ON THE WING

Many years ago when I found a young bird that had fallen from a nest I was confronted by the dilemma many of us face at this time of year – what to do with the little bundle of feathers, flesh and bone lying at our feet.

In my case the bird happened to be a kestrel in my native Britain and it crossed my mind to keep it, and perhaps use it for a fledgling interest in falconry I had at the time.

I was young then, in my teens, and no doubt influenced by a classic British film of the Swinging Sixties, Ken Loach’s Kes in which a young lad cushions the reality of a poor, grim life in Britain’s industrial north by raising a kestrel as a pet.

Thankfully, I saw common sense. The falcon belonged in the wild and I merely placed the chirping fledgling on a tree stump, hoping its parents would come to feed it. Which they did.

In the light of that experience, it might sound a little uncaring to tell neighbours bringing nestlings, or the slightly older fledglings, to my door that the best advice I can give is just to take the birds back to the place they were found.

With all the frenetic, frenzied bird activity in spring and early summer, it’s good to know that a new generation of our feathered friends are in the making in our gardens. Sometimes, though, these young birds can look like they are in trouble, especially if they are found on the ground.

At these times it’s important not to panic, especially if children are involved. Decisions must be made in a cool, calculated manner to decide if the birds are genuinely in trouble and their parents are not in control.

It’s a common misconception birds will reject young if touched by humans. Birds recognise their offspring by call rather than smell. The nestling seemingly bereft of parents most likely has fallen or been blown out of the nest so it will not have travelled far. So it’s advisable to search nearby trees and shrubs for the nest and simply pop the chick back in it. If the nest can’t be found, an ice cream container lined with grass can be wedged in a tree. If the nestling is placed there, the parents will find it.

If the chick is mostly feathered and it can perch on a finger and hop around it is a fledgling and is either ready to leave the nest or is a couple of days away from doing so. In this case, it should be placed in the shelter of a leafy shrub. Mum and dad will answer its calls and continue to feed it.

If you suspect that the bird on the ground might be injured, or Mum and Dad do not return, pop the fledgling into a wellventilated container and contact the rescue service operated by the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary on 0447 264 625.

Volunteers will collect it if you can’t drop it off.