~from an article in Parksville Qualicum Beach News~
Each year, North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIWRA) admits hundreds of ill, injured or orphaned birds. Derek Downes, animal care supervisor at NIWRA, has some important words of advice about young songbirds: “…sometimes people intervene in a situation where they don’t necessarily need to …. Any time you have a situation, giving a [wildlife] rehab [or recovery] centre a call to guide you is the best thing, because sometimes the best course of action is getting the bird back up into the nest.”
“Songbirds on Vancouver Island fledge on the ground, so they’ll spend three to four days on the ground. Sometimes you’ll see a fully feathered bird that’s hopping around on the ground and it can’t fly but it’s not in any sort of distress, it’s just the natural progression of things.”
Do you know the difference between a nestling and a fledgling?
Nestlings have few or no feathers, and if found on the ground, they need your help. These baby birds are too young to leave the nest and are unable to fly. Please contact NIWRA for guidance.
This delicate nestling needs help.
Fledglings are juvenile birds who have a mix of fuzzy down and adult feathers and are learning to fly. You may come across them hopping along on the ground, perching on low-hanging branches, or hiding under bushes, but as long as they’re healthy, just let them be.
These two fledglings are singing for their supper.
What’s the most important way the public can help young songbirds? Keep your pets indoors, especially your cats.
We need your help to build a new improved treatment centre that will enable us to care for our little birds from nestling to fledgling to release. You can help by making a financial contribution on our secure website.
You can help the wildlife in care at NIWRA by making a financial contribution on our secure website. Thank you so much for caring about wildlife!
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