Abandoned or not? Magpie

[Owenfe]

Hope someone can help because its now been 3 days.
On sunday i heard a flapping in a huge oak tree at the bottom of our garden, caught in some brambles growing within it was a baby magpie, i managed to support his dangling legs and cut the brambles from his wings and left him on the tree.
Later that day i saw the baby in our garden hopping around freely. Mother blackbird sqwarked at me loudly so i went inside to watch. nothing, she flew onto the brick wall and just looked at the little mite.
The next day, there he was again calling to mum, again i saw her fly to the brick wall but not down to him.
We are now on the third day and the same thing is happening, do you think she is feeding him/her just not in front of me, or is she too scared to land in my garden. i cant put baby back into the nest as i cant see it and the tree is darn huge.
Can anyone suggest what i might do, the baby isnt the cutest thing in the world but heck its a life and i am a mummy myself!!!
thanks folks for any suggestions
Karen x

[Mark43]

Hi Karen and welcome to WAB.

Are we talking about a nearly fledged Magpie here........ie almost parent size or are we talking about a tiny no feathers baby.

[Barbara]

I experienced the same thing recently though not caught in brambles like yours, I found a young magpie on my decking, sat looking ever so sorry for itself, again I was like you thinking what shall I do, hubby said it's parents will come back to feed, but I was not so sure. I never actually witnessed it being fed but saw the parents either in the trees overlooking the garden or on the fence, and they were never far away. The next morning I found it sitting on a little branch overhanging the pond ever so close to the water and I was worried that it might drown and I walked up to it and it went onto the decking. It was in my garden for a week and each day was able to sit higher in the branches in the bush which it had made it's home. Eventually, it grew it tail feathers and was able to join it's parents. It came back a couple of times and I was able to take a photo of it which I have put on the Gallery. Hopefully your magpie will have the same happy ending as mine. Please let us know how it gets on.
Barbara

[Fritillary]

I think they should be nourishing the chicken, otherwise, it will be dying after 3 days there.
I had an awful experience one day. I crossed a field to go to my office and I saw a couple of magpies and a baby (he was feathered but still young) on the field. I though the baby had fallen down and the parents will be feed it, so I just crossed and I did not want to disturb them. 1 hour later I crossed by the same field, to see how things were happening and arghh sad surprise!

The adults had just killed the baby. He was still warm but death . I felt guilty because I did not take him with me before, but how could I know? I have heard that if someone see a chicken on the ground the best think to do is leaving it there, because if the chicken is taken, the parents could refuse to feed it because of the human smell. And for humans it is complicate to feed them because of their food requirements.

One day I raised swift babies, better said 2. One survived, the other died. I had to nourrish them every 2 hours with tenebrion bettles larvae. I had to kill them before feeding them because alive they could produce holes in their stomaches. It was a beautiful experience.

[Owenfe]

almost parent size, just not got the long tail yet.

[Owenfe]

I think you are right, I moved him into the garden next door, which is unoccupied at the moment so humans are not going in and out all the time, we were careful not to touch him (used a shoe box) Mum was in the tree above and cackling at us, once we left I saw her swoop down so hopefully she gave him/her a cuddle (grin).
Will check again this morning, but like the other poster said, he/she probably would be looking worse for wear now its 3 days. Will try and get a picture of the little thing, perhaps he/she will remember the human who used to leave it water every morning! - I did read somewhere that somebody had a pet magpie lol!
I agree that humans shouldnt really interfere, my daughter was upset, but i explained that it is natures way and the baby may be a weakling and be shoved out of the nest, but it is hard.
Keep your fingers crossed for us, and thanks for your replies, they have helped.
x karen x

[Kev Lewis]

The vast majority of birds have no sense of smell so handling a chick shouldn't be a significant problem. When birds are ringed by the BTO the parents don't reject the chicks and have you ever smelt inside an owl nest. IT STINKS so I'm sure they are glad their sense of smell is bad lol

[Owenfe]

Actually Kev, you have a point, chicks smell at the best of times lol! anyway, maggie is still there, she doesnt look any worse, we had to do Cat patrol a few times as we heard mum and dad cackling like crazy, so i am afraid one of our feline friends took a dousing with some water to try and put it off coming into the garden. Maggie cocked her little head and blinked a few times and crouched down, so we left quickly and then i heard mum above us in the tree again, so i reckon maggie is being cared for. We just now have to keep those cats away.
x karen

[Owenfe]

Sad news everyone, little Maggie has died. There is no sign of an attack by a cat as there are no loose feathers or marks on her body. Her eyes were closed too, so i think mum and dad had abandoned after all. After bursting into tears and getting all emotional, hubby offered loads of emotional support saying that we couldnt have fed it ourselves, and we couldnt have taught it how to fly and that it is natures way of getting rid of the weaklings, but heck, i did feel sad. Oh well, now just enjoying the two baby wood pidgeons and the new baby blackbird with white feathers dotted all over his body! at least their parents are with them all the time.
Thanks for everyones input. I shall be back as arnie says xx karen xx

[May]

Oh I'm so sorry. That's just tragic.