Found baby bird, what to do???

We found a baby bird by our doorstep. It must have fell out of the nest. We looked everywhere and cannot find one. It is really small, the eyes are barely open. Does anyone know what to do?

Thanks,

 

I am no expert, but when that happened to me I put the baby bird in a shoebox (without the lid) on my deck (where I'd found it) and left it there overnight and the next morning it was gone. I can only assume mommy came to get it. My point wat to try to keep it from falling (it was a second floor patio) and keep it invisible from any cats.

So that said, I'd try to shield it from cats as best you can but don't move it too far so that it's parents can find it.

Maybe someone who knows more will have a better solution!

 

I hope it works! We did the same thing, but he is on the front porch... poor thing is so tiny! What worries me are the animals that come out at night...

 

When my friend was moving into his apartment I noticed a baby bird caught in some fishing wire up in the ceiling of his deck. The mother had made a nest which included the fishing wire. Well, the baby got its leg caught in this wire and when it tried to fly off it couldn't. Ended up, upside down trying to get free...poor thing was going crazy. Looked like he dislocated his leg from being upside down and struggling for so long.

I got management to get a ladder and cut the wire. I took the baby bird to Stream Valley Vet. and Dr. Corey was so nice. She took the baby bird (and wrapped his leg up) and called a local bird rescue.

I'd be afraid of wild animals getting to the baby bird if left out, alone. It's too small to care for itself and I can't see how the parents would/could care for the baby, much less get it back into the nest, if they were reunited.

 

Please update us on the status of this little fellow. I hope he made it through the night. I would've done exactly what you did...leaving the bird in a shoebox right where you found it.

Over the weekend we found two nests in our backyard, one robin, & one unknown (small nest with 3 white w/speckled brown eggs) in a bush about 3 feet off of the ground. This is my favorite time of year for bird watching (and ducking). My kids and I can't wait to see these eggs hatch and flight lessons begin in our backyard.

 

If the bird was gone in the morning and wasn't yet old enough to fly then something probably got an easy meal. Its predators are cats, raccoons, oppossum and fox - we had a large red fox in the back yard last evening chasing something small. Probably a baby bird that fell out of the nest.
In the past few years, without fail, I have found sick birds (starving) in my back yard (usually adult). I take them to the 24-hr ER Veterinarian in Leesburg and they will send it to a wildlife santuary for birds. When I asked the Vet what's making them sick, he surmised that since it occurs frequently in the spring it could be due to the granulated fertilizer used on lawns and the birds mistakenly eat it as seed.

Now, (I'm told) if you cannot get the bird to safety or its nest and you need to care for it for a day or two, there is a concoction you can make by combining dog food, an egg yolk, and a little banana. Make a thick puree and feed a little at a time with a dropper. I was told to never ever give baby birds moistened bread because it acts like a plug - gets lodged in their throat and may suffocate them.

 

Found this link and thought I would share.

www.sugarbane.com/whattodo.htm - 7k

 

Well, I have sad news to deliver, it did not make it through the night. After it got dark, it was pretty cold outside so we brought the box inside so the poor thing would not freeze. It wasn't able to fly yet. However, when we woke up in the morning, we saw that he had died. We tried some water and food, but the bird did not touch it. This is so sad.

Thank you for all your posts and help. I hope that there wont be next time, but if there is I hope it is at an hour where the nature center is open...

Thanks,

 

I'm so sorry to hear this news. <hugs>
It was incredibly kind of you to go to such great lengths to help him. At least the poor thing was able to pass in peace instead of at the paws of a hungry animal. You did a wonderful thing!