Young fledglings and baby birds are a common sight at this time of year. At Travis Audubon we are frequently asked about young birds that have fallen from the nest. One of our Ask-a-Birder Experts shares some interesting insight on the daily lives of baby birds and their parents in response to a recent question we received:

“We have a Purple Martin that has nested on our back patio where a pole meets the tin awning. My son (4 y/o) went into the back yard and saw a baby bird on the concrete. When I went outside to check on my son, he already had it in his hands. It wasn’t spreading its wings yet and was barely moving its head around. He wanted to put it back in the best, so we did. And we put something softer under the nest on the concrete in case a baby fell out again. There looks to be 2-3 other babies in the nest. Momma was flying around when we came back inside, and had gone to the nest, but flew off. Will momma bird neglect all of the babies because one was touched? And if so, what can we do to help the babies to survive?”

Ask-a-Birder Expert Charles Stephens responds:
“The bird you’re describing sounds like a Barn Swallow given Purple Martins only nest in cavities and colonies. Regardless, the swallows are very attentive parents but do not possess any significant sense of smell or taste so touching a bird is not going to make a parent abandon a nest.

Since your young ones are feathered, the parents will rarely stay at the nest given they are out foraging vigorously all day for so many mouths to feed and sometime don’t stay overnight.

Another thing one needs to give consideration to is the natural selection part of the equation and the competition to survive in the nest. It is quite often that a few siblings not survive to fledge out of the nest due to the competition.

It’s also possible one got blown out of the nest due to a storm. We also must consider that now is about the time swallows start to leave the nest. Many birds do not just fly away from the nest. They “plop” to the ground quite often but gain strength and coordination very quickly.

These are all possibilities I’ve experienced. The only thing I can say going forward is to leave them alone and let nature take its course and enjoy the journey.”

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