How do you help baby birds when they fall from a nest?

Welcome to Oklahoma … where winds come sweeping down the plains. (My apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein.) The spring season is synonymous with wind storms, some a downright nuisance and yet others a bothersome headache.

Spring is also that time of the year for Ma Nature’s rebirth. Wild songbirds rear their nestlings in winddamage-prone piles of twigs and sticks. It is not uncommon for baby birds to end up apparently orphaned on the lawn in your home’s backyard.

Most people’s inclination is to scoop up the vulnerable nestlings and cart them off to a wildlife rescue facility. You most definitely want to do that if the young birds have experienced broken bones or a cut in the skin that needs mending. Beyond that, it might be best to do otherwise.

Let me explain.

If the young birds are pretty well covered in feathers, there is nothing amiss in leaving these young birds alone so their parents may continue with their care and feeding.

On the other hand, those baby birds that are mostly bare skin may need more intensive attention from you. You can fashion a substitute nest out of a recycled berry basket. Fill it with some store-bought paper Easter grass. Fasten this makeshift nest securely on a tree branch that is somewhat shaded from the scorching sun. Wrap a towel around the baby birds and gently place them in the faux nest. Likely as not, the baby birds’ hunger pangs will motivate them to call out to their parents and induce them to bring them food and comfort.

Oh, spring! We beseech you to not be such a cantankerous rascal!

USFWS These baby robins are snug in their nest. But, what do you do if you find a baby bird that has fallen from a nest not within reach?