September
Wildlife Watch
Watch for Baby Birds – Nestlings and Fledglings
At last it’s spring and new life is everywhere, trees and shrubs are budding or blooming, wildflowers are adding colour to the country side and birds are hatching to take advantage of this plentiful supply of food.
Nests may be situated almost anywhere, in trees, shrubs, vines, tunnels, buildings, scrub and even beach sand. I’m sure most hatchlings are successful but there are always some orphans from most species.
Nestlings are those who are not yet flying or just hatched. They may have had their nest blown to the ground in a wind gust and therefore the nest should be intact. Maybe a predatory bird or cat has dropped them, so there will not be a nest.
Fledglings are those just learning to fly. They may have misjudged and landed on the ground or fluttered to a low branch where they could become victims to household pets.
Whatever the reason, if you find a nest of tiny babies, the original nest site is near by and you should place the nest in the fork of the most likely tree. If there is no tree, secure the nest as high as possible in a shrub or thick vine. If you can identify the species, this will guide you. Small birds nest in shrubs and vines, larger birds in trees and in the case of swallows attach mud nests to buildings.
If you find a nestling and no nest, you can improvise by putting dry grass or leaf litter in the bottom of an ice cream container or plant pot. Put the pot as high and as sheltered as possible away from rain and predators. Secure with rope, wire or such, place the birds in your nest and go some distance away and wait. Usually the babies’ call will bring the parent birds who will take over their care. However, if it’s cold and wet or no parent birds come, then you must rescue them and slowly warm them before bringing them into care.
If your bird is a fledgling, then it is likely that it is on it’s first flight. If there is no obvious nest, just place it on a tree limb, shrub or vine and wait to see if parent birds appear. On a nice day you can leave it there for up to an hour, as long as you protect it from predators. Usually the parents will come, but if not – rescue it.
Birds grow very quickly on commercial feeding mixes. Providing there has not been too much trauma, rescued birds usually do well in care.
If you bring a bird to a carer, we like to know the location where it was found, so we can release it back into that same area. This is particularly important for magpies who are extremely territorial.
FAWNA can recommend rearing of orphaned birds to anybody - especially retirees who may have time to enjoy the experience. They will delight you and give overwhelming love – even the tiniest of birds! Some species may be released in your back yard and will visit you for years to come. Fantastic!
So far, your response to the ducklings have netted the depot over fifty day olds of various species – all growing very fast, feasting on snails and slaters plus bags of chick food and yes – plenty of droppings. Ducklings can still hatch up to Christmas. Thank you all for caring!
FAWNA is now online! For more information on ‘Care for Wildlife’, go to www.fawna.com.au.
Mabel Bell