(OT sorry) HELP there's a baby bird!!

[beachgrl001]

In my yard. its on the grass near my garden he's just sitting there (crying?) Is there anything I can do? Maybe his mother will come and get him? I heard that you shouldnt have any contact with them or the mother wont take care of them. It is getting ready to rain heavily and Im worried about the poor little thing! I thought some of you family disers may have an idea...

 

[Naisy68]

Do you have net or something that you could pick him up without actually touching him. I'm thinking if you could put him somewhere "dry" and where his mommy can hear him she will come get him. It's important you don't actually touch him.
That's all I know, wish I could be more help

 

[shoegirl1020]

Be very very careful. I had this happen about two years ago. A little bird was crying in my backyard. My dd8 (6 at the time) went outside to see it and was nearly attacked by the mother bird. My dog got out and was nearly attacked by the mother. So I went out and was nearly attacked by the mother bird. None of us ever got close enough to see the baby, but the mother kept a very close watch of us and wouldn't stop her squawking.

If the mother doesn't come soon I would call Animal Control to have them take care of the bird.

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
How's the baby bird? I just got home from work and read you post. I know that even if you did touch it, the mother would still have interest in it. Also, the mother is probaby around and you just didn't see her. You could move the baby under a bush to help shelter it. I was just reading about this recently. Also, do you have a wildlife rescue near your home? I'm outside of Philadelphia and we have the Schylkill Wildlife Center that we can contact for any help. I took a baby rabbit there that was hurt. Good luck. I hope the mother returns to take care of him, (or her). The wildlife centers phone number is 215-482-8217 if any Dis'ers would like to know.

 

[las3888]

I made a makeshift net once from a cheap fishing net that I taped to a pole (like a broom pole). It worked when I had a baby bird that fell in our window well. I scooped it out (it was hair-raising). But the mama eventually came and took it away. Nature sure can be heart-breaking.

From an animal lover, I feel your pain. I hope it all turns out well! Please post!

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

Every year we have birds building nests in our propane tank. A couple of times when my dh has gone out to check how much we have left, (before he knew a nest was in there), some babies have fallen out of the nest. Not a very safe place to be! I have heard that the abandonment/touching thing isn't true. Anyway, in our case it isn't. Every time he has picked them up gently and placed them back in the nest, and the mother did NOT abandon them.

Of course, if you don't know where the nest is....

 

[beachgrl001]

I went out and checked on him a few times last night. It seems like he (or she lol) moved further into the garden. When I went out this morning I did see him kind of hoping around in there and I saw the momma nearby. My husband has told me of incidents where he has sat on the front porch and watched the momma attack a squirl for getting too close to her nest. I think the momma knows where he is now so hopefully she will get him. if not maybe latter I will try the net thing, I just dont know where to put him, I kkind of feel like he's safe in the garden, but then again maybe he's just stuck in there and they dont know how to get him out.(it has a2ft. picket fence around it) Im afraid if I put him out in the open something will get him like a cat or hawk(lots of hawks around here) I dont want that on my head. Thanks guys I thought I may get flamed because this is so OT. I really love the DISboards

 

[KristiKelly]

I hope the baby bird is okay today. If you've ever watched "mama" birds, they work so hard taking care of their babies. I have always heard that rabbits will not take care of their babies if you touch them but I don't think that's the case with birds - not sure though. Anyway, maybe if you could watch the mother bird to see about where her nest is, at least what tree it's in (if it's in a tree) then maybe get a small box and put in some kind of bedding and nail it to the tree close by to the mother and up off the ground. The bird shouldn't weigh much so I would think the box would hold, unless it rains. I hate finding things like this because I just worry constantly. Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

I wouldn't interfere. Maybe the mamma is letting the baby "cry it out"! Or maybe it is a toddler bird and he's in time out!

In all seriousness I almost got attacked by a mamma Blue Jay when I was trying to rescue her baby bird.

 

[las3888]

The net I used was actually an aquarium net but large. I found it at petsmartn by the fish supplies etc. Just in case you need to go that route. I wonder if the birdie is okay...sure hope so! Good luck!

Once I had a bird that must have flown into one of our windows. He was on our front doorstep laying down. At first I thought he was dead, but I looked closely and I could see him breathing. I was really freaked out! I thought about trying to rescue it somehow. Didn't think a vet would take it in or anything. I kept checking on it and sure enough it flew away in a couple of hours. I was so glad! I guess they get stunned sometimes when they hit the windows.

