Like babies that take a while before they take their first few steps, young fledglings often cannot fly on leaving the nest, much to the dismay of many of our callers this week. Popping fledgling blue tits back into the nest box, will only result in these young jumping back out again - these little bundles of joy (and feathers) WANT to leave home! Given a few days these young Starlings, House sparrows and Blue tits will be up, up and away! Removal of a fledgling from the wild reduces its chances of long-term survival to a small fraction. Fledglings should be left where they are, in the care of their parents.
If the bird is on a busy path or road, or other potentially dangerous, exposed location, it makes sense to pick it up and move it a short distance to a safer place. Birds have a poor sense of smell so handling a young bird does not cause its parents to abandon it but make sure you leave it within hearing distance of where it was found.
Predators...
Sparrowhawks, Magpies, Crows and other omnivorous birds get a bad press at this time of the year. Nests may be predated and young birds fledge without being able to fly away. Try to remember that while it cannot be easy viewing if it happens in your gardens it is part of a whole greater picture and even the Blue-tit is a predator in the eyes of a caterpillar.
MAKE YOUR NATURE COUNT!
MYNC starts on June 4 (This Saturday). It is a one-hour survey of your garden or local park on any day from 4-12 June. We'd like to know about the birds that share your green spaces. There should be plenty for you to see and enjoy as birds will be busy feeding hungry chicks or guarding nests. We would also love to know what other creatures you have seen in your area like badgers, bats, snakes or frogs? So head over HERE if you still haven’t registered.
Why not check out the news from the wildlife enquiries team?