Rescuing Baby Birds

Don't Rescue Young Birds 

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.

Ready for take-off 

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.

Checking for abandonment 

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.

Moving a baby bird 

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.