Keep your eyes peeled for fallen baby birds

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]recently received a telephone call from a nice lady who had come upon a baby bird in her yard.  The bird did not have enough feathers to fly and was standing in the grass, perhaps with an injured wing.

The lady put the bird in a box and took it indoors.  Then she called me.   The advice I gave her is this:

First, look around to see if you can spot a nest that the bird fell from.  If you can, and if it is easily done, simply return the bird to the nest.  (It is an old wife’s tale that a mother bird will ignore her chick once it has been handled by humans.)