Advice: - If You Find Fledgling Birds, Leave Them Alone!

The last week, I have read numerous posts asking for advice on baby birds - Fledglings!

I'm aware that members who are posting the questions are somewhat inexperienced and are seeking help from more experienced birders.

But I personally have been somewhat alarmed about somethings I have read!

Spring and Summer months are when most birds breed, so there will be many fledglings that appear in the most peculiar of places.

It is a human instinct to assist a fluffy baby bird that looks abandoned, young blackbirds regularly depart before being able to fly, though they are capable of hiding themselves from predators quite effectively as are most fledglings.

You also have to remember Mother Nature in all her beauty can be sometimes very cruel!

Predators hunt for prey!

The young of most familiar garden birds fledge once they are fully feathered, but before they're able to fly, they spend a day or two on the ground while their feathers finish developing.

The following is the RSPB's advice for fledglings.

Fledglings should be left where they are, in the care of their 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 very last resort. 

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. Make sure you put it down 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. Birds have a poor sense of smell and do not respond to human smell in the same way as mammals.

Baby birds in your garden?

It can be tempting to try to ‘rescue’ a baby bird apparently in trouble. Here are some things to remember:

• The adult birds are much more skilled at looking after their offspring than humans will ever be!
• It’s very likely that the bird’s parents are nearby, waiting for you to leave the area
• If the bird is in a very vulnerable position (for example, in the middle of the pavement), it’s OK to move it somewhere safe nearby – perhaps from off the ground into a bush or tree where cats won’t see it
• Watch from a safe distance to see what happens. If it really has been abandoned, contact our Wildlife Enquiries team for advice, but as the conservation organisation, the RSPB is not able to offer a rescue service. Tel: 01767 693690, 8.30 am to 5 pm Monday-Friday; answerphone only at other times
• Try to avoid interference wherever possible. It really is best to leave baby birds alone.  

 The RSPB does not run bird hospitals or a rescue service.

Regards Buzzard