Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/5/2007

Question
Six days ago a neighbour handed me two young jackdaws; one had fallen down his chimney and had possibly sat behind his boarded up fireplace for some hours; the other he had found in his garden unable to fly and in danger of being caught by his cat.  After putting the birds high in a tree in my garden the parents quickly found them and began feeding them.  Both birds came down from the tree, but when it grew dark I knew they'd be in danger of at least the foxes which come regularly so I put them in a covered box for the night in an outbuilding.  At 4am in the morning I put them back high in the tree where the parents continued to feed them. After two days, one of the jackdaws flew and can be seen around from time to time.  My problem is the other jackdaw; it is now day six and he shows no inclination to fly. Each night I now put him high in the tree - the only physical contact I have with him - and each day the parents continue to feed him, both in the tree and on the ground. (I leave out plenty of both water-soaked bread and, on the advice of a wildlife charity, dog food.)  Is he likely to fly or is there something wrong?  He appears to be all right, stretching his wings from time to time and preening himself now and again.  Reason tells me the parents would have abandoned him by now if he wasn't ok, but on a practical side being here each night and up at 4am each morning as well as keep a discreet eye during the day is becoming exhausting.  Please can you help?

Answer
It seems to me that the young birds are fine. Some birds take longer than others to fly; a few never do and simply perish. I appreciate your concern but the more you try to help the more the bird will depend on you and the more likely the parents will abandon it. Try to edge yourself out of the situation and hope nature takes a proper course. I do appreciate your concern. For more information, go to www.ornithology.com/rehab.html. Roger Lederer