Jun. 8, 2008

Our Baby Robin's Eyes Are Open & Emergency Care for Orphaned Baby Birds

Our baby Robin's eyes are fully open today. Yesterday they were just starting to peak out of them and today they are really starting to open up and check out the big world around them :) Their growth rate is absolutely astonishing to!! Tomorrow is day 8 and if you look back at June 2nd the first pictures after they were born, it's hard to believe it's them!

Little 'pin feathers' are starting to pop out all over their bodies now as well. Pin feathers or 'blood feathers' as they are quite often referred to on baby birds (hatchlings) look just like the base of a feather but unlike a fully developed feather the pin feathers have blood flowing all throughout them. If you look at the above photo you can see them protruding out of their wings and down the center of their heads. The pin feathers can also be quite sensitive and if damaged can bleed quite heavily sometimes resulting in death. As the pin feathers continue to grow the blood supply recedes and no longer flows through the entire area but only in the base now and the feathers will grow out of the tips. I wonder if it is uncomfortable for them now, since their bodies are covered with hundreds of those little pin feathers :(

A while back someone had found a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest and been abandoned and had asked me if I knew what to do for it. Unfortunately at that time we really hadn't studied up on baby birds much and I had no clue as to what would be required to take care of one and recommended that contacting their local wildlife protection agency would probably be the best bet. I still think that if you do happen to come across a baby bird that seems to be in need of human help the best think would be to contact your wildlife agency but there are a few things to observe or take into consideration first before embarking on a rescue mission :)

Firstly many rescued birds that appear to be in need of help actually are not and are being taken care of by their parents :) In the case of a 'fledgling' or fully feathered baby that appears to be abandoned on the ground it is a good idea to watch quietly from a distance for just under 2 hours. Fledglings are not quite ready to fly yet but quite often fall or jump from their nests and the mother will continue to feed it and protect it until it takes flight.

Half naked baby birds that are covered in a mix of pin feathers and real feathers sometimes get knocked out of the nest by accident or may even get blown out by the wind! If you know where the nest is and the baby is uninjured and you can safely return it to its nest then you can gently put it back. The mother bird will not abandon the babies because you have handled it since they have a very poor sense of smell and won't be able to detect your scent on the baby.

Naked babies or hatchlings 0-14 days old are extremely hard to put back into their nests because they cannot survive long without the necessary warmth and food they need on a strict schedule. There are many different signs to look for before even attempting to replace the hatchling back into its nest.

THIS website has a check list on what to look for when rescuing a hatchling and many tips on how to help fledglings and partially feathered babies that may have been accidentally knocked out of their nests. Please check it out so that if you do come across a baby bird that looks as if it may need assistance you will be better informed on what to do next :)