So, I went and got the fledgies and put them in a breeder box on my back porch. Mom found them and fed them to maturity.