help and advice please

joa · #1 (**permalink**) 14-10-2006, 12:36 AM

I`ve found a young bird swimming about today in my swimming pool .
It looks like a young little grebe . Luckily the pool was being shut down for winter so the chemicals were low and the pump switched off . I have no idea how it got there and if we approach the pool it dives and stays under for what seems like a long time .
A sparrow hawk came and perched near by so I was worried for the youngesters safety and the need to get out of the water so knocked together a small raft with a cover . Although interest was shown in my shelter the youngster was sheltering under the pool ladder .
I took this pic but its not good quality due to the ligh and distance .

could anyone advise what I should do . I am in Norfolk . uk.

Wild-Woman · #2 (**permalink**) 14-10-2006, 06:11 AM

As this is a wild bird and probably lost or exhausted I would ask for the RSPCA for help. If they don't come out, get hold of a wildlife rescue centre in your area and ask their advice. If you look in one of our forums there is a sticky for Wildlife rescue centres. If I knew how to link for you I would but I expect another member will do that anyway. It does look like a grebe and finding it in your pool must have come as a big surprise. There is always that chance, of course, that it will fly off itself once it has rested.
Good luck. Keep us posted. And lastly a very warm welcome to WAB. ww

Lincs Yellowbelly · #3 (**permalink**) 14-10-2006, 07:30 AM

At the minute i'd leave the bird alone and it'll probably clear off once it realises theres no food about

John · #4 (**permalink**) 14-10-2006, 08:17 AM

First of all joa a warm welcome to WAB

I think the bird is a Little Grebe (can't be 100% sure as the photo doesn't give much detail).

I would think the advice for leaving it for a while is sound advice. There isn't a food source in that pool and if the bird looks fit and healthy I would think it would move on, on its own accord.

If it looks like it isn't moving on then intervention is needed. Perhaps you could either get in touch with your local RSPB ( I don't know where you live so can't help there). Here is a link to the RSPB website and a search should get you contact numbers, or ringing the Lodge at Sandy would be another way of doing it. http://www.rspb.org.uk/

You could also ring your local RSPCA and if you don't know it then perhaps this link will help find it. RSPCA || Latest

Keep us in touch with how the Grebe gets on.

John

joa · #5 (**permalink**) 16-10-2006, 11:32 PM

Thankyou everyone for your warm welcomes ,help and advice. (sorry i couldn`t come back sooner but my pc was playing up.
Am not sure if the Little Grebe is safe or not as it was there at 7am the next morning but gone when I checked again at 8.15am.
I checked the piccies on this site and it did look very much like the juvenile little grebes - with the fluffy downie feathers etc. Am suprised to find such a youngester at this time of year and realisically can`t imagine it could fly .
On the plus points it did seem healthy and active and, although it is a swimming pool, I was due to empty it so the chemicals were neutral and there were some water boatmen swimming about . So there might have been a food source .