Spring is the time that we find all kinds of new additions to our yards. Migrating seasonal visitors that you wait for each spring (hello Rufous Hummingbirds … I love it when I first hear the male in the year each year). Some are unusual and unexpected visitors to you yard – we have had a male California Quail this year! How cool is that?
As spring progresses we get the next most adorable visitors…the babies! Most of the time, they stay in the nest until they are fully feathered and ready to go, but sometimes life happens and we find babies out of the nest before they might be ready. What do you do? The old wives tale of “if you touch the baby bird the parent’s won’t feed it because of our smell” is not true. Carefully setting the baby back in the nest for the parents to take care of is the best solution. If it’s fledging (feathered and learning to fly), set them in a bush near the nest, the parents will be feeding the babies and it’s amazing how quickly they will literally gain their wings and join the flock.
If they baby is too young/injured/etc and you can’t find the nest or it is destroyed, contacting a local licensed rehab facility is the next best solution. Washington State has a list on their website here. Many local vets offices, Audubon societies, or Wild Birds Unlimited locations can also provide the contacts for the closest rehab facility as well.
Keeping an eye out in our yards to help our amazing feathered friends reach their full potential is always a great experience, I hope this helps!
Happy Birding!
