by 11 Jun 2008, 7:44 am
pa.press.net
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
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Call to leave baby birds alone
People who spot newly-fledged baby birds which seem to have been abandoned by their parents have been urged not to try to help them.
Although nature lovers may feel the urge to intervene to assist the dishevelled and distressed chicks the RSPB warned they may end up killing them with kindness.
The charity said it gets numerous calls each day from concerned gardeners at this time of year who have seen baby birds alone and vulnerable outside, and are worried about predators and the weather.
And with gardens full of scruffy little chicks as the breeding season comes to an end, many people feel they should be helping by putting them back into nests or moving them to higher places.
But the RSPB said adult birds rarely abandon their young completely and they must be left alone to learn to fly, feed and survive on their own.
Human intervention could lead to the adults abandoning their chicks for real, and make them reluctant to nest in the same garden again, the conservation charity warned.
Val Osborne, head of wildlife inquiries at the RSPB, said: "It can be painful to watch as the chicks hatch and fend for themselves for the first time but you must let nature take its course.
"They will be chirping like crazy and look and sound quite distressed but this is all part of the natural process of a young bird learning to fly, feed and survive on its own."
Gardener Bryan Bland said: "There are so many baby birds in my garden at the moment and when you see them on their own, desperately searching for their parents it can be heartbreaking. But parents will rarely completely abandon their chicks and will always be close by, returning to them at the end of the day.
"We may think we are helping by trying to put them back into nests or moving them to higher places but we must leave them alone."
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It's a problem I'm very much faced with at this time of the year, where the cats are concerned.
I'm so pleased to read this :
pa.press.net
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call to leave baby birds alone
People who spot newly-fledged baby birds which seem to have been abandoned by their parents have been urged not to try to help them.
Although nature lovers may feel the urge to intervene to assist the dishevelled and distressed chicks the RSPB warned they may end up killing them with kindness.
The charity said it gets numerous calls each day from concerned gardeners at this time of year who have seen baby birds alone and vulnerable outside, and are worried about predators and the weather.
And with gardens full of scruffy little chicks as the breeding season comes to an end, many people feel they should be helping by putting them back into nests or moving them to higher places.
But the RSPB said adult birds rarely abandon their young completely and they must be left alone to learn to fly, feed and survive on their own.
Human intervention could lead to the adults abandoning their chicks for real, and make them reluctant to nest in the same garden again, the conservation charity warned.
Val Osborne, head of wildlife inquiries at the RSPB, said: "It can be painful to watch as the chicks hatch and fend for themselves for the first time but you must let nature take its course.
"They will be chirping like crazy and look and sound quite distressed but this is all part of the natural process of a young bird learning to fly, feed and survive on its own."
Gardener Bryan Bland said: "There are so many baby birds in my garden at the moment and when you see them on their own, desperately searching for their parents it can be heartbreaking. But parents will rarely completely abandon their chicks and will always be close by, returning to them at the end of the day.
"We may think we are helping by trying to put them back into nests or moving them to higher places but we must leave them alone."
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It's a problem I'm very much faced with at this time of the year, where the cats are concerned.
I'm so pleased to read this :
because I had always thought that sound (heard a lot this time of year) was one of distress. Once when I found a little baby bird in the garden, so tiny hadn't even full formed its feathers - not only was it making these distressing sounds, but all around was the incessant, urgent screeching which I am sure was the worried sound of a parent(s). I made a makeshift little shelter, with entrance only large enough for a bird to enter/exit and did (as mentioned in this article) put it up high - so as to keep out of reach of the cats, but easily accessible to its mum. That little box had regular visitors (birds) non-stop for two whole days I watched this, and wasn't always the same bird visiting. On the third day when I checked out the box was empty."They will be chirping like crazy and look and sound quite distressed but this is all part of the natural process of a young bird learning to fly, feed and survive on its own."
by 
