Orphaned Baby Birds At some point or another, nearly everyone who spends time outdoors or who feeds backyard birds finds a baby bird, unable to fly very well and apparently lost or abandoned by its parents. Our first impulse is to adopt this apparently helpless creature and try to raise it ourselves. But in most cases, the young bird doesnt need our help at all, and, in fact, we may be doing more harm than good. If you find a baby bird. Look the young bird over for signs of physical trauma. If its injured, take it to a local veterinarian, or call your local game warden or conservation department for the name and telephone number of the nearest wildlife rehabilitator. (You can carry it in a small enclosed box, such as a shoe box, lined with paper towels. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the box for ventilation.) If youre having trouble finding a wildlife rehabilitator in your area go to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory. Nestling or Fledgling? If the bird is uninjured you should ask yourself Is it really an orphan? Nearly always, the answer will be no—most baby birds that people find are actually recent fledglings that cannot fly well. The first thing to do is determine whether it is a nestling or a fledgling. Let the young bird perch on your finger. Is it gripping firmly? If so, it is a fledgling. The best thing to do, to get it out of harms way, is to place the baby bird in a shrub or tree—somewhere above the ground—and leave it alone. If the bird seems unable to cling well to your finger or to branches, it is most likely a nestling. Look around in nearby shrubbery or trees for the nest the bird came from. It will probably be well hidden. If you do find the nest, simply put the young bird back in it. If you cant find it, you can provide a substitute nest by tying a berry basket (the kind with holes in the bottom, for drainage) in a tree. Line it with some tissues or other soft material, put the baby bird inside, and leave it alone. This is usually all the help a baby bird needs. As soon as you leave, the parents—which have probably been watching you the entire time—will return and continue feeding their youngster. If you want to be sure that the parents are still around, watch the baby bird from a distance. If the parents dont return to an undisturbed nestling in two hours something may be wrong. The parents may have been killed by predators or hit by a car. But dont worry if you see only one parent—a single parent can raise its young alone.
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 13:52:51 +0000
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