Thanks Tūī team for your continued support of BirdCare's dedicated Nursery. These four have graduated from the incubators! They are now capable of regulating their own body temperature, are learning to feed independently, and are very chirpy!
Thank you for helping us provide specialised care to even the tiniest orphaned chicks!
This tiny tūī, the 13th tūī in our nursery so far, is just 15 grams. Thanks Simon Runting for yet another stunning photograph. It needs clinical care for another 1.5 months, until it reaches ~65-70 grams, can forage independently, flies confidently, and has fully water-proof feathers.
Tūī and starlings babies do look very similar when naked (pre-feathers). Fortunately, our clinical team can identify these birds with tell-"tail" give-aways: "their hairy tongue for nectar feeding, and they sound like little velociraptors (starlings have a deafening raspy call)."
This tiny Riroriro Grey Warbler chick was rescued from Red Beach, after it fell from its nest. This baby has a guarded prognosis. Photographed by Simon Runting
Tiny Warou, Welcome swallow have joined our Native nursery! Thank you to the wonderful rescuer from Waiuku who noticed their damaged nest, and brought these 10 gram chicks to BirdCare.
They are perking up with Catriona's patient tweezer feeds, photographed by Simon Runting.
Thank you for all your thoughtful donations, that enable us to raise these tiny chicks! <3
We have been receiving orphaned tūī chicks earlier than expected this year. This tiny hatchling is less than a week old. Found fallen from its nest, it is receiving pain relief and nutrient-rich syringe feeds. It is sharing an incubator (warmth and humidity) with a slightly older rescue- a nest-mate!
Thank you to all wonderful friends who have contributed to our Baby Birds appeal so far! Our nurseries are filling up, and your support means we can continue providing expert clinical care to baby birds, rescued from across Auckland!
I have just added some photos of new arrivals that came in to the hospital today
