In fledgling season you may begin to spot the odd fledgling or nestling taking refuge in your garden since leaving the safety of the nest. Not to worry, the adult birds are still keeping a watchful eye and feeding them every so often. But adult birds will begin to encourage them to spread their wings so they can eventually fend for themselves.
Young birds may cause some confusion in British gardens, due to the unusual colouring that hardly resemble their parents. One reason for this, is it acts as a camouflage whilst in the nest and or fledged. Secondly, the vibrant colours of some species may display its social status within nature, whereas the pastel shades of young birds will make it inconspicuous to aggressive adults or predators. Over the year, the Fledglings will eventually moult and begin to look more noticeably like the adults.
What To Feed Fledglings
As fledglings grow, so does their appetite and need a constant supply of food to grow. But remember, they are still developing and aren’t able to eat foods commonly associated with adult birds such as peanuts. Whole or split peanuts bring the risk of young birds choking, as their beaks are too supple to break the nuts down. The best way to serve up peanuts is as granules. Our peanut granules are aflatoxin tested, which also avoid the danger of bad bacteria entering their stomachs.
To cater for these new arrivals, we are relaunching our fledgling mix which is packed full of nutrients, protein and fats to support these birds on their way to adulthood, plus it will give them the extra strength to take flight. Our specially formulated premium mix is ideal for keeping young or adult birds healthy. It’s ideal for many bird species such as: Blue tits, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Goldfinches, Great spotted woodpeckers, Great tits, Greenfinches, House sparrows, Long-tailed tits, Nuthatches, and Robins.
Our very popular Fledgling Mix includes: Sunflower Hearts, Wheat, Black Sunflower, White Millet, Naked Oats, Kibbled Maize, Cut Wheat, Kibbled Peanuts, Dried Mealworms and Soya Oil.
Fledgling Mix can be fed from feeding trays, bird tables, seed feeders and window feeders, or from any flat surface!
Fledgling on the Floor
If you find a fledgling on the ground in your garden it can be tempting to want to rescue them and care for them yourself, however this is not the right approach. If you do find an abandoned fledgling don’t intervene although you may feel sorry for them this is a critical part of their development. Fledglings need to learn to stand on their own two legs, and fly with their own two wings! Their mother is usually nearby monitoring her children’s progress.
Exceptions
There are however times when you simply cannot leave the bird alone. You should only intervene if
- The birds life is in immediate danger
- The bird appears to be injured
- The bird is not fully feathered (this means it has likely fallen out of a nearby nest)
If any of these apply you should contact your local wildlife rescue charity for expert advice.
