Nesting Birds and Human Contact

As they are extremely vulnerable during their nesting periods, birds will do whatever they can to protect their offspring, and if they feel safe from intrusion, they will likely return in subsequent years.  If a young one falls from the nest, or an event disrupts or damages the nesting area, there are steps that should and should not be taken.

Alerted by a Robin’s frantic calls some years ago, I discovered that a fledgling had fallen from its nest in a tree located near our house.  I watched from a distance as the parents called out and the young one responded with chirps.  Knowing that I could not reach the nest, I waited to see what would happen. 

Later that afternoon, the fledgling settled into the shrubbery outside our large front window, and received regular feedings from its protective parents. 

The most important thing we could do to help was to keep the cat away from the area. 

The birds’ ‘conversations’ continued during the days when the tailless and flightless youngster cautiously moved about the garden, ventured farther onto the lawn, hopped onto the lower branch of a spruce tree, and eventually took flight. 

Those Robins stayed with us throughout the season, and we believe they returned to our area the following year.

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Belted Kingfisher Female

While walking along a lakeshore, a friend of mine watched in horror as the operator of an earth-moving machine moved too close to the edge above and caused partial collapse of a large sandbank colony of Belted Kingfishers’ and Bank Swallows’ nesting burrows below. 

The well-established lakeside colony and its amazing occupants were well known to locals who observed the activities but did not disturb the site or its inhabitants.  Needless to say, there was considerable anger directed at the careless operator.  

Parent birds, seeing that their nests with eggs, hatchlings or fledglings were destroyed, flew in all directions while frantically calling out in their harshest tones.  Instinctively wanting to rescue some of the fallen birds, the woman carried several young Kingfishers to her nearby home.   

While acknowledging the woman's good intentions and advising as to the proper care of the fledglings, a local Field Naturalist expressed his opinion that they should have been left alone.  He added that when the dust settled, the parent birds may have returned to rescue their young.  Though a large section of the sandbank colony was destroyed, they may have established another spot for rearing the young.

Regardless of the great concern and careful tending provided by the woman, only one young Belted Kingfisher survived.  We could only guess at the number of nests, eggs, and birds involved in the tragedy.


(Female Kingfisher photo credit:  "Mike" Michael L. Baird)