What would you have done? - Did I let nature take it's course, or help kill a bird?

The Coffee Shop
1

Come out of the office, I’m parked in the garage like normal. I’m in the underground floor because it’s cooler (and it is mid-90’s in the DC area). Several birds have set up nests there in some of the crawl areas of the beams.

Come off the stairs and I see a puffy little ball of fir or something on the ground. I think nothing of it and pass by, but turn back as I realized it is a tiny tiny baby bird.

I say hello to the bird and it turns and makes the tiniest chirp noise at me. I look up and 20 feet away is its nest, with two siblings in it. I’m looking around for the mother bird, but can’t see it. The bird is chirping but not moving around.

Should I have found a way to help? I figured if I touched the bird the mother would no longer take care of it, but if it was being left to die than an attempt to help wouldn’t cause more damage. I had some cereal in my car so I left some around the bird in case it got hungry (even though it probably has to eat the chewed up food from a parent).

I kind of feel like I left it to die, but wasn’t sure what I could have done.

2

Sounds like it was too young to be out of the nest. Birds are usually pretty feathered by the time they’re ready to leave.

Birds, other than vultures, have little to no sense of smell. The idea that the mother will reject the baby because of smell is an urban legend.

You can take baby birds to wildlife rehabilitators or just about any vet.

A young bird will only last a few hours outside the nest without the warmth of its siblings and mother.

3

Did I let nature take it’s course, or help kill a bird?

Both. Believe it or not, in nature all the cute baby animals do not always live. Sometimes Bambi dies.

4

Bambi died???

I’m actually a pansy, and when I saw that movie when I was a kid (3 or 4 I guess) I ran out of the theater when Bambi’s Mom got shot.

5

Here’s a little USMC jody to make you feel better:

Little Mouse
A little mouse
With little feet
Was sitting on my toilet seat
I pushed him in
I flushed him down
I watched his tail go round and round

A yellow bird
With a yellow bill
Was sitting on my window sill
I lured him in
With a piece of bread
Then I smashed his little head

A little kitten
A little cat
Was sitting on my welcome mat
I picked him up
I made him purr
Then I ripped off all his fur

A little puppy
With little paws
Was sitting on my table saw
I picked him up
Like a piece of meat
Then I chopped off all his feet

There’s a lesson to be learned enough
Keep your butt off of all my stuff
.

6

Man…I have to say I never heard that one. There were definately some sick Jodies, but that one is pretty bad.

7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpBkc2jK-6w
.