It’s been a quiet winter so far for the Wasatch Wildlife Conservation Center, said founder and director Jody Giddings. But with the season change comes more wildlife activity in the Wasatch Back, and one of the most common calls they see is for baby birds.According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, it’s not unusual to find a baby bird on the ground this time of year. Many birds hatch in spring and begin learning to fly during their fledgling stage, Giddings said, which means, surprisingly, they spend some time living on the ground until they get the hang of their wings.“If it is a fledgling, it can be on the ground for up to a week or so, which seems counterintuitive for survival, but that’s just how they learn to fly,” she said.So for the kind-spirited nature lovers in Park City, it can be tempting to want to help out these fledglings, but Giddings said most of the time they’re just fine and being looked after by their mom or dad.“The parents will hide while they’re fledging if they see a person. So if you just give it a minute, you usually will see one of the parents that’s there,” she said.But in some cases, there is a need for human intervention if a baby is out of its nest too early, fallen or blown out during spring storms, so there are a couple things to look for.“If they find a baby bird that’s sitting on the ground out of his nest, the first thing is to check if it’s bleeding, has an open wound or a broken bone, if it’s been in a cat or dog’s mouth, or if it’s covered in fly eggs, which actually look like small grains of rice,” Giddings said. If any of those apply, Giddings said it’s important to call their wildlife hotline at 801-228-0831, or bring it into their rehabilitation center. Jason Jones, the migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, said there are some instances when people can return a baby bird to its nest.If the bird you find is very small and doesn’t have feathers, you should place it back in its nest. If you can’t find the nest, put the bird on a branch nearby, somewhere safe from dogs or cats. “The baby will squawk, and its parents will find it,” Jones said.There’s no need to worry about leaving your scent on the bird; that’s just a myth, Giddings said. Most birds do not have a strong sense of smell, so handling it won’t cause the parents to reject it. Most importantly, the Department of Wildlife Resources said people should never take a baby bird home. It’s illegal in Utah to possess wild animals without the appropriate permits.That’s something that Giddings said they try to prevent: bird kidnapping.“Someone will see a little bird hopping around on the grass, and they don’t see a nest or mom, and so they’ll pick it up and bring it in and then call us,” she said. The parents 99% of the time will be still feeding it as it learns to hop around on the ground.”If the bird is in a dangerous location, like in a road or near a busy area, you can carefully move it to a safer spot nearby. But if you can’t catch it easily, it’s best to let it be.It’s also important not to feed the baby bird. “While robins and some bird species can safely eat worms, others can’t,” Jones said. “So don’t try to feed baby birds or other wildlife that you encounter. You may think you are helping them, but it usually does more harm than good.”Giddings said this is because each bird species has a different nutritional need, and it’s best left to experts. They see this a lot with baby hummingbirds, she said, where people try to feed it nectar with a spoon but then drench the animal with the sticky liquid instead.Don’t give baby birds water, either, she said.“If they are truly orphaned and have been on the ground for a while, they could be severely dehydrated, so we have a special rehydration solution that we use,” Giddings said.Most of these rules apply to songbirds, some of the most common being robins and hummingbirds, but Giddings said they also treat raptors like great horned owls.To further educate outdoor recreationists and residents about the spring season’s animal activity, Wasatch Wildlife is hosting a Lunch and Learn Zoom course on “Spring Babies” in collaboration with the Swaner Preserve EcoCenter. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, starting at noon, and people can register on the Swaner website at extension.usu.edu/swaner/calendar. Jones said that while songbirds aren’t typically affected by avian flu, it’s still a good idea to regularly clean bird feeders and baths. If you see five or more dead birds in one place, contact the nearest Department of Wildlife Resources office and don’t touch the birds.For more information, visit wasatchwildlife.org or call the Wasatch Wildlife Conservation Center’s wildlife hotline.The post Baby birds dos and don’ts as spring arrives appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less