 

[SandrainNC]

I just saw this today and wanted to add that I used to do animal rehab in our area. Baby birds learn to fly from the ground (they don't immediately fly from the nest). So if the baby has feathers, it probably did not fall out of the nest but jumped out. The momma bird takes care of it (like others posted) on the ground until the baby learns to fly. We never took in baby birds if they had feathers. Only if they had no feathers and the person who found it could not locate the nest to put the baby back. It is ok to touch the baby (also like some others posted). The mother will still take care of it. Just figured I would post in case this happens to anybody else.

Sandra

 

[Naisy68]

I am really glad that this thread was started, I have been learning a lot that I didn't know. You just never know when you are going to run into this situation, right?

 

[WDWfan36]

I am really glad that this thread was started, I have been learning a lot that I didn't know. You just never know when you are going to run into this situation, right?

Yea really It could be now,,,,,,,,,,,,, or now,,,,,,,,,,,,,, or now,,,,,,,,,,,

But please folks watch out for the flying squirells (don't ask)

 

[madcat]

we found one in the parking lot of our bank one saturday, we waited to see if the mother bird was could be found but didnt see her, we decided to leave for a while and come back to check on the baby, when we got back a few hours later he was still there we took him to my office that has a lot of bushes and shrubs and a lot of bird nests and put the baby in the middle of the bushes, the next day we saw the baby hopping around with another older bird on the ground, he was hopping with his mouth open and the older bird fed him, as far as I know he did fine and the other birds chose to "adopt" him

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

Watch out for flying squirrels?

Sometimes you have to! My parents were in FL and a squirrel jumped from a tree onto my dad's head! Freaky, but funny (He was okay, btw.)

 

[KerriMc]

We had a baby bird on our front lawn last year that was a fuzzy little sparrow. It was "crying" a lot. My dd, who was four at the time, found it. The girls thought it was so cute. We kept an eye on it for awhile. Then we noticed a new neighbourhood cat out lurking around, so we shooed it off. When we went over to check around the tree, we found the mother bird dead. I believe that this cat had killed her and was coming back, probably for the poor baby!! So I got some of my really nice flannel quilting scraps and we layered a little basket and we sat him/her in it. Then we called a few places and a lady who rescues fancy birds took him for us (at around 9:30 at night!!). She was going to give the bird to her friend who runs a sanctuary. At least the poor little guy didn't get eaten!! My oldest was so worried about it. We didn't tell her about finding the mommy bird dead though. I wasn't ready to explain all of that just yet as she is very sensitive!

We also had a little sparrow that sat and cried in a garden b/w our houses here and it was a good day before he was gone. His mom was around though because she would "call him" from the fence, so I think he was being given some flying lessons!!

Kerri

 

[MyZoeJane]

My mom voluteers for a nature sancturary and grew up on a farm so I've been through endless baby bird rescues...

Those hwo have said it's okay to touch a baby bird are correct. It's a myth that the mother bird wont care for it after it's been "tainted"....

If you watch a baby bird for a couple of hours and don't see a mama bird nearby... it's okay to put the baby back into the nest if you can find it/reach it.

But mainly, as one poster suggested... it's okay to just leave it on the ground as long as it's not in immediate danger and the mother is nearby...

 

[firkat]

We heard quite a rucus in the backyard and looked out to find a million birds pecking at a baby bird like they were trying to kill him. We ran out there and the adult birds flew off into the surrounding trees. I didn't know what to do, as I feared if I left the area, the big birds would come back and finish the job on this poor baby blue jay.

As I was standing there watching this little guy, the adult birds would swoop overhead, but I hollared at them to go away and waved my arms trying to scare them off.

We tried to get the baby with a net and he hopped into the creek and almost drowned. There were no nests down low that we could see and the only visible nest was waaaaaay up in a tree and not accessible without wings.

So, my husband grabbed the baby out of the creek and put him in a box. We took him to our veterinarian's office. They said that they would check him out and if there was something wrong with him (either a birth defect or injury from the attack or creek incidents) they would put him to sleep. If, however, he was okay, they would notify animal rescue.

I called the next day and found out that "Jay Jay" (our pet name for the little guy) was picked up by animal rescue and that when he was ready that they were going to bring him back to our neighborhood for release!

They did not charge me, but did give me the opportunity to make a charitable contribution to animal rescue. What an awesome thing it was!