Caption: The baby Blue Jay that recently escaped a cat (with some human help).
By Susan Heath
A couple of days ago we found a baby Blue Jay on the ground in our front yard with a cat getting ready to pounce. The adult Blue Jays were in the trees overhead scolding loudly, but the cat was ignoring them, and the baby was unaware of the danger or too scared to run for cover.
At the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, we get a lot of calls about baby birds out of the nest this time of year. But the fact is that most baby birds are still being cared for by a parent even if they are on the ground. Young birds often leave the nest once they are mobile but before they can fly because it’s safer for them on the ground where they can run and hide from predators.
Any baby bird that is feathered all over is called a fledgling and chances are it left the nest on purpose. If you observe from a distance or better yet, from inside your house, you are likely to see a parent bird coming to feed the fledgling. If this is the case, leave the bird alone. Make sure you keep your dog and cat inside though because they can injure or kill a baby bird in a matter of seconds.
A fully feathered baby bird only needs your help if it is in danger from a predator (dogs and cats), appears sick or injured, or is wet and cold. In the case of the Blue Jay, we took it into the back yard and put it in some thick bushes where it could hide from the cat. The cat rarely goes in our backyard, so we felt is was pretty safe there. The adults were watching, and the baby was calling to them so I’m sure they found it to feed it.
A different scenario entirely is a baby bird that is not feathered. These are called nestlings and if you find one of these on the ground, it needs some help because it should still be in the nest. If you can see where the nest is and can safely reach it, try putting the baby back in the nest.
It is not true that parent birds will reject a baby if a human has touched it. In most cases, the parent is somewhere nearby watching and will see that the baby is back in the nest and will return to care for it. If you can’t reach the nest or if the bird has been injured or is wet and cold, then it needs to be rescued. In addition, any bird (adult, fledgling or nestling) that has been attacked by a cat needs to be rescued whether there is visible injury or not. This is because the bacteria in a cat’s mouth is toxic to birds, so even a small bite can be deadly if left untreated.
In cases where a baby bird needs help, put it in a small box lined with paper towels. Put the box somewhere safe from children and pets and call a rehabilitator immediately. Do not give the bird any water or food.
In the Lake Jackson area, Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue handles all injured and orphaned birds (and other wildlife too). You can reach them at 979-849-0184. This hotline is staffed 24 hours a day 7 day a week and they will return your call within an hour. If you live somewhere else, you can find a rehabilitator in your area on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website at https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/rehab/list/. If you want to help in other ways, wildlife rehabilitators are always looking for volunteers and of course any donations are always appreciated!
