Bird Watcher News May 13th, 2014

Local Bird News

Hooded Mergansers - photo by Suzy Downing

Speaking of baby birds...we have exciting news from the GWF Mill Creek Nature Center (MCNC) behind our Buford store. A female

Hooded Merganser was spotted and photographed with her nine young in the wetlands along the Ivy Creek Greenway. Hooded Mergansers are small, cavity-nesting ducks. They winter here in good numbers, but most return north to breed. It's exciting and a little unusual to have one nest locally.

Wood Duckling - photo by

Hank Ohme

The preserve also hosts several nesting Wood Ducks.

When volunteers Hank Ohme and Dale Higdon checked the boxes earlier this spring, they found eggs in all seven Wood Duck boxes!

Wood Duck clutch - photo by Hank Ohme

Also spotted recently at MCNC - a red-phase

Eastern Screech Owl

in a cavity in a red maple tree along the trail.

If you haven't visited MCNC, you should! Just park in the Bird Watcher parking lot and walk along the sidewalk towards Wendy's. You will see a set of stairs on your right, which takes you to the Ivy Creek Greenway and Mill Creek Nature Center. There is a map in the kiosk at the bottom of the stairs.

Eastern Screech Owl - photo by Suzy Downing

Hi Birdwatchers!

It's that time of year again...baby bird season. We field lots of calls every Spring from worried customers that have found baby birds and don't know what to do. Here are a few tips:

Cardinal nestling - photo by Heather Bosson

Is the bird feathered, and can it cling onto a finger or branch with its feet? If so, great! It is a fledgling and doesn't need help. Fledglings leave the nest before they can fly, but mom and dad are still caring for them. They scatter around the yard and hop, fly weakly or just huddle under a bush for a few days until their wings get strong enough to fly. Just keep pets and kids away from them and they'll be fine. If they happen to end up in the street or near fire ants, move them a short distance to safety and let them be. Their parents will take it from there.

If the baby bird is not feathered, and cannot hop or cling, it is still a nestling and may have fallen out of a nest. Look for a nest in the trees, shrubs or ledges nearby. If you cannot reach the nest, or if the nest has fallen down, you may need to make one out of a small basket or plastic container with holes for drainage. Layer with pine straw or leaves, but no paper products. Place the nestling in the substitute nest and hang it as close to the original nest as possible. Watch from a distance for a few hours to see if the parents return.

If the parents do not return, or if the baby bird is injured, you should contact a licensed bird rehabilitator. We recommend AWARE Wildlife Center. You can call them at 678-418-1111, or visit awareone.org to find a rehabber in your area. They are often overrun this time of year, so be patient if it takes them awhile to return your call.

This fledgling is fully feathered and can grasp a branch - does not need to be "rescued"

Be aware that both nests and fledglings can be anywhere...

so be careful when trimming trees and shrubs or even cutting the grass this time of year!

Kennesaw * Roswell * Buford * Marietta * Canton