We have been having a great learning experience with our bird box that the kids made during the Great Backyard Bird count activities at our local nature center. It was exciting for us to watch a chickadee start building a nest, and then there were six small eggs in the nest. The chickadee actually let me pet her. I'm not sure if she was just tolerating me - but anyway it was something that has never happened before. Last week the eggs hatched and there were six, featherless pink babies. This week we have watched in amazement as they have increased exponentially in size, and have enjoyed watching the mother and father care for them. The girls went in and held one of the babies - They were told that this was ok, by the people at the nature center; however I have gotten mixed information about this. My feeling is to let them be and just observe them - but anyway, I did take some pictures of Brianna and Lexi, and their friend Rachel as they were holding the birds. I am amazed at how much we have learned about birds and backyard birding in the last few months. For Mother's Day the kids got me a new bird feeder and a birdbath that you can hang from a tree. This way our cat won't keep leaping at them! Chase uses his binoculars often to look at the birds and has found numerous nests up in our trees - one of which he is sure belongs to a Robin. Enjoy our photos!
2 comments:
I would LOVE to hear more about your experience! We just discovered that we have at least 3 baby Black-Capped Chickadees in a little bird house that my daughter built! It doesn't have a hinged opening, so we will only be observing through a small entry hole, but it's still very exciting!
My husband is with the children at the Ecotarium http://www.ecotarium.org/ (a small nature/science museum near us) to learn about Bald Eagles in our state, but I called with the news of the babies (can't believe they noticed the nest but not the birds in it!) and having seen one of the parent birds feeding them, I can id the babies as well!
Hopefully he will learn more about them from the naturalists at the museum and when they are home I can begin digging through our birding books (in the car with them) as well as getting a few photos!
Ours are already feathered somewhat and opened their beaks wide for food when I peeked inside!
Thank you!
btw.. here's my blog, a bird entry will be up by tomorrow! http://www.myspace.com/neithj
- Neith
Try some hand feeding bid food. Here is a link to a site that sells it on-line. http://www.dealtime.com/xDN-Pets--birds-food_and_treats~V-rows
Perhaps your local pet store would have something similar. Also I found the following info:
Found a baby bird? What do you do?
The best thing to do if you find a baby bird is to leave it alone. If the bird appears as though it has fallen from a nest, an attempt to locate the nest can be made, and the bird can be carefully returned. If the bird has feathers, it may be a fledged bird and a parent bird is probably close by. As long as the bird is in no danger from cats or other predators, it is best to watch the bird from a distance to see if a parent returns after an hour or so before determining that the bird needs human help.
Birds do not have a true sense of smell, so the myth that birds will reject a baby bird if touched by a human is not true. A baby bird that has been touched by a human, however, does make it easier for a predator (cat, raccoon, etc.) to find.
If a nest cannot be located or the bird is "rescued," the first important step is to call a rehabilitator to care for the bird. Second provide warmth to the baby bird. A hot water bottle or heating pad on a low setting or even hot water in a glass bottle will do.
Taking care of injured birds and wildlife should be left to people who know how to do it best. Contact the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you for help locating a rehabilitator.
Good luck! Some people just have the touch with this sort of thing. Keep me posted on how you are doing!
Heather
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