Fledglings

All around the Bailiwick the birds are singing and nesting with the first hatchlings already out and about.

The GSPCA would like to remind that as a general rule, it is best to leave baby birds alone.

A baby bird has a greater chance of survival in the wild than it has being hand-reared by man as they learn to fend for themselves and how to forage for food by their parents.

Around 2 weeks after hatching young birds in your Bailiwick garden usually leave the nest, just before they learn how to fly.

As the days become warmer and the Islands’ birds begin to nest we are starting to see the first fledglings arriving at the Shelter for a bit of TLC and a warm box to rest in. While many of the birds brought in to us genuinely need our help after being rescued from the jaws of a neighbour’s cat or the family dog, we do still receive baby birds that are perfectly healthy and have been picked up rather hastily by well meaning members of the public.