Ooh, Baby!

Baby season is just starting at The Wild Bird Fund

Migration season is in full swing and soon the parks, lakes and rivers will be full of little ones: ducklings, egrets, flickers, robins, kestrels, goslings…a new generation of wild birds is being introduced to New York’s wildlife landscape. At the moment, The Wild Bird Fund is tending to two types of babies: pigeon chicks and baby squirrels.

Bill the Pigeon

Ask anyone who lives in an urban area if they have ever seen a pigeon chick (make sure the person you ask doesn’t raise pigeons or work with them), and the answer will almost always be “no”. In fact, some people think that pigeon chicks are a thing of myth. Well, here he is: the rare and elusive rock pigeon chick, Bill. This little bird is impossibly cute. He gets fluffier by the day, and he bounces and coos while being fed. Bill is just one of a number of pigeon chicks being cared for by The Wild Bird Fund and our volunteers.

Toni, Tony, Tone

Squirrels are funny creatures (and not always in the “ha-ha” sense). I have a friend who once was confronted by a Dairy Queen spoon-wielding squirrel in her kitchen (true story, I promise). Another has tales of squirrels exacting revenge on her barking dogs. But before squirrels mature into their shifty ways of adulthood, they are adorably curious and sweet.

This baby squirrel trio was rescued by Wild Bird Fund volunteer Arina after their nest was destroyed. Arina is bottle feeding and tending to them until they are old enough to be released.

We expect the number of baby birds and animals that arrive at The Wild Bird Fund to increase in the next few months. If you encounter a baby bird, here is a set of instructions to help you carefully assess the bird’s needs and take the right actions. Please remember, whenever you find an injured bird, please contact The Wild Bird Fund if you are in the New York City area, or a federally licensed bird rehabilitator near you.

If you are interested in providing a foster home for some of our birds, please contact us at rehabbers (at) wildbirdfund (dot) com.

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