As long as the bird has not yet started laying eggs, you can move or destroy the nest. If there is even one egg present, you need to leave it alone. In the US, all native migratory birds are protected under federal law (Migratory Bird Treaty Act). It is illegal to disturb an active nest. Penalties for violating this law include fines of up to $500 and/or up to 6 months in jail for each offense.
If eggs are present, try to water the plant at times when the mother bird is absent, when she goes to get food for herself.
If eggs are present, about two weeks after they hatch, you will have fledglings on the ground.
Baby birds fledge (leave the nest) several days before they start to fly. They hop around on the ground, and they climb on low branches until their wings are strong enough for them to fly. The parent birds continue to feed and care for the fledglings until they are self-sufficient. If you see a baby bird on the ground, and the bird has most of his feathers, leave him alone. Do not think that he needs to be “rescued.”
July 19th, 2009 at 11:32 am
That’s cute, have you taken more picture since then? I’m just curious how old are they now?
July 19th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
tastes like chicken right?
July 19th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
That is so cool, I wish I had a flower pot and a bird did that. Try to get the mom bird in the picture though, that would be cool.