AboutRoger Lederer Expertise Any and all about wild birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.
Experience Have a PhD and thirty eight years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, two bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 80 countries watching birds.
Question We have a nest of finches just below our rolled awning on our deck. On May
24 we found 3 dead baby finches..hatchlings, on the deck. Now it is June 16
and there are babies in the nest and they appear to be doing ok. We hear alot
of activity.
I am concerned if they they survive the fall, will they be able to maneuver
themselves off the deck? (There are 3 steps down to the grass )..What
normally happens in this situation where their home is part of " our home "?
Thanks, Sydney
Answer It is typical for baby birds to jump out of their nest, sometimes quite a distance. If they survive the fall, and some do not, they should be perfectly capable of doing whatever they need to do to survive. I can't tell you what normally happens when their home is part of our home because every situation is different, but it often happens that the birds do quite well under those circumstances.
