Went fishing yesterday and was dismayed to find that the nest made by a white throated dipper that I had been watching for months had been vandalised and destroyed by some yobs. The nest was torn apart and there amidst the pile of empty beer cans was a chick with broken wing and leg. It was dead. I started looking around for the mother bird but she had met a similar fate. Then i noticed a "pebble" with strange markings ..... It was a chick that was alive!!! A quick hunt discovered 2 more live chicks, very very cold and close to death. They looked like they had been like that all night and day. So i quickly fed them some of my maggots, took my top off and wrapped them up in my top. Came home, put them into an empty fishtank with my top. Phoned the RSPCA and they asked if I could look after them for the night if they werent able to get to me that evening, so I said I could. Well after putting the tank under a heat lamp, feeding them water off a teaspoon and maggots and worms every hour and all through the night, they perked up a hell of a lot and made a hell of noise lol. This afternoon at 2:30 they were taken to the Gower Bird Hospital where they will be cared for until they can be released, back onto my river and Karen at the hospital has requested that I be there at their release!!! She couldnt thank me enough for my level of care of the chicks which were very young and informed me that if i didnt give them that level of care they certainly would have perished. I feel so happy for the trio which I nicknamed K, F and C lol ..... The staff laughed and have given them those names on their card at the hospital. I will be phoning the hospital every few days to check on them.

The video is of their first feeding at home but after that I took over the feeding duties, ditched the tongs and hand fed them myself with my fingers. They quickly became quite tame and chirped everytime the lid was taken off the tank for more food lol. Lets hope KFC make it :)















The last picture is actually a video lol

Click on the last picture to see the video

Well done you....

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2012 Hatchlings... Male Desert (Only 1 left) - £425 - Click for pics ....... Male Fire - £125

Nice one tania thats a great deed youve done. Where abouts had the dipper nested? Everyone ive ever found has been under a bridge or above water in a wall

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www.jamieswordsreptiles.com

She had nested on the side of the stone wall bridge next to the river.

fancy doing that to a family of dipper's though,how bizarre is that?what is happening to today's society

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www.jamieswordsreptiles.com

I pretty much have a good idea of who was responsible. The same youths who vandalised my house, and who think its funny to go stealing koi carp from peoples ponds and then throw them at my back door. They like to kick cats and throw stones at ducks too.... I recognised the tread patterns from their bike tyres as the bikes my OH had sold to them recently, and the trademark cans of fosters, carling and redbull were next to the bonfire that had been made on the shore.

great deed you've done ... yobs need a good seeing too tbh ... sounds like you got some reet "gangsters" why do such things to defenceless animals .. doesi tm ake them feel strong?

Real nice of you to rescue them, well done x

Have you spoken to the Police about who you suspect is doing this?

Yes but without solid proof the police really cant do anything :(