Spring Animal Hero Tips
By Susan Hargreaves
June 2020 Newsletter, Amelia;s SmaryPlants
The birds are singing louder, our feathered neighbors are busy in their homes getting ready for the day the fledglings leave their nests. Did you know baby birds jump up and down while on the ground until they jump higher and higher and then -presto- the magic of flight happens? Sometimes this process can take a few days, and the parent birds feed the fledglings while on the ground.
In my years of working at a wildlife rehab center, I cringed every time I received a call or someone brought in a baby bird, and the person would say, “I found a baby bird and I put water down its throat with a dropper”. This would, inevitably, mean the water was in the baby bird's lungs, and it didn’t have a chance.
If you see a fledgling baby bird:
- Check for hovering parent birds.
- Understand that their cry is their cry for food.(not water, see previous paragraph)
- Resist your urge to pick it up; parents are probably near by.
If the bird's nest fell due to a storm:
Build a new nest using a strawberry basket or similar, and adding a small amount of nesting materials like twigs, grass, or pine needles, but not too much coverage as the goal is to allow drainage.
Securely fix the new nest as close as possible to where the old nest was.
If the bird's parents are dive-bombing you, hold an umbrella or wear a hat with a brim when you return the baby to his or her nest.
It is NOT true that the mother bird will abandon her baby if she smells human scent on it. However, if you get too close to a nest when the parents are building it, they will abandon it and start all over again somewhere more private without those pesky and possibly dangerous humans getting too close.
Planting for Wildlife
In our yard, we have a dead slash pine on the perimeter near the fence. A pileated woodpecker family has moved in; woodpeckers' natural inclination is to nest in the cavities of dead trees. Consider not removing dead trees or keeping some in the perimeter of your property. Allowing the perimeter of your yard to stay natural provides a wildlife corridor for small wildlife to find shelter and hide from predators.
Be mindful when trimming trees or bushes or applying pesticides or herbicides in the spring (and always really). Rabbits nest in shallow parts of your yard in Florida so they are particularly susceptible to weed whackers and chemicals during this time. Keep an eye for fledglings that may be jumping up and down in hopes of getting airborne. Consider planting native shrubs and trees to attract, feed, and offer safe cover for native wildlife and making your yard a life-saving haven for our wild neighbors.
