If you find a baby bird outside that looks as though it's in need of some help, it's worth knowing that 99 times out of 100 they're probably doing just fine. Unless there are very obvious signs of injury, or you can see predators in close proximity, it's best to leave them exactly as they are. Helping a yound bird may feel like the right thing to do, but it will often do more harm than good and will probably put the bird's life at greater risk than just being left where they are.
Remember, not all birds nest in hedges and there are many species that just make a shallow scrape in the ground for their young to sit in.
For tree nesting birds, during the later stages of chick development, nests can often become filled with ever-growing chicks and with over-crowding some birds will start to leave the nest before they are fully capable of flight. On some rare occasions, if the bird is covered in fluffy feathers then it may have fallen out of the nest by accident and so placing it back again may be the best thing to do. However, finding a more established chick on the ground is not at all unusual and it will probably do perfectly well without any help.
Most of the baby birds that you are likely to find on the ground are probably 95% ready to take off and can sometimes be seen stumbling about making their first attempts to get airborne. They'll often be very aware of their surroundings and moving around in quite a nervous fashion. Because of the above, it can be easy to assume that the bird has fallen from their nest and become injured in the fall or suffering from shock. However, it's just as likely that the bird is being well looked after by the parents.
Without getting too close to the young bird, take a look around the area and you'll most likely find one or both of the parents in close proximity. If you can't see the parents, it doesn't mean that they're not around. Chances are that they may be hiding themselves until you have left the area and will be keeping quiet so as not to raise alarm or attract attention.
If you're really concerned that the chick has definitely been abandoned, keep an uninterrupted eye on it for at least 3 hours. Avoid the temptation to go and make a cup off tea halfway through as this would be more than enough time for the parent to feed the chick, before disappearing for another few hours.
Whilst keeping an eye out it's also vitally important that you, and your dog, children, cats etc, also keep your distance from the young bird. If the parents are aware of your presence they may be reluctant to ever come back.
If you really must move a young bird, because it's sitting in the middle of a road or in full view of the neighbour's cat, then try to place it up high where it is out of reach of predators. High tree branches, hedgerows and hanging baskets can all make good temporary homes for the bird, but avoid moving it too far away from where you found it.
