It's fledging time!

**** Via Hope for Wildlife It's fledging time! What's fledgling? Glad you asked! Fledging is the stage in a bird's life between hatching and becoming fully capable of flight. And you're going to find these fledgling birds right where you don't expect to: on the ground! You see, bird's nests aren't that big, and as the nestling gets older, it's not long before they've run out of space in there. So they leave the nest and head to the ground to hop about waiting for the rest of their flight feathers to grow in and to become strong enough to fly. It's a vulnerable, but normal phase of their life. Don't worry though: mom (and sometimes dad, too) are around feeding them and coralling them to saftey. Sometimes, though, they can leave the nest too early - or fall out accidentally. If you see a bird that's naked or downy, can barely move, stand, or hop about , that's likely too young and the nestling needs to get back in the nest. If bird has feathers, even if they seem a little shorter than normal, and is hopping about with parents occassionally feed him, then you have yourself a fledgling! The whole process is over in a few days to a week, so while they are about give them a little space and time to take flight. If you're not sure if you have a bird that's too young to be out of the nest, contact your local rehabber!