An injured starling at Portobello Beach has been on my mind - Hayley Matthews

I spotted a little starling on Portobello promenade a few weeks ago with a leg sticking out, looking very sore and clearly broken. I tried to catch the bird but with not much luck. I decided to head home to hatch a rescue plan.
An injured starling at Portobello Beach has been on Hayley Matthew's mind but she has decided to let nature take its way. PIC: lamdaX/CC/FlickrAn injured starling at Portobello Beach has been on Hayley Matthew's mind but she has decided to let nature take its way. PIC: lamdaX/CC/Flickr
An injured starling at Portobello Beach has been on Hayley Matthew's mind but she has decided to let nature take its way. PIC: lamdaX/CC/Flickr

Later that day, I came back down to the promenade with a box, some birdseed and a towel but the starlings were nowhere to be seen. I'm guessing they were all tucked up cosy for the night on top of the amusements and hopefully getting some heat from the fans. I’ve worried about the little broken bird for a good few weeks now but I'm pleased to report that today I spotted the wee feathered one and it seems to be doing quite well.

A broken leg is not ideal but with fully working wings, I think this wee starling will survive. It actually looks quite chunky and seems to be getting fed quite a lot. Indeed, it had a huge chunk of my dog’s liver cake from Crumbs café and I saw so many people giving it food, I'm hoping that's why its belly looks full. When I called the RSPCA, they said they'd look at the bird if I could catch it but a few friends have advised that the bird may get put to sleep. So not wanting to send a gentle little starling to an early death, especially when it seems to be managing quite well, I decided I'd leave nature alone. After all, it's when us humans start to get involved with nature that we end up causing problems.

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