Spring time is nesting time
Many of our native birds are nesting now and we’ve had a few babes at the shelter already but we are waiting for the influx that we know may suddenly happen at any time.
There are a few things you can do during the season to give our natives a better chance of successfully getting their young through to fledging.
Firstly, be very aware if pruning or cutting trees on your property there is a high chance someone is nesting in the foliage, branches or hollows. Many nests are brought down through human activity during spring and summer. Check branches and foliage for nesting activity before pruning. If you do disturb a nest, please call for help and advice immediately as baby birds are fed frequently by parents and time is of the essence for any orphaned chicks.
Some chicks, such as ducklings and plover chicks, are what we call precocial chicks. These babes are hatched with fluffy down, eyes open and can be mobile within hours of hatching. They follow their parents while learning to forage. These chicks still require warmth and protection from parent birds or they will not survive on their own. We have already had instances this season of plover chicks falling down stormwater drains in streets and if they are not rescued from the cold, often damp or wet environment of a pipe or stormwater pit promptly, they perish quickly. Falling down stormwater grates, openings and pits are common rescues for us each season.
Other chicks are what we call altricial chicks. These chicks are the ones who hatch out akin to miniature dinosaurs, naked or with sparse down, eyes closed and quite helpless until they begin to develop more whilst in the nest. Songbirds, parrots, magpies and kookaburras all hatch out as altricial chicks. These chicks cannot survive out of the nest until they are more developed and ready to fledge.
Many of our birds such as magpies, ravens and our honeyeater species, including wattlebirds, naturally leave the nest just before they are able to fly properly. We call these chicks branchers. These youngsters can grip branches well, climb, run, hop and flutter, enough to get up into low branches and branch hop to safety higher up in a tree or shrub. It is natural for these babes to be clumsily following parent birds, begging for food as they tag along while mum or dad forages. These branchers may also park themselves in low branches while they await a parent to return with tucker. Branchers, just as all young chicks, can be naive to the danger of humans and appear friendly. This isn’t an invitation to be picked up. If uninjured and parent birds are about, there is no need for rescuing. If in doubt, call for advice and help. If a brancher is not able to grip a branch, walk, run, hop and flutter/half fly, there is something wrong.
Many chicks require assistance each season and each case needs to be assessed separately on whether things are ok or whether a chick’s survival means coming into care.
If you do come across a chick or chicks who need help, warmth is paramount for their survival until they can get to an appropriate shelter.
DO NOT give water or food unless advised by an experienced wildlife carer. We can advise on what to do until the bird can get to us. Each season chicks come to us where their fate is death caused by well intentioned people syringing water or inappropriate food items down their throat. Even a drop for a tiny chick can be a death sentence if taken down their windpipe. I’m not sure why the first instinct for people is to believe they’ll make a bird or critter better by instantly giving it water or food. I’m sure if this method worked, our paramedics would carry snacks and attempt to force liquid down our throats. Always call for help.
Each year we get calls for birds which people have tried to raise on their own without a rehabilitation permit. Just because Google says it’s perfectly alright to feed a bird dog or cat food, does not mean it is so. Call for help.
These youngsters need specialist care which includes raising correctly or they will not be fit for release. Birds who are kept eventually find their way to us when they either become a burden or begin to fail and have a long, hard slog ahead of them to get back on track and able to go on through to release. The entire process is thought out carefully for each species we care for, each step is setting them up for the next stage and when this is not done correctly, it usually ends in disaster. These cases also take a lot more of our time and resources when they have not had the appropriate care to begin with.
Always call for help
Times are tough out there for our native critters. Not only do they face all the natural dangers in their world, they now have to survive the added perils of human infrastructure and activities. They deserve a little help when they run into strife and every chick we get back out there is one more chick that may go on to have young themselves in seasons to come.
