BIRDS - Injured; Rescued; Displaced; Surrendered

16/07/2025

I picked up this poor pigeon today who was hopelessly entangled in some twine.

Pigeons it seem are prone to 'stringfoot' whereby they get some string or even human hair wrapped around their feet and toes. Over time, if they havent been able to free themselves, it can tighten restricting blood flow with the pigeons often losing toes or even their whole foot.

This one it appeared had only recently become entangled so although it was unable to free itself, the string was still relatively loose around it's foot and leg. It was though vulnerable to predators as was found on the ground unable to fly with the string wrapped around both legs and one foot.

I was fairly easily able to remove it all and it luckily didn't appear to have any permanent damage to its toes or foot. Is now in care with us.

13/07/2025

I had a call about several rainbow lorikeets trapped in a narrow space between a fence and a shed. We unfortunately get quite a few of these types of calls. Somehow the birds go down the gap, then find they can't fly out as too narrow, and too slippery to climb up.

Luckily the residents heard the sound of them squawking and investigated and discovered that they were there. Sadly they were too late for one who had already passed away.

With the help of a ladder and a net with a telescopic handle, I was able to fairly quickly scoop each of the three living birds out who happily flew off as soon as they were out of the gap. I also scooped out the deceased one who was quite skinny, so had likely starved to death.

The residents already had a netting ready to seal the gap now that the birds had been rescued to ensure no more birds suffered the same fate.

11/07/2025

We were contacted today by someone who had an unknown animal trapped in their chimney. They had been hearing scratching sounds coming from inside it over the past 2 days, but had been unable to get access to it as the fireplace had not been used in 10 years and there was a large heavy plate sealing it shut.

They had tried various organisations to help - chimney sweeps had told them to try Pest Control. Pest control told them to leave the animal inside until it died. Wildlife rescue needed to know what type of animal it was before they would attend as would only come if native.

I agreed to attend to see if I could help regardless of what type of life I was potentially saving. Something had been trapped for 2 days, surely that's all anyone needed to know?

When I got there the sounds from inside the chimney was initially quiet, but as I examined the site to work out how to get inside, could hear a feeble scratching. With the help of my head lamp and some fiddling around I managed to move and drop the heavy plate down into the bottom of the fireplace to reveal the opening to the chimney. Looking inside it was stuffed full of twigs and debris. Kind of like a nest, but any creature nesting in there would have been unable to fly or climb back up the narrow metal chimney.

I started to pull out what was inside and found numerous bodies of dead birds in various stages of decay. Suddenly a living somewhat stunned looking bird also dropped down into my hand. It was an Indian myna bird (which is what I had actually suspected it would be). Exhausted but not injured. Not many Wildlife Rescue organisations would have attended if they had have known it was a non native bird sadly. But the lovely couple who called it in said it accurately 'Any life is a beautiful life worth saving. Thank you, we are so happy that a life was saved today.'

02/07/2025

Found in Werribee, this stunning Australian Ringneck parrot (also known as a '28 parrot', Mallee ringneck) was clearly lost and trying to get back home.

If you or someone you know is missing a similar bird we would love to hear from you.

30/06/2025

We were alerted last night to some domestic quails that were spotted huddling in an industrial part of Nunawading by a passer-by. I was unable to get there immediately as was caught up elsewhere, and not wanting them to potentially become prey to another animal, the passer-by kindly went back to try to contain.

Being quite flighty they unfortunately went under the locked gates of a pharmaceutical factory (along with a stray chicken that also turned up!!!) so were unable to be caught at that time.

There was nothing to do but wait until morning when we could get access to the factory once they opened and hope that they would survive the night. I went there this morning and immediately spotted two of the quails in the front courtyard. I went inside to speak to the receptionist to let her know that I was on-site and to ask if she knew anything about them. She seemed shocked and surprised and confused about what I was talking about. She walked with me to the window as I pointed out the quails to her then I looked down to the step by a side door and spotted the chicken roosting there. I pointed it out to her and she screamed in fright. I assured her I would catch them all then went outside to do just that.

Once the 3 were contained I looked around then spotted another nestled in long grass outside the fence. Caught it then spotted another couple in a side yard. After about 20 mins and getting access to another section of the factory, managed to catch 6 quail plus the chicken.

They weren't in great condition, so took them all back with me for a check over and a feed. They clearly were hungry and very thirsty. All a little skinny and weak but hoping will recover soon.

We hate to assume that being where they were found they were dumped, so hoping that if someone local has genuinely lost them, they would let us know so that we can reunite them. They would need to be able to provide proof of ownership.

09/06/2025

We received a call from a resident of a 7th floor apartment who witnessed a pigeon collide with his window and then land on his balcony. The pigeon appeared to be disoriented and had sustained a leg injury, rendering it unable to stand on one leg or fly.

Consequently, the resident contacted us for assistance. While we arranged for a rescue, the member of the public successfully contained the pigeon in a box, providing it with water and ensuring its safety.

Upon my arrival, I observed that the pigeon was underweight, suggesting it had been lost for an extended period and unable to access food. Fortunately, the pigeon had leg bands bearing contact information, which enabled me to reach out to her owner. The owner arranged to collect her later that day, and whilst in our care, she hungrily ate some food, which hopefully alleviated her distress.

Please tag or chip your birds to ensure that they can be reunited with you swiftly should they get lost and found. So glad this little one was, and is now on her way to recovery with her family where she belongs.

08/06/2025

08/06/2025

We had a call last week from an elderly woman who had witnessed two magpies having a battle in her garden the day prior that had then moved to her roof before finally one flew away. Since then though she had heard a continually scratching sound coming from one corner so suspected there was still a magpie up there and possibly trapped.

I climbed up my ladder to discover she was correct. A poor adult male magpie was stuck in the gutter under some tiles and despite obvious frantic attempts over the last 24 hours to free himself, was still hopelessly trapped.

It didn't take long to carefully lift a couple of tiles up then gently ease the poor thing out and secure in my rescue basket to be carried back down the ladder for assessment. He was completely exhausted and quite flat, unable to stand. Covered in hardened mud from the gutter his wings and feathers on one side of his body were stuck together and his shoulder had been scraped down to the bone with his attempts to get out from under the rough tiles.

I took him straight to the amazing team at Melbourne Bird Veterinary Clinic who always go above and beyond for our wildlife. By the next day I was thrilled to hear the bird had regained some strength and was now standing and eating on his own. There were no fractures however the wound on his shoulder was quite nasty so they wanted to keep him in a bit longer for treatment and to ensure it was going to heal to enable flight. Last reports was doing well.

07/06/2025

The perils of leaving a free ranging cockatoo unsupervised in your house for a few minutes......

01/06/2025

UPDATE: Sunny has been reunited with his family!

This cheeky scaly breasted lorikeet made its way into the Pro Shop at a Golf Course in Burwood then promptly sat on the shoulder of the lovely lady that worked there, clearly asking for help.

We have taken the little one into care who hasn't stopped eating since we picked it up. If you or someone you know has lost a similar bird, we would love to potentially reunite you.

26/05/2025

Help! We are at full capacity (actually over full capacity) of pigeons at the moment and urgently need to either find permanent homes or foster carers. Please contact us if you think you can help.