Fledgling Birds

This is a guest blog post by Georgi Clemens. Georgi is the author of the Pickles the Parrot book series, and is a resident of Logan Lake. Also, Georgi and her husband, Neil Abbott, used manage the Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park.

It's that time of year -- don't 'rescue' baby birds (of any species) on the ground! Here's a fledgling Robin in our yard - picture taken from a window. Mama was bringing him food.

Did you know (and check out the Fun Fact at the end) ...

• Baby birds that are beginning to leave the nest are called “fledglings”. Their flight feathers haven't fully developed, but they can flutter from branch to branch. Don't be alarmed if you see a fledgling on the ground. It could be taking a rest from its first flight or it could be waiting for one of its parents to feed it. Do not attempt to replace such a youngster in the nest. Leaving the nest is a part of their normal development and it is best not to interfere with the process.
  
• A chirping baby robin on the ground, for example, is most likely telling its parents that it is hungry and it is letting them know where they can find it. Parents coach their fledglings to find suitable cover and feed them even after they are able to fly. Like all parents, adult birds can't be everywhere at once, so if you watch a grounded fledgling for a half an hour you should see one of its parents bringing it several snacks. Keep all pets, children and curious adults away from the area and let the parents carry on with the process of rearing their young.
  
• Robins are often ground-nesters, building their nests right on the ground.
  
• ALSO - FUN FACT ... When the robins are searching through the grass to find dinner, they are doing it entirely visually, not by hearing or smell. When the robins run along the grass cocking their heads, it appears that they are listening but they are just looking. They look for the castings or pellets of mud on the soil surface indicating the entrance to a worm hole. And, after it rains, worms rest with just the tips of their bodies showing at the mouth of their burrows... making them easy targets for the keen eyed robin.