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Baby bird prematurely jumps outside of its nest - [its gone now]

What to do?

  • Let nature sort it out

  • Catch it, fetch a ladder and try to place it back in it's nest

  • Catch it and sautee it on a cast iron pan with butter

Results are only viewable after voting.
lozina

lozina

Lifer
We usually have sparrows nesting on the underside of the roof of our house (2 stories up) and this morning I see in my backyard one of the baby birds is struggling to fly on the grass, with the parents coming down to try and help and I guess also continue feeding it.

I wish I could help it but I dont know if any intervention would just make it worse or not - there's this old wives tale about if your scent gets on a baby bird or its nest then the parents abandon it. Probably false but I don't know...

It's onyl a matter of time before a neighborhood cat notices.

What should I do?

[update] its gone now - posted below (post #22)
 
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lozina said:
We usually have sparrows nesting on the underside of the roof of our house (2 stories up) and this morning I see in my backyard one of the baby birds is struggling to fly on the grass, with the parents coming down to try and help and I guess also continue feeding it.

I wish I could help it but I dont know if any intervention would just make it worse or not - there's this old wives tale about if your scent gets on a baby bird or its nest then the parents abandon it. Probably false but I don't know...

It's onyl a matter of time before a neighborhood cat notices.

What should I do?
Click to expand...

Google sparrow recipes and make a snack.

roasted%20sparrow.JPG
 
OILFIELDTRASH said:
Let nature take its course.
Click to expand...

Seriously.


This is what happens when the "all life is precious! pro-life!" bullshit pervades into every avenue of life possible.
... we go out of our way to save the life of animals (regardless of the circumstances that got them there) and many look down on such "negative" views that suggest the whims of nature should prevail.


Here's to hoping some predatory bird is mighty hungry and nearby! :twisted:
😛
 
Nature. Doubly applied if it's an English/House sparrow, the things are a virtual plague, they can afford to lose more than a few.
 
Arik5405 said:
Setup a camera so when kitteh comes along we can watch!
Click to expand...

No sign of the cats, but its raining now so I guess they are just lazily snoozing off at home.

The bird is still struggling on the ground and the parents haven't given up on it.
 
Here if a baby bird fell like that it would last less than a day.
Either the racoons or hawks would eat it.
At least that close to a house anyways, if it was farther out coyotes might get it as well.
 
We had 2 that did this. Guess their mother shouldn't have built the nest in our porch light.

F em. The pizza guy needs to be able to see the house number.
 
destrekor said:
Seriously.


This is what happens when the "all life is precious! pro-life!" bullshit pervades into every avenue of life possible.
... we go out of our way to save the life of animals (regardless of the circumstances that got them there) and many look down on such "negative" views that suggest the whims of nature should prevail.


Here's to hoping some predatory bird is mighty hungry and nearby! :twisted:
😛
Click to expand...
This is how it usually goes:
"All life is sacred.*"
 
Yesterday evening, I heard a ruckus in my back yard. I went out to see what was going on, and our two little rat dogs were after a baby blue jay. The smallest one, (chihuahua/yorkie) was the most aggressive, and was trying to kill it. (Rats with wings!!)

I got the dogs away from it and in the house...then put on gloves and rescued the bird.

It was fairly good sized and was probably in "flight training," and had the mis-fortune of landing where the dogs could get to it.

Since I don't know which tree the nest is actually in, I carefully placed it in the japanese maple that's mixed with the redwoods where most of the blue jays seem to hang out.

I haven't seen the body laying around anywhere...so I think I got to it before any serious damage was done.

This kind of explains where the dead bird I found in my living room the other day came from...I had blamed my 15+ year old cat for bringing in the "surprise."
 
I don't think the scent thing is true.

Last summer at a large family reunion we were chopping down some tall shrubs and burning them. I looked down at one point and saw a baby bird that had fallen out of his nest that we'd chopped down. One of the kids got a bowl and put some twigs and leaves in it and made a temporary home for the bird. About 5 min later I saw another one in the tree about 2 seconds before I threw it on the fire. Both the birds ended up in the bowl while the kids fed them water with straws and killed bugs for them to eat. After about 2 days we wedged the bowl up in a tree nearby, and within a couple hours there was an adult bird coming to feed the two babies.

Eventually we all left to go back home, but my aunt stayed for an extra week. She said the adult bird kept coming back, the little ones would stand on the edge of the bowl, and eventually they left. I don't know if they flew out or were eaten by something else. Also, I often wonder how many other babies we unknowingly threw on the fire that day.

I vote get a ladder. Birds eat bugs and I hate bugs.
 
[update]

I saw my neighbor's cat in the yard at the beginning of lunchtime and it was getting harassed by the momma bird. I knew the baby bird was hiding under some ivy growing up a stone wall at this point but the cat was intent on catching momma bird probably didn't know about the baby at this point.

Then the cat got sick of the momma bird's yelling and seemed to walk off and I lost track of it. Then I got my tea and watched a little bit of TV.

I came back 20 minutes later and didn't see anything going on. Didn't see the birds or the cat, and I watched for a while expecting maybe the parent birds to show up trying to feed the baby. But nothing.

I then had to leave the house but I first walked around the yard in that area and no sign of anything - no baby at the spot I last saw it and no sign of the parents and no sign of leftover such as feathers.

So it's fate is unknown. Hopefully he finally flew off because given the link above provided by ZV it was a fledgling because it did had some feathers, was capable of hopping around and flapping its wings and seems to have strong legs.
 
lozina said:
I saw my neighbor's cat in the yard at the beginning of lunchtime and it was getting harassed by the momma bird.
Click to expand...

This is the reason why I never go near a baby bird.. momma bird is pretty aggressive and very liberal in using her claws/beak. It happened once in my univ a couple of years back, people didn't know why momma and papa birds were attacking people who were walking by. It was hilarious watching cops trying to dodge these little bullets.. they eventually found out that a little bird has fallen off the nest.
 
busydude said:
This is the reason why I never go near a baby bird.. momma bird is pretty aggressive and very liberal in using her claws/beak. It happened once in my univ a couple of years back, people didn't know why momma and papa birds were attacking people who were walking by. It was hilarious watching cops trying to dodge these little bullets.. they eventually found out that a little bird has fallen off the nest.
Click to expand...

Ducks, geese and turkeys are the same way. Quite aggressive, will chase you and can actually hurt you.
 
NetWareHead said:
Ducks, geese and turkeys are the same way. Quite aggressive, will chase you and can actually hurt you.
Click to expand...

I was always ever so slightly nervous when running past a couple geese with a whole flock of fluffy goslings right near the path. Worst is when they are on the path (or some of the babies are on one side, mother and most of the other young are on a different side).

Those damn things will chase, honk and nip like the crazed females they are.
 
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