Special Cases

Crows

Like many species, juvenile crows will typically leave the nest before they are able to fly. This is a completely normal and very important part of their life cycle. It is not uncommon to find young crows on the ground in suburban, urban and industrial areas during the months of May, June, and July.

However, fledgling crows are as large as adults, and people are frequently concerned that the crow they have seen on the ground is an injured adult rather than simply a youngster learning to fly. One easy way to tell if a crow is a juvenile is to look at the color of the bird’s eyes. Young crows have blue/grey eyes, while adults have black eyes.

Vaux’s Swifts

Many people are surprised to hear very noisy birds chattering in their chimney in the late spring. These are almost always Vaux’s Swifts. Swifts attach stick nests to chimney walls using saliva. Their young have Velcro-like feet that allow them to actually climb up and down the walls of the chimney.

If a nest of young has fallen into your fireplace, place the nest in small box or berry basket. Learn More

Owls

Owls are some of the earliest birds to fledge. Young owlets leave the nest and begin exploring nearby branches long before they are able to fly. Sometimes a swift gust of wind or a misstep will bring them to the ground. If you find a young owl on the ground, try placing it on the highest nearby branch you can find. They will frequently make their way back up the tree.

Killdeer

Killdeer are notorious for nesting in highly traveled areas. Their young are precocial and are able to walk and feed themselves at hatching. People frequently hear young killdeer doing their high-pitched peeping and feel compelled to rescue them. In most cases, a parent is hiding nearby and will return as soon as the area is vacated.

Ducklings and Goslings

Many of our urban parks are overcrowded with waterfowl. As a result, female mallards and geese will often nest far from water and then have to lead their young back to the park when they hatch. Learn More