Maine Center Explains When You Should Rescue A Baby Bird

Some children in my neighborhood tugged my hand and wanted to show me the bird's nest low in their tree.   There sat three blue robin's eggs, with one about to burst all the way through its shell.

The kids so wanted to touch the eggs, but their mother had told them if you touch a bird's egg, or a baby bird, the parents would smell you and abandon the baby.  That information was enough to make them not tamper with the eggs nor the nestling.

Audubon.org clears the matter up about rescuing a baby bird.

Is the bird a nestling (newborn or only a few weeks old), or a fledgling (slightly older and learning to fly)?  This determines whether you should rescue it.

If it's a nestling, it may have fallen out of the nest or been pushed out, and you should rescue it and put it back in it's home.  It's a myth the parents will abandon the chick if humans touch it.  If the nestling is injured, then it can be nursed back to health by professionals.

However, if the young one is a fledgling, it's best to let them be, unless injured.  They are exploring their surroundings outside the next, and that is normal.  If found near the nest, that may well be part of their normal maturation process.

The Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick, Maine, a non-profit "dedicated to a sustainable future for our wildlife, community and environment", has posted this chart to determine if you should be touching a young bird out of the nest.

The organization does incredible work in rehabilitating injured wildlife.