Do you want to see a baby goldfinch

[SherryBaby11]

I was out walking my dog yesterday and saw it struggling in the weeds trying to hide from me. Far too young to be out of the nest, suspect a cat disturbed it or something. Picked it up and it just snuggled up into my hand.
It was SO cute!
I've taken it to an elderly lady I know who rescues/rehabilitates injured or sick wildlife, she thinks it'll be okay :)

Yes it’s been a fair amount of time but I think you should put it back where you found it and hang around, chances are the siblings are still in the area being fed by the parents. They will start feeding it again when it starts chirping.

@SherryBaby11

I have started leaving dandelions to grow in my lawn. I then get the pleasure of watching goldfinches eating the seeds from the stalks.

truly beautiful birds.

Both me and the rescuer lady have worked in animal rescue for years
It was far too young to be out of the nest and couldn't have survived where it were. It had superficial puncture wounds from a cat or similar and needed antibiotics.
Plus it was in the road, nowhere parents would have put it.

As a rule, nestlings don't have tail feathers yet, and may not yet have their eyes fully open. This one didn't have its eyes fully open and no tail feathers.
Fledglings yes, I'd leave, they have both.

Op I breed finches amongst other birds, and that is 100% a fledgling, not a nestling. I’m surprised you don’t know the difference if you are an experienced rescuer. It’s eyes will have been open at around 6 days old, and it would have still been bald/fuzzy at that age. If it was injured and needed antibiotics then it was fair enough taking it. But that bird is definitely old enough to be out of the nest, going by that photo I’d put it at almost 3 weeks old.

Also sorry to hijack the thread but look who’s just made an appearance ❤️❤️

Sadly I agree, and OP you say it was hiding in the weeds then it was in the road. You were obviously trying to help which is really kind but hopefully you have learnt something from this.
As others said, if it was injured of course get it help otherwise leave alone.

It did have superficial wounds/scratches.

I'm not sure what ' you say it was in the weeds then in the road ' means, I'm not making it up about where I found it.

Eyes look fully open in the picture like. Probably would have been best if you’d explained it was in the road and had obvious injury’s in the first instance.

it is very cute.

But yes, bird parents push the babies out so they can learn to fly

Yes sorry I'm afraid you should have left the bird where it was. The lady who you took it to should have told you to take it back where you found it. I work at a vets and have this happen all the time at this time of year. Unless the bird is injured or in immediate danger, we say leave it alone.

Have a look at the attached for information of what to do with baby birds.

Did you forget you posted a picture???? We can see it has its eyes open
It is very obviously a fledgling, it doesn't even have the fluffy down feathers and it is sitting perfectly perched on your fingers.
You screwed up and are now trying to say you 'rescued' it because it had puncture wounds, surely you'd have mentioned that in your OP?
At least own your mistake.

You stated it was in the reeds in your OP then changed it to in the road when pps questioned you.

*weeds

The ops clearly realised she’s fucked up. She’s now lying to cover her tracks instead of just admitting she made a well intentioned mistake. Hopefully she knows better now

Apologies, I was at work.

I actually don't think I 'fucked up'. It was in a very unsafe place (even if the parents were feeding it, which I doubt, as I don't think birds would dump their fledgling where it was.

Weeds and roads are not mutually exclusive-I apologise for not specifying the exact location, I did think I had put enough information in the OP but if others disagree, it is a road next to a large open space, it was in some weeds at the SIDE of the road but still on a road nonetheless. The rescuer I took it to agreed it was too young to be out of the nest (she also said it was dehydrated, I apologise for not putting this detail in the OP but I suppose that's going to go against me too now).

Even if both of us were wrong, it is safer now than where it were. I am happy with the decision, It's alive and will be cared for and released like the woman has done many times before.

Cool story bro 👍

If it was in an unsafe place it should have just been moved to longer grass/under a bush etc. Your need for “such a lovely feeling” doesn’t trump that of the poor bird and it’s parents.

Who is this ‘rescuer’ who doesn’t know the difference between nestlings and fledglings and where the hell does she get antibiotics from? 🤨

God almighty, only on Mumsnet would someone get told off for rescuing a bird. You did a good thing OP, don't feel you have to justify it any more.

We had a nest of finches in our garden. The fledglings were no bigger than that when kicked out the nest. They'd be left for an hour or two at a time by the parents but that's normal. I agree with pp you should have left it unfortunately, and it does sound like you're changing the story to justify taking it.

It didn’t need rescuing. And she would have been ‘told off’ by any legitimate wildlife rescue, or anyone with the slightest knowledge about birds. She’s changing the story every time she’s questioned. It’s not a nestling, it’s well beyond the age where it can safely leave the nest, it’s eyes are wide open and has been for approx 2 weeks, and if it was in an unsafe area then it should have been moved to where it was safe. It’s clearly a healthy bird she’s found in some weeds like she said in her first story, until she changed it to it was injured, had puncture wounds from a cat, was dehydrated and in the road. And this clueless ‘rescuer’ sounds like she shouldn’t be anywhere near an animal 🙄🙄

She didn’t do a good thing though, she just thought she did a good thing. It’s just a shame for that bird and it’s parents, that’s all.

As @Ihatethenewlook posted she has drastically reduced its chances of survival. Even if it successfully leaves the ‘rescuer’ it knows nothing about the outside world as it’s mother hasn’t had a chance to teach it anything.

Okay, I am going to ignore the bird thing now and say that some of these points are just ridiculous.

Yes, I said I found it in some weeds in the OP. I also said in the OP that I think a cat had had something to do with it.

I didn't say 'it was in the weeds in a forest' or 'it was in the weeds in my garden' or 'it was in the weeds underneath the mushrooms in my washing basket' I just said it was in the weeds. I didn't specify where said weeds were-so no, I haven't changed the location of the weeds and where the bird were found.

Also yes, I didn't specify wounds, but what would you think I meant by I suspected a cat had it? It had a collar around its neck or 'property of the pussy' written down its beak in small letters?

Had I moved it to a 'safer' area if the parents had have left it unsafe, they may still not have known where it was. It was a fairly rural road, but still cars come down it (and yes, weeds grow at the side of roads,read it and weep if you've never had the experience of that).

I did say I thought it wasn't right in my OP as in I said I think a cat had had it-I'd have never picked it up otherwise.

I didn't say the rescue-running lady had said it was dehydrated but would probably be okay-more fool me for not reiterating the entire story.

And no, I am not driving to the next town to accost the bird rescuer who agreed it were too young to be out of the nest, and tell her I must go and re-deposit it in the road, because there are more important things in the world (and in my world).
good day to you all :)

@SherryBaby11 brilliant😁