How to Help Without Hurting
If you have found a baby bird or mammal, or see an injured animal, it is human nature to want to help. But before you do, check to see if intervening with nature is really the right thing to do. The vast majority of the time the animals do not need our help.
In the case of babies, more often than not, there are one or more parents nearby, but staying out of sight. Baby birds often leave the nests before they can fly, but will spend days hopping around and finding cover in bushes. Mom and dad will find them and care for them. Featherless babies who have fallen from their nests can be placed back in the nests. (It's an old wives tale that birds or mammals will abandon their young if you touch them.) The best help you can give is to keep kids and pets away so the parents can do their jobs. Because baby birds are such easy targets for cats, please help us spread the word about keeping kitties indoors during the nesting season.
At Wild Birds Unlimited, we are experts at helping you attract birds to your backyard, but we recommend leaving the rescue and rehabilitation of birds and animals to the specialists who are licensed to do so. Below is a local rescue organization you may want to contact for more information. Before you call, check out their website for excellent information about when you should or should not try to help.