It’s really hot outside in Houston, Texas, these days. Despite the extreme daily temperatures in the upper 90s, wild birds are flying and hopping around in our yard under the harsh Texas sun. Admiring their toughness from my air-conditioned studio, I thought about some wild baby birds who were practicing to fly in our yard this spring.
Every year in the spring, we have a few fledglings (young birds that have grown their flight feathers to make the first flight) on their flight lessons in our yard. What many people do not know when they find feathered young birds on the ground is that it’s possible that they are not orphaned birds.
If you find a fledgling on the ground, it is important to observe if its parents are around. If they are, they’ll come and feed their baby bird, teach it how to fly better, and how to peck seeds (or catch bugs), etc. They are teaching their kid how to survive in the world — like human parents cook breakfast for their kid, teach him/her how to ride on a bike safely, and how to do their first grocery shopping 🙂
If the fledgling is sitting at a not safe area where too many people are around, cats or dogs are around, etc., it might be a good idea to move the bird to a safer area but still accessible for its parents, such as a tree or a bush far from the sidewalks. A myth that birds abandon their babies because of human scent is not true. If you are not sure what to do in a certain situation, making a phone call to your local wildlife rehabilitation center is the best thing you can do for the wildlife.
In the world where wildlife and people have to cohabit more than ever, understanding their behaviors and life style is very important. Don’t forget that your house is probably built on land that used to be a forest and a home for many wildlife.
© Ellie Teramoto Photography
www.ellieteramoto.com