daily-owls:

VITAL INFORMATION FOR BABY SEASON COMING UP.

If you find a baby bird that looks kind of like an awkward chicken, with feathers and fluttering and the ability to run, it’s a fledgeling learning how to bird. Leave it alone unless it’s in immediate danger. If it’s in immediate danger (in a road, near a predator, etc), scoop it up and move it to under the nearest bush. 

Kildeer chicks are little round puffballs with long legs. They’re supposed to be running around on their own, they nest on the ground and the babies move a lot. They run pretty fast and look mobile. The same goes for some shorebird babies. 

Basically, if the baby bird is running away from you and doing a good job of it, it’s fine. 

If it’s totally naked, or partly naked and sitting awkwardly not doing much, it needs to be put back in its nest. First, look it over for ants and promptly remove any you find, then inspect it gently for wounds. Wounds or a large number of ants mean it needs to go to a wildlife rescuer. 

If you can spot the nest, put it in. If multiple babies and a broken nest are on the ground, make them a new nest out of a basket (Easter, strawberry, etc), line it with soft grass, and strap it into a tree. The parents will hear the babies calling and come back. 

If you find an individual baby and can’t put it back in the nest, you may want to take it to a wildlife rescuer. It’s not good for the parents to try and divide their attention between two nests, it can result in all the babies going hungry.

Rabbits and deer are left alone as babies so the mother won’t draw attention to them. Leave them alone unless they’re visibly thin, covered in flies, or wandering alone in a dangerous area. 

Any baby animal which is visibly injured, or which has been touched by a cat, needs to go to a rescuer. Cats and other predatory animals have large numbers of bacteria in their saliva that can cause fatal infections from the lightest scratch of a tooth or recently groomed claw. Even if you don’t think the cat has picked up or patted the animal, take it to a rescuer.