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teachingmom
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Virginia Bluebells
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| Posted: June 16 2008 at 1:42pm | IP Logged
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It's the first day of summer vacation around here and we are having an unexpected nature study lesson.
My older girls and Mary Chris's daughter just found a baby robin stuck in our basement window well. It is a very large well - about 5 ft deep and almost just as wide. The baby cannot fly up and out. We saw the mother bring the baby a few worms, so she is aware of where her baby is and is taking care of it. The baby can flutter up to the first or second rung of a permanent escape ladder in the window well, but no further.
What would you do? Leave it alone, assuming that the mother will continue caring for it from a distance and it will become strong enough to fly out soon? Or help it get out in some way? I'm concerned about someone climbing down in the well with it and the bird getting hurt if it started fluttering around. I'm also concerned about how one would lift the bird out. I thought I might be able to take a straw broom and reach it into the well from above and cajole the baby to sit on it and then gently lift it upward and out of the well. But is this an unrealistic idea? And would the baby's feet get hurt possibly?
Any suggestions from you nature lovers?
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Mary K
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| Posted: June 16 2008 at 3:03pm | IP Logged
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Hi,
Since the mother is caring for it, I'd leave it alone until it could leave on its own. You could also call a local Cornell Cooperative Extension or local zoo or nature center to see if they had any ideas.
God bless,
Mary-NY
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 16 2008 at 4:03pm | IP Logged
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Could you scoop it out with a butterfly net?
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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MaryM
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| Posted: June 16 2008 at 5:50pm | IP Logged
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I probably would try to get it out as it seems like it might be in more danger in a place it can't leave (I'm thinking neighborhood cats, etc.) Any idea at all of where the nest could be? If it can't yet fly much probably hasn't come from too far. Does mom have other babies somewhere? I'd watch where she goes when she leaves and see if you can get any leads. If you can find a nest and it's accessible you would have a place to put the baby. We had to do that this spring with a little not quite flying baby (but we did know where the nest was already).
If you can't find the nest, I still would get it out.
I found this on one of the "if you find baby birds" sites:
Q. The baby has feathers but can't fly. It must be sick or fallen from the nest, right?
This is not necessarily true. Several species of birds (i.e. jays, towhees, American Robins) continue to care for their young and, in fact, finish the fledgling's education at ground level.
Since it is now at below ground level, I would think getting it at least at ground level would be good. At this point mom can't help to get it out but at ground level would be able to continue fledgling education.
And it has been a few hours since you first posted so you may have an update on what you have done already.
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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MacBeth
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| Posted: June 16 2008 at 10:55pm | IP Logged
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Leave it alone, unless there is a predator issue in the area (cat?). I know folks who put a strawberry basket in a bush, and move the baby birds into it. I have done this with doves, since a cat hunts here often. The mother finds them easily and does not care that the young one has been moved.
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog 
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Mackfam
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Non Nobis
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| Posted: June 17 2008 at 6:30am | IP Logged
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anxiously awaiting more news on the baby bird! My children are riveted.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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teachingmom
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Virginia Bluebells
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| Posted: June 18 2008 at 2:02pm | IP Logged
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Sorry I didn't get back yesterday to report on our little bird. It seems it made it out of the window well at some point during that first evening. We had a huge storm blow in late that afternoon, and I was concerned for it. But my dd could see it through the window, safely tucked under the bottom step of the escape ladder out of the way of the wind and driving rain.
I had an evening meeting and then had to pick up my husband at the metro really late. When we came in around 10:30 pm, I noticed a bird sitting along the ballisters of the deck stairs as I walked up to enter the house. It shocked me that I had just walked about a foot away from it and it hadn't moved a bit. I wondered if it could be the mother, keeping vigil, but thought that she would have moved away as we approached.
The next morning, dh saw the bird in the same location as he headed out to work. By his description, I realized that it (and thus the bird we saw the night before) was the baby. It must have gotten itself out of the well and was waiting there in a semi-covered spot for morning.
There was no sign of it when the girls and I looked later in the morning, so I am assuming that it made its way back to its mother and safety. Whew!
Thanks for your advice and concern, ladies!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Mary Chris
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| Posted: June 18 2008 at 3:13pm | IP Logged
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I'm glad the bird made it out. That same afternoon, I found a huge gross spider in my house. It had a white marking, not red so I don't think it was a black widow, but I was still creeped out! Let me tell you, I would have rather had a stuck bird.
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Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: baby bird stuck - what would you do?
