Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/13/2009

Question
We have two dogs, so baby birds hopping around the yard can be a problem. There's a morning dove nest in our grape vines. One of the babies was on the ground and our dogs found it, but luckily didn't hurt it. I put it behind a little fence right under the grape vines. The next day, it was still there but we were expecting heavy rains and I was afraid it would drown (our yard gets really wet). I got a small bowl, put holes in the bottom and put some paper towels and grass in there, wedged it in the vines below the nest and put the baby in it. The next day after the rain, the mother was out of the nest so I put the baby back in beside the other one. I hoped it wasn't ill and hadn't been kicked out and had just fell out by mistake. It looked sleepy and by the second day was opening its mouth to me as if it was hungry, which is why I worried it wasn't being fed). The mother came back and sat on the nest. Another day went by with more rain and I peeked in while she was gone again (she was nearby but didn't seem to mind). I only saw the older, fluffier baby. I got a chair to stand on and saw the smaller baby was on the outside of the nest, I guess on some vines, and it had died.

Now I'm worried that all the flies (and the horrible smell) will hurt the other baby or the mother. Do you think that will happen? I would have taken it out but it's kinda in a hard to get spot and I didn't wanna startle the other baby. I know it's nature and all, but I don't wanna see them getting sick. I thought it was gonna be okay once she was back sitting in the nest with them but I guess the little one was too sick or weak to make it.

Will they be okay as long as the other one is there beside it? Should I try and remove it or will it be all right for them to be right by it? I can't imagine it's not common for some birds to die in the nest but maybe the mother usually tosses them out. Maybe she tried this time and it got stuck in the grape vines.

Any words of wisdom? I would have left it if we didn't have dogs.

Answer
The short answer is no, infection is not a problem.
If the baby was fully feathered but unable to fly, it jumped out on its own. This is perfectly normal. The parents will feed it on the ground until it can fly. It should not be put back in the nest. But if it was half naked, then it should go back in the nest. Sometimes people put young birds back in the nest two or three times and the young bird finally injures or kills itself jumping out so often. Not that this was the case here, though.
If a baby or egg dies in the nest, songbirds do not remove it. They just leave the nest when and if the other babies are ready to do so. And mortality among young songbirds is very high.  So you don't need to do anything. But, you should minimize the times you look in the nest; if anything will make a bird abandon its nest, its disturbance by a predator (which you are considered to be by the birds). Once a day is plenty.
Thank you for your concern.