Fledgling Birds Alert!
It’s Spring which means we have fledglings in the parking lot. They are learning to fly and that means they are out of the nest and tree. They need space, not assistance. They are learning about the world which includes being at risk of being hit by a car as they hop and flutter around the parking lot islands.
Fledglings hop around a lot. They have almost all of their flight feathers and are close to being able to fly. They chirp and call to their parents who are nearby. (Birds with no and little feathers are nestlings.)
They are typically on the ground for two to five days as they work on strengthening their wings. It’s part of the natural process a baby birds go through right before taking their first flight. The parents are usually nearby, watching their fledgling and are feeding it.
They are still being cared for by their parents. Please look around and under your cars. You can shoo them back onto the nearest grassy island in the parking lot. They won’t stay but teens are like that. This is why it is not recommended to put it back in the nest. (Good luck finding it too.) It is not recommended that you catch the baby bird to move it.
A staffer chased this one to an island when leaving for lunch then came back and herded it back onto the big grassy island again upon returning.
I found a baby bird – what should I do? | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov)
Watchable Wildlife FAQ | State of Tennessee, Wildlife Resources Agency (tn.gov)