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Oh no! There's a baby bird stuck in our garden looking for its mummy. It doesn't seem to be able to fly yet. I don't suppose there is anything I can do....?

19 replies

ekra · 17/05/2007 09:41

You'd think I was pregnant and homrmonal the way this baby bird is pulling on my heart strings. I'm not. I just feel a certain ownership for the birds that frequent our garden and nesting box. It's a tiny bird with some yellow on. I don't even know exactly what it is.

It's chirping away looking up to the sky for its mother.

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MamaG · 17/05/2007 09:41

oh no

don't touch it but keep an eye out for cats

I think if you touch it, the mother fucks it off

Poor little bird

MamaG · 17/05/2007 09:42

(mamag eloquent as ever)

tortoiseSHELL · 17/05/2007 09:42

You could phone the RSPB - they sometimes collect birds. Keep an eye on it, make sure no cats or anything come near, I wouldn't touch it (yet) in case the mum comes back.

tortoiseSHELL · 17/05/2007 09:42

snap! MamaG

escape · 17/05/2007 09:43

I must say though that the tread title reads like a line from Wonderpets..
leave it be and watch for moggies

NutterlyUts · 17/05/2007 09:43

Echo the leave it alone advice. Chances are mum will return to feed it. Just keep an eye out for cats etc

escape · 17/05/2007 09:43

THREAD title even

ekra · 17/05/2007 09:46

OK - I'll stay on cat watch. I wouldn't touch it anyway - too squeamish.

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fuchsia0703 · 17/05/2007 09:47

This has happened in our garden a couple of times. I think they're usually just out of the nest and get tired. Eventually Mum comes and finds them or they have a rest then disappear. As other people have said, don't touch it and just watch out to keep any cats away.

ekra · 17/05/2007 09:47

It's so little and fluffy.

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fondant4000 · 17/05/2007 09:50

Someone found a baby blue tit a while ago and picked it up outside work and brought it in. Told him to take it straight back out and put it back where he found it. Mother returned within an hour and everything was ok

Happy cat-watching!

ekra · 17/05/2007 09:55

I just saw the mother bird swoop down and feed the baby bird a few times. It is trying to fly.

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Issymum · 17/05/2007 09:59

Hi ekra

I have a feeling that for some birds this period on the ground is part of the normal cycle. See this from the RSPB website:

"It is common in spring and summer to find a young bird sitting on the ground or hopping about without any parents visible.

This is perfectly normal. The parents are probably away collecting food, or they may be watching nearby.

The young of most familiar garden birds fledge once they are fully feathered, but before they are able to fly, and spend a day or two on the ground before their feather development is complete.

Tawny owl chicks are mobile at a very early age, and can be seen climbing in and around their nest tree before they are even half grown. If you find a fledgling or a young owl, the best thing is to leave it where it is.

What if the bird is in danger?
If the bird is on a busy path or other dangerous or exposed location, it makes sense to pick it up and move it a short distance to a safer place. The bird must remain within hearing reach of where it was found so its parents can find it.

Handling a young bird does not cause its parents to abandon it. UK birds have a poor sense of smell and do not respond to human smell in the same way as mammals.

Fledglings should be left where they are, in the care of their own parents. Removal of a fledgling from the wild will cut its chances of long-term survival to a small fraction, and should only be done as a last resort.

Can I put it back in its nest?
If the young bird is unfeathered or covered in fluffy down (a nestling) and has obviously fallen out of the nest by accident, it may be possible to put it back. If this cannot be done, the chick is dependent on humans for survival, and it should be passed on to an expert rehabilitator."

Given all the hazards on the ground, seems a pretty daft set-up to me. Positively anti-Darwinian. But there you go!

ekra · 17/05/2007 10:22

Thanks Issymum - I had a quick look at the RSPB website but didn't find that information.

Now I need to try and have a closer look and see if it still has fluffy feathers. Although it seems unlikely that it has fallen out of a nest because it is right in the middle of the lawn. So, perhaps it is supposed to be there, participating in a normal young bird intitiation process.

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Hallgerda · 17/05/2007 12:19

We've had quite a few fluffy little birds in our garden lately. Currently there's a very cute baby sparrow. It can fly, but its mother keeps on bringing it beakfuls of food all the same. I'm fighting the urge to tell her to get a grip .

Are you sure your baby bird can't fly if it wants to, ekra? It may be less helpless than you think.

ekra · 17/05/2007 12:39

I had to go out. I came back just a minute ago to find the baby bird sitting on our patio table, right by the window. Just as I rounded up my DDs to have a look, the mother bird flew down and fed it. What a treat for the girls to see.

Yes, it evidently can fly a little at least. Do you think it needs a big-bird-guru to come along and tell the mother bird to stop pandering to the baby bird's whims?

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MamaG · 17/05/2007 13:29

this calls for some celery

southeastastra · 17/05/2007 13:31

ah we had a baby bird in our garden last year. the mum does usually come back. they're sweet aren't they.

the cat next door used to go right up to it and stare at it, the bird wasn't fussed.

ekra · 17/05/2007 13:32

The baby bird managed to get onto the top of the washing line and sat their preening itself for the duration of us eating lunch!

It's not visible anymore so I am hoping it has made it back into the nesting box and the initiation exercise is complete.

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