What to do if You Find an Abandoned Baby Bird?

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the temperature was not too hot but far from cold. I was enjoying the day on the back patio when suddenly my boyfriend walked up with something cupped tightly in his hands. My first thought was, oh great, now what? My reaction was definitely warranted. He was carrying a baby bird. It is that time of year when baby birds are starting to leave the nest for the first time and as humans, our first reaction is to help them. Most of the time they don't need our help though!

This bird however was in trouble. He found her in a puddle of water that she could not maneuver her way out of. She was shivering and her energy was depleted. When he handed her to me she was lifeless, except for her eyes. Her eyes were begging me for help. I took the baby bird from him, took her into the house, and wrapped her in a towel. She was exhausted and clearly hungry. Each time I reached above her head she opened her mouth wide, anticipating a treat. She needed food, and because it appeared to be dire, I did what I could in the situation. I fed her a small amount of wet cat food and some fresh strawberries (smashed up well) and she devoured them!

Then I left her. She was still wrapped in a towel, secured in a large cage, and safe in a controlled temperature room. I left her there for hours, enough time to dry out and digest the food. The last time I checked on her she was a totally different bird from the bird that was found fighting for her life! She seemed strong enough to go back and let her Mom and Dad finish teaching her the way of the world. It was bittersweet and I was nervous that I would put her back and she would be snatched up by one of my cats! Still bundled in the towel nest, I took her to the bottom of the tree where she was found nearby (a fence between her and the water) and I left her in her human nest. Immediately she started calling for her parents and within minutes you could hear them talking back.

I brought my cats into the house for the night and let nature take its course! When I checked on her in the morning she was gone! Part of me expected to find her lifeless body near where I left her, but to my delight, there was no hurt, helpless or dead birdy!

I had never cared for a bird before and I have only read that you should leave them in most cases but this seemed different and I knew she needed help! It wasn't until after everything I did, that I researched what to do, and come to find out I did ok!

It is normal to find a baby bird on the ground apparently and the best case scenario is to leave them, they are in their fledgling stage and even if you put them back in their nest they will hop back out! If you find a baby bird I recommend researching it before acting, I got lucky and it appears this was a success story! For more information about what to do if you find a baby bird click HERE.