Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society  

Leave 'em Alone
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Baby Bird Season (BBS)
If you Love 'em, Leave 'em alone...

Watch wildlife for an hour before interfering - phone us before acting.
If they are  injured call 1-800-304-9968

Baby Bird Season---Watch & Wait

May 1st through mid August is a very busy time at Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS). This period of time is known as Baby Bird Season and it is a time when we receive large numbers of phone calls and baby birds brought to our Wildlife Center for care. Often they have been kidnapped!! Many of the birds we see are not injured, orphaned, or abandoned. The fact is that they are normal fledglings, on the ground, learning to find food and to fly. Many of these young birds are in the process of "fledging" (leaving the nest). In most species this takes several days. Often their parents are nearby or away for brief periods to hunt and find food to bring back to the baby.

If YOU find a baby bird that seems alone and in distress:

The best mother for a baby bird is definitely its own mother, so before you intervene take these steps:

1) Wait & Watch---at least one hour, from a distance.

2) Watch & listen (for the parent birds).

  1. Put dogs, cats, and curious children inside.
  2. Phone MARS before you take action.

If you find an injured bird:

The stress of captivity can kill wild birds, so if you find an injured bird:

  1. Drop a towel over the bird.
  2. Quickly put the bird into a cardboard box, NOT a cage.
  3. Close the lid—HANDLE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE.
  4. Put it in a warm, dark, QUIET place.
  5. DO NOT give it food OR water.
  6. Keep children, cats and dogs away.
  7. Phone MARS pager @ 1-800-304-9968 immediately and a volunteer will call you as soon as possible.

If you love wildlife and want to help---don’t touch---Watch & Wait.

Our Policy for accepting baby birds:
 
We do not accept Starlings or Pigeons.
 
We do not pick up baby birds.

Nestlings are either blind or naked or have pinfeathers and some fluff.
They can be knocked from the nest by high winds, plucked from the nest by
predators, or evicted from the nest due to aggressive siblings or by parents
who know there is a problem with the baby.

bulletThe "healthy" birds can be replaced in the nest, which is probably located
near where the orphan was found. It is a myth that the parents won't return to the baby once you've handled it.
bulletBy watching from a distance, for an hour, you should notice bird activity.
By patiently watching, the parents should reveal where the nest is located
when they come and go about feeding.  Very young birds are fed every
approximately 15 minutes, or less, all day long.
bulletCarefully place the baby back in the nest. If the baby is naked and blind,
and feels cold to the touch, warm it in your cupped hands first.
bulletYou should ensure that you are putting the baby back in the right nest, by
checking the other siblings to see if they are the same age and species.  A
mirror can be handy for doing this without disturbing the other occupants.
bulletIf the nest is out of sight or reach, or destroyed, but the parents are
obviously nearby, then a substitute nest can be made.
bulletUse a yogurt container, with drainage holes drilled in the bottom or a
strawberry basket for small to medium sized birds.  Larger birds will need
larger baskets.
bulletThe nest should be fashioned in a cup shape out of dry, not green,
grasses.  It should not be any larger or deeper than the bird that is going
to live in it, but it should be able to expand some as the baby grows.
bulletIf the bird is a cavity nesting bird, then a box should be placed around
the nest with a hole that allows the parents to enter and leave as needed.
bulletGive the baby a roughened area to climb out when the time comes.  Attach
the substitute nest to the branch, or trunk securely, as close to the
original location as possible.
bulletObserve the nest for an hour or more, from a distance, to ensure the
parents have heard and answer the baby's feeding chirps.

Branchers are fully feathered and tend to want to stand on the edge of the
nest or a nearby branch (thus their name).  They often fall, jump, are
pushed or predated.  The parents will feed them even if they aren't in the
nest.

bulletThey can be placed back on a nearby branch and then left alone.
It is critical that this is done as soon after the baby is found as
possible.

Fledglings are ready to leave the nest.  This is a natural event, and it
doesn't matter how many times you put them in the nest, they will
immediately jump out.  They don't fly well for the first day or two.

bulletThey can be placed in the nearby bushes for cover, and the parents will
feed them, and show them how to hunt for food, and how to recognize
predators - including humans.
bulletAsk neighbors to keep dogs on a leash for a day or two, and keep cats
inside - the babies will soon learn to fly well enough to escape.