As sure as May follows April, baby birds leave the nest, sometimes in the clumsiest fashion. Inevitably, concerned citizens who find them rush to help and Audubon Society of Portland's Wildlife Care Center fills to the brim. The center responds to more that 12,000 wildlife-related inquiries each year and treats about 3,000 animals annually.
While the center's staff and volunteers are keen to help, many birds brought to the center should have been left where they were. So here, from Audubon, are eight things to keep in mind if you come across a baby bird:
1. Some species, such as robins, scrub jays, crows and owls, leave the nest and spend a few days on the ground before they're able to fly. It's a crucial period for them developmentally, so picking them up may do more harm than good.
2. If you're worried a bird fell from the nest prematurely, you can try to return it to the nest. Best then to leave it alone. Parents may be nearby but might not approach if a human is near.
3. You can tell a fledgling because it will have all its feathers; if you find one, leave it alone and keep people and pets away. Its parents likely are still caring for it.
4. Don't try to raise a wild bird yourself. Such scenarios mean birds will have little chance of survival once released.
5. If you hear noisy birds in your chimney in late spring, chances are they're Vaux's swifts, which have Velcro-like feet, allowing them to climb up and down chimney walls, where their parents tend to build nests. If you find a chick at the bottom of a chimney, reach up an affix the bird to the wall inside the chimney above the fireplace. Close the flue behind it.
6. Owls fledge early, often leaving the nest before they can fly. Wind gusts can push them to the ground. If you find an owlet on the ground, place it on the highest nearby branch.
7. Kildeer can walk and feed themselves as soon as they hatch. Yet, their high-pitched peeps sometimes make people think they need rescuing. Leave them be and their parent likely will return.
8. Ducklings and goslings also can walk and feed from the get-go. Rescues in highly traveled areas frequently go awry, spooking and scattering the parent and their offspring.
-- Katy Muldoon