Did you know baby birds do not know how to fly the first time they leave the nest? Fledgling birds leave the nest and will live on the ground a few days. The parents will watch and continue to care for the fledglings, encouraging them to take short test flights while following the parents. Once the fledglings fly, the parents continue to care for them until they are ready to be on their own.
It can be difficult to know when to leave Mother Nature alone. Especially when you see a tiny bird hopping around. The span of time when the fledgling leaves the nest until it flies is when parents teach the baby survival skills. Allowing the baby to stay with the parents is crucial to the birds survival.
No one can teach a fledgling how to be a bird better than its parents.
Baby birds should ONLY be rescued if they are sick or injured, or if you are absolutely positive BOTH parents are gone. If you are worried about cats or dogs in the area the right thing to do is to NOT disturb or disrupt the birds. Instead, move or restrict the cats or dogs. It will only be a few days before the birds have moved on.
FYI, this information applies to both songbirds and birds of prey.
The ONLY federally permitted songbird rescue in the Midlands is Carolina Wildlife Center, located at 5551 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 803-772-3994.
