Some sad news, I'm afraid
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. One of the chicks was found on the ground and taken to an animal rescue centre. It was very thin and weak and the initial diagnosis was that it couldn't eat because of a cyst on its beak. However, further tests showed that it had a tumour in its larynx that was so large that the poor thing couldn't swallow anything and could hardly breathe
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. The chick died three hours after being taken to the centre
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.
I wonder how long the tumour had been there. Probably some time although the bird had been well enough to fledge. We do all we can to raise awareness of the birds and to try to ensure that the vital fledging period is as safe as possible in the city but we can do very little about diseases of this type, anywhere in the world. I hope that the other two are well and grow to be adults that are strong and healthy.