FYI

WAIT, DON'T PICK UP THAT BABY - Most baby birds on the ground are not orphans, sick nor injured.

• Well-feathered young birds that can move about, but are not yet able to fly are called "branchers" or "fledglings." It is normal for them to be on the ground and it's best to leave them alone so their parents can continue to care for them.
• Fledgling birds are like toddlers: they can hop and fly a little bit, but they need a few days to develop their skills.
• It is cruel to remove a healthy fledgling, young bird just because it is on the ground. It is learning very important things from its parents including dangers of domestic pets and how to feed itself.
• Many species of raptors will leave the nest when they are about half-grown (branchers). They can walk and climb but are not yet flighted. They have not been abandoned; the parents continue to feed and care for their young well into the fall months.

Our baby birds have finally left the nest (what a shocker when Lilly and I got up on the stool to check on them today!). They are some ugly baby birds I must say. They don't look like robins to me. Anyway, I saw a strange fluttering across the yard and realized it was one of the baby birds (looking pretty grown up). He seemed like he was hurt. He definitely couldn't fly and was hopping along. Lilly tried chasing him (I got all over her case for that) and she had to stop running up to him because she almost stepped on him twice! He can skim the grass but barely. I figured he was hurt. Thank you Google - I now know he's like a toddler and just learning to fly. Didn't see his sibling. Hope all is well with them both. And I hope you learned something new today.