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What If I Find An Injured Animal
 This section of the website will help you should you happen to chance upon a sick, injured or abandoned wild bird.
There are a number of reasons why birds become sick, injured or abandoned and thus need our help. Most are the result of accidents; cat attacks and birds striking windows being two of the more common ones.
Capturing An Injured Bird
When you have decided to help a bird you should act quickly, even injured animals can move very fast and keep out of your reach. If the bird is small or very young catch it in one hand holding it firmly but gently, letting its head poke out from between your first two fingers. For larger birds such as crows or magpies grasp them in two hands around the wings and hold the bird out in front of you. The best tactic is to throw a towel over the bird which will prevent it flapping, plus the darkness will calm it down. Transfer the bird to a suitably sized box where it can be fed and cared for properly.
You may prefer to wear a pair of gloves when handling injured birds as some species can give a nasty nip at times. Gloves should definitely be worn when handling any bird of prey as the talons and beaks of these birds are very sharp.
Some bird diseases are transmittable to humans, however if you wash your hands once you have handled a bird the chances of catching anything are very small indeed.
First Aid
 A rescued bird needs to be kept quiet and warm. As mentioned before place your injured bird in a well ventilated cardboard box with a secure lid on it. Line the box with newspaper or absorbent kitchen paper to begin with, later if the patient survives you can move it to a larger home.
The most common injuries to birds are bone fractures in the wings and legs, muscle wounds, loss of feathers and shock caused by an accident. Some superficial injuries can be cleaned with mild antiseptic but most wounds and fractures are better seen by a veterinary surgeon. Your vet should also be able to tell you if the bird has any diseases and can advise on treatment.
Feeding Your Patient
Feeding orphaned and wounded birds is a messy, time-consuming but ultimately rewarding business. A lot of patience is required as small birds need to be fed every two hours or so from dawn to dusk and no fewer than 4 times per day. If the bird is very young it will not be able to feed itself and you will have to play the role of parent and push the food into the open mouth. Most healthy young birds will instinctively gape at the sight of food and you will just need to push the food down the birds throat (if just dropped into the mouth the bird may have trouble swallowing). If the bird is not gaping or if you are feeding an older bird that is not taking kindly to its new foster parent then you will need to prise the beak apart gently and feed it this way, it should then begin to accept you as its new feeder. The best thing to feed a bird with is a clean pair of blunt forceps or tweezers.
When the bird is full it will stop gaping. Young birds after they are fed will produce a neat faecal sac (droppings encased in a membrane). These should be removed with tweezers and discarded.
Small birds can be classified into 2 basic groups - seed eaters and insect eaters. Finches, buntings and sparrows are mainly seed eaters and can be fed a mixture of birdseed and canary rearing food. Robins, dunnocks, blackbirds, thrushes and tits are mostly insect eaters and a substitute food must be found. 'Milupa' baby food available from chemists is a good alternative, puppy food or meal worms from a pet shop can also be used. In all cases where hand feeding food should be offered moistened and NO additional water offered as it is too easy to drown the bird.
Orphaned Birds
Many birds are thought to have been orphaned when they are spotted hopping across a lawn or sitting quietly under a bush. Most of these birds are in fact quite safe and well and in the majority of cases the parents will be nearby busily searching for food or sitting in a close tree waiting for you to go away. It is common for many birds such as blackbirds, thrushes and starlings to leave the nest before they can fly. If you do spy a young bird on your lawn keep an eye on it to see if the parents are nearby, if they are leave the bird alone as it is in the most capable hands with the adult birds. Only if you feel that the bird is in real danger or genuinely has lost its parents should you attempt to pick it up.
Release
The T.A.C.T Wildlife Centre's primary aim is to rehabilitate and release
wild birds when they are fit and able to return to the wild. This should also be the aim of anyone
caring for sick and injured birds. Ideally the individual should be returned to the spot where it was
found. Take your box or cage to the release point and leave it there for an hour or so before you
attempt a release. Preferably release birds into an area where you can keep a discreet eye on them
to check on progress once they are released. Many smaller birds will not fly too far at first and will
return to where they were set free if a regular supply of food is available for them.
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