Fledgling season for wild birds runs from May to August in Ireland. A wildlife expert shares why it’s important to not disturb them.
From May to August you may notice young fully-feathered birds leave their nests before they can fly. You’ll often spot them on the ground where they spend a few days as their parents feed and protect them.
Naturally, spotting a lone and vulnerable fledgling on the ground seems cause for concern, however Lucy Taylor, garden wildlife expert and bird food specialist at Vine House Farm is urging the public to leave them alone. Lucy adds that baby birds should only be disturbed if visibly injured as it’s otherwise likely that their parents are nearby.
If you do come across fledglings or have some living in your garden, Lucy shares her advice:
What should you do? / is it best to leave fledglings alone?
“Generally speaking, the number one rule if you find a fledgling bird in your garden is to leave it alone. This is because although fledglings of some garden bird species aren’t able to fly as soon as they leave the nest – e.g. Blackbirds – most can, and in any event, all will be mobile enough using their feet. Parent birds will know where their fledglings are and therefore will frequently be returning to them with food. So, moving a fledgling to elsewhere in your garden potentially risks the parent being unable to find it. The exception might be if the fledgling is in a very exposed area and vulnerable to a cat or dog, in which case you could carefully move it to somewhere very close by, such as a hedge or shrub”.
How can you tell if a fledgling is in need of help? / what should you do if a fledgling does need help?
“Whilst fledglings may look somewhat helpless and in need of human intervention, this is very rarely the reality. The fact is that a fledgling’s needy appearance is simply down to its very young age, with its tendency just to stay put or only move around in a small area, because of its instinct to wait for food from its parents. Of course, a natural predator like a Sparrowhawk may pick the fledgling up as it’s a relatively easy target, but that should be seen as perfectly normal, not least as the Sparrowhawk has its own young to feed”.
