04/27/2016
PLEASE SHARE ..
It's baby bird season - intelligent help and understanding is needed.
1. I promise, BIRDS DO NOT CARE IF YOU TOUCH THEIR BABY.
Old wives tale.. the parents are GRATEFUL to get their babies back in the nest because they can't pick them up nor protect them out of the nest.
2. From hatching to fleeing the nest with parents =2 wks usually.
Please refrain from air conditioning rewiring, chimney cleaning, tree trimming/removing, gutter cleaning etc., if you know there is a nest of eggs or babies.. they are gone in a couple of weeks.
LOOK BEFORE YOU CUT. is our campaign for tree folks..
3. BABIES AND EGGS ARE FEDERALLY PROTECTED
Under the Migratory Treaty Act.. an occupied nest with eggs or babies is protected.. read up on it.. you can move an empty nest but you can't take a nest down once they are occupied.. fines can range up to $15k.. I personally have gone after those chimney sweeps who suck babies up in their vacuums cos they wanna make a dollar.
4. Put fallen babies back in THEIR nest, or nest back where it was.
You can't put a chimney swift from the bottom of your chimney in a tree and hope it makes it, nor can you put a nest some place else than where it came from.. Birds are very specific as to WHERE they are able to nest and it's very important to know exactly how to do this, so ck out wildwingsrescue.org if in question and call for guidance.
5. A cute little feathered bird sitting around needs to be put in a bush or safe place so parents can continue feeding them.
They are not alone - their parents are desparately finding food to feed all their babies - it's like having 4 toddlers running around and parents trying to avoid cats, bird of prey and keep their babies safe.. impossible. The last one to hatch is the last one to fly, so when the others fly out of the nest, almost always, one goes down. He needs a day or two. When cats or other dangers are present we "re-nest" them so parents can safely feed. Re-nesting is tricky and ultimately critical in nature to do it right, so please refer to the wildwingsrescue.org site for guidance.
6. Baby bird season is from April -August.. please watch out for fallen babies and keep your cats inside or at least monitor them and ck your yard regularly in case a baby fell.
7. Babies develop rapidly and every meal counts in their development so hatchlings eat every 15 mins, 14 hrs a day..
They can't thermal regulate (meaning their body temp will fall to match the surrounding temp which is always way too low). Everything that happens during their development is vitally important. So please DO NOT ATTEMPT TO "DO THE BEST YOU CAN" FOR A BABY BIRD without calling an expert, or call hours or days after you found it.
Thanks so much!!
