Birds
Don't
Interfere With Learning to Fly
The
Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has issued
its annual warning to leave " grounded " baby birds well
alone.
In
95 per cent of cases, the birds are not injured and are simply learning
to fly. Our intervention however well meaning usually puts
the fledglings at greater risk. This time last year, the society
was flooded with calls from concerned members of the public.
Many
had already taken kindly but inappropriate action, in the belief
that the young birds had been abandoned in their gardens.
In
fact, fledgling birds can spend 10 days on the ground learning to
fly after leaving the nest.
But
until they can look after themselves, the parents will be nearby
to protect and feed them.
Sandra
Bonar, manager of SSPCA's Middlebank Wildlife Centre, near Dunfermline,
said: "
We
must do everything we can to get this message across before hundreds
of young birds die.
"With
spring coming early this year, it is imperative that people understand
the best help they can give baby birds to survive is to leave them
alone unless there are obvious, physical signs of injury.
Ground
Rules
Watching
young rooks leaving their nest to flap around for a few days, reminded
me of some important ground rules.
Animal
welfare organisations, stress that when you find a baby bird you
should leave it where it is if it is not in obvious danger. The
reason as explained above being that its parents are probably nearby
just waiting for you to move away so thay can take over again.
Baby
birds are at their most vulnerable after leaving the nest. All sorts
of predators know this. I've often watched crows, magpies and jackdaws
pouncing on young birds of starling and sparow size, pounding their
heads into pulp with a few well-aimed blows of a pointed beak.
To
us it seems horrific, to them it's just an opportune chance for
some extra protein.
Wild Birds seen in Glasgow
Zoopark area checklist
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