In this article, we discuss nesting season and fledglings, which is the term given to ‘a young bird that has its feathers and is learning to fly’. As part of National Garden Wildlife Week, we look at what to do if you think a fledgling has been abandoned or you find a nest in your garden.

There are currently 574 species of birds in the United Kingdom. Some of the more common species are Robins, Tits, Pigeons, Blackbirds, and Magpies.

At the start of February birds begin to collect twigs and sticks to make a nest. During the spring season females and males will pair up and lay eggs. Females can lay up to 5 - 10 eggs depending on their breed. The eggs can take 10 days to 3 weeks to hatch (depending on the type of bird). Inside the egg, the young bird develops an ‘egg tooth’, which is a hard tip to the upper part of its beak that helps it emerge, but despite that, hatching is physically exhausting.

Birds have evolved different strategies to maximise the survival of their offspring. While songbirds emerge from their eggs in a blind, naked state, and are quite unable to do anything for themselves for several weeks, other species, primarily ducks, waders and game birds, are ready to go from hatching.

Once they hatch the bird is called a hatchling (usually 0 - 3 days old) and they are small, mostly bald and have not yet opened their eyes. A nestling (usually 3 - 13 days old) has its eyes open and is not fully feathered. These won't survive long outside the protection of the nest and, where possible, should be re-nested and left in the wild, as birds take far better care of their babies than humans can. Fledglings (13 - 14 days old or older) have all their feathers and leave the nest just before they can fly, so it's normal to see them on the ground.

Leaving the nest is a hazardous time for all young birds. As well as learning to fly, birds must also learn how to feed and develop predator awareness, the price for not learning quickly enough is high.

For some species, the act of leaving is especially dangerous in itself. Goldeneyes (diving ducks) lay their eggs in holes in trees (or in special nestboxes), rather like woodpeckers do. That works fine for the adult birds, which of course can fly in and out, but what happens when the ducklings hatch? Like all duck species, they need to get to water quickly to feed, so they are encouraged to literally ‘take the plunge’ by their mother and jump to the ground!

In most cases, the nest is a horrible, cramped, parasite-infested place – chicks must leave as soon as possible.

What to do if you see a fledgling?

Fledglings are extremely unlikely to be abandoned by their parents. Just because you cannot see the adult birds does not mean that they are not there. The parents are probably just away collecting food or are hidden from view nearby keeping a watchful eye, or even being frightened away from their youngster by your presence.

Fledglings should be left where they are, in the care of their own parents. Removal of a fledgling from the wild must be a very last resort - only then if it is injured or has definitely been abandoned or orphaned.

Keep pets away! If a fledgling is in immediate danger, place it in a sheltered spot a short distance away.

Can I put it back in its nest?

If you find a hatchling, which is a very young bird with no feathers, it probably fell out of its nest by accident. In this case, gently place the youngster back in the nest. Only do this if you are sure which nest the chick came from and if it appears strong and healthy. Sometimes parent birds’ sense that there is something wrong with one of their chicks, or that it is dying. In cases like this, they will eject it out of the nest so they can concentrate on looking after the healthy ones.

If the nest is not accessible, set the nestling in a small container filled with shredded paper towel. Fasten it to the tree trunk or place it in a nearby shrub in hopes its parent will care for it.

If a healthy chick cannot be returned to its nest, it will be dependent on humans for survival and should be passed on to an expert rehabilitator as soon as possible.

May 31st - June 6th 2021 is National Garden Wildlife Week, so we are taking the opportunity to highlight some of the amazing wild birds and animals that live in our gardens. Together we can help them to flourish and continue to enjoy them living in and visiting our garden throughout the year. We hope that you found this article interesting and helpful.