There are some baby cardinals in my doorway and I can't tell if they have been abondoned or not. Help!?
Posted On July 18 In Cardinal Bird House
A cardinal built a nest in the entryway to my house. It hatched several baby birds but eventually the nest fell over. I put on gloves and placed them in a small box that contained the remainder of their nest plus some grass.
Right now I am unable to tell whether or not the birds are being taken care of by the mother and father. A few days ago I saw both of them fluttering around the entryway but I have since not seen either one directly in there.
The baby birds appear to be generating waste and look healthy to me, but I am by no stretch an expert. I can’t tell whether or not the parents are still taking care of them or if the birds are running off reserves.
Can anybody with knowlege of this sort of thing give me some good advice about what to do with the birds?
Comments (2)
Bird Watching is said to be one of the most relaxing and peaceful hobbies that anyone can do.
The parents wouldn’t abandon their babies. They are taking care of them otherwise they wouldn’t still be alive.
Well, it depends on how long the nest has been "replaced". A day? 2 days? If they are still alive and its been more than 1 day, chances are you are golden and the cardinals don’t mind your makeshift nest. Cardinals aren’t as picky as, say, house sparrows, and may not abandon the nest just because its been moved and changed. But I understand your need to be sure.
Baby cardinals need feeding every 2 hours after hatching, day and night, so imagine after 24 hours of no food! If they have some feathers or needles, they might be living off reserves, but again, that’s not likely unless its been under 24 hours.
Observation is the best indicator, obviously, but if you can’t sit and watch (while hidden so as not to scare the parents away), then the best thing to do is to wait until about sundown and check the nest. The parent should be back with the chicks by then.
If you are truly worried, you can call your local Wildlife Rehabilitor (every area has at least a few) and ask their advice on taking the nest in to them. Any vet can give you the number as well as the local police department.