What should I do?...apologies to Wilmslow

[Troll]

Something has just caught my eye in the garden a little bird is jumping up and down and looking closer there is a baby chick in the grass...

It looks like a fledgling has tried its wings too soon or fallen out of a nest

Beautiful little bird- looking at the mother it looks like a Chaffinch -the mother has just fended off a swoop from a magpie - talk about David & Goliath !

I've just gone out and chick is motionless with mother close bye - can't see an obvious nest and I cannot spend too much time helping keep the Magpie away

Mother has come back and fed the chick which is again motionless

Options:

1. Do nothing let nature take its course
2. Try and return the chick to its nest
3. Take the chick in and rear until it's ready to fly - kids would love that!
4. Introduce the chick to next doors cat

[Mich the Tester]

Something has just caught my eye in the garden a little bird is jumping up and down and looking closer there is a baby chick in the grass...

It looks like a fledgling has tried its wings too soon or fallen out of a nest

Beautiful little bird- looking at the mother it looks like a Chaffinch -the mother has just fended off a swoop from a magpie - talk about David & Goliath !

I've just gone out and chick is motionless with mother close bye - can't see an obvious nest and I cannot spend too much time helping keep the Magpie away

Mother has come back and fed the chick which is again motionless

Options:

1. Do nothing let nature take its course
2. Try and return the chick to its nest
3. Take the chick in and rear until it's ready to fly - kids would love that!
4. Introduce the chick to next doors cat

1, because
2 is pointless; mother will abandon the nest and therefore the other chicks will die
3 is pointless unless you're adept at teaching animals to fly
4 will happen anyway and the end will be mercifully fast

[Moscow Mule]

Mother has come back and fed the chick which is again motionless

It might be motionless as a defence mechanism.

I would leave it and watch nature in all her fury...

[Mich the Tester]

It might be motionless as a defence mechanism.

I would leave it and watch nature in all her fury...

...film it and put it on youtube.

[EternalOptimist]

I would build a wire mesh magpie/cat proof shelter, then knit a little chaff-jumper to keep the little fellow warm. I would dangle worms and insects from my lips into his little beak and nurture him as he grows. Private education and a birdie-apprenticeship followed by a career starring in Disney and Hitchcock films.

go on

[Pogle]

Bill Oddie says leave fledgelings alone - that's good enough for me.

[Troll]

Bill Oddie says leave fledgelings alone - that's good enough for me.

Just watched the Magpie take it.... hope you're happy now

[Pogle]

Just watched the Magpie take it.... hope you're happy now

Survival of the fittest my dear

[FSM with Cheddar]

Just watched the Magpie take it.... hope you're happy now

If this was Star Wars (or Star Trek now), then a bigger bird would come along and grab the magpie just before it grabs the little chick.

HTH

[EternalOptimist]

Bill Oddie says leave fledgelings alone - that's good enough for me.

Gary Glitter disagrees - and thats good enough for me