My student has "rescued" a fledgling. What to do?

[JohnWolfenstein]

I am a teacher and one of my sixth form students has picked up a fledgling magpie on her way to school. She has form for this and likes to think of herself as an animal rescuer.

I know she shouldn't have picked it up. She is adamant she checked to see if it had parents, but obviously they wouldn't be around with people standing about! So what do I do? She wants to take it home and feed it and raise it herself. I think it's doomed.

I tried to find a wildlife rescue nearby but there aren't any locally and any further afield are full to capacity anyway.

Do I just let her get on with it? Wwyd?

Speak to a vet, see what they suggest.

She should have left it for the parents. It will probably die now. Could be worth returning to the exact spot she found it

I know she should have left it. I have tried to speak to her about it, but she is adamant she waited long enough to check the parents weren't there. She's got a saviour complex though unfortunately.

Returning to the exact spot was the plan, but it's a long way from the school and apparently wasn't a very safe place, i.e. near a road. She's sketchy about the exact location too.

Sad that her ignorance has blighted her compassion. She should never have taken it away. Moved it a few feet in the vicinity to a safer spot if in imminent danger may have been ok but now sadly it’s chances of surviving are now very poor now that she’s removed it altogether.
You must tell her this so she doesn’t do it again.

Believe me I have tried to tell her, but, with the arrogance of youth I guess, she thinks she knows better. I am very annoyed with her, not least because I don't have time for this crap!!

Show her this thread!

The vets around here wouldn’t be much help. Where are you? We have an amazing wildlife rescue place - have you got any near you?

www.valewildlife.org.uk/

Send her back to the place she found it .tell her to put the bird in the exact spot she found it .shes 6 th form so should of known better

You can feed it wet cat/dog food mush it up and give it to it on a coffee stirer or something similar to get some food into it if it's not eating on its own. Otherwise just put some wet food in and some water and return it to where it was found. it's parents were probably away from the nest getting food and the bird was testing it's new found abilities unless injured it'll be fine where it came from.

Magpies fledge by about a month old, are fed by both parents for about another month, and stay around the parents' territory until Sept/Oct time. She really should take it back asap and not handle it further. Birds can easily die just from the stress of what she's done, unfortunately. It's not a toy. Silly girl, even if well-meaning.

Just to add, the territory will be a fair size, so a safe place near to where she found it is fine. If it's got all its feathers it should be ok.

Just make sure she's puts it back where she found it (or near). Parents will find it and it will be fine.

Also in case she mentions it- handling young birds will not cause rejection from its parents, is a myth. Birds have a terrible sense of smell.

Hope it all goes ok

What happened Op, did she put it back?