Nestlings: If a baby bird that is not completely covered in feathers is found on the ground, it’s probably a nestling. It is a myth that they cannot be handled because the mothers will abandon them due to human scent, however it is still advisable to have as little contact as possible with a wild animal and wear gloves when possible.

If you know where the nest is you can put the baby bird back in and hope that the parents come back.

If the bird is completely abandoned, call us and we’ll do our best to nurse it to adulthood.

Fledglings: Sometimes nestlings fall from the nest prematurely, however this is rare. More commonly, as they are ready to fledge and begin to learn to fly, they will leave the nest and can be found on the ground or in low shrubbery. This period is part of the fledging process. The adults are usually close by continuing to tend them by bringing them food and protecting them from disturbance as they learn to fly and build the strength to do it. Placing them back in the nest, if it can be found, will just result in them leaving it again. The best approach is to leave them alone, or to place them someplace secure nearby where the adults can find them by the young's calls. Pets, especially cats, should be kept away or inside for a few days until the young bird is capable of strong flight.

Baby mammals: Every animal has a different way of caring for their young. Before you pick up a baby mammal that you think has been abandoned, please check if that is the case by visiting our website at: tetonwildlife.org-Found an animal.

On certain days when the lighting is just right a bird can crash into your newly cleaned window. Living in this wonderful place, most of us like having our windows clear so we can enjoy the view.

If you don’t want stickers or decorations on your window, consider marking them with some - UV Liquid - A bird can see it, but you can’t!

A bird has crashed into your window and seems to be injured?

Sometimes the bird is just stunned and after a short recovery period it bounces back and continues on its way. If you have pets or children or if the bird is potentially in danger while it recuperates, consider putting it in a box on an old towel or rag, away from danger and noise so that it sits quietly and regains its strength. There’s no need to feed or water it. After a few hours, if all is well you can open the box and let the bird fly away.

At other times the bird can suffer head trauma or has a broken bone. These cases require some time and rehabilitation efforts. If that’s the case- please call us and we will do what we can.

If your pets roam freely, they’re probably just as excited about spring as we all are. Spring brings new scents to the air and our pets like to go exploring. Mammals are usually very protective of their young and can cause serious harm to our pets and birds are especially vulnerable to even the gentlest of grabs.

To avoid pets getting skunked, quilled or injured by a cornered animal, or allowing them to kill or injure a bird or another animal, consider making their collars jingle in any way you want.

Cats are pretty good at moving around very stealthily, even when they have a bell on their collar. If you do allow them to go outside, please consider restricting their movements or getting them a bigger bell while baby animals are around.

If your pet has grabbed an animal and the animal is injured, please call us and we will do what we can.

Once we have access to our outbuildings, we’ll all be trying to get in there and clean up. As you do that, please consider that wildlife is slowly losing ground and animals are desperate for safe havens and easy sources of food. Porches, tool sheds, garages and barns may have been invaded during the winter or they may be just the spot for a mother to move her young into for a while.

Mothers are especially in need and will chose to stick around to protect their young rather than run away and birds will be looking for a comfortable and safe place to nest, away from potential predators.

Depending on your needs and timetable consider these ideas:

• For your own safety- do not try to grab a cornered animal! If possible, try to avoid handling wildlife and let them leave on their own.

• Postpone your cleanup until after the animal leaves- making a bit of noise might scare it away but a mother will not risk exposing her young until they are ready. If you make it known that it’s not a good place by making some noise or causing minor disturbances, and give the animals a chance to leave safely, they often do just that.

• If possible, consider closing gaps and holes in the invaded structure so that this doesn’t happen again. If this isn’t possible there are animal repellents such as mothballs and crystals that can be placed in potential denning locations, which can repel small mammals. Some suppliers offer coyote urine and other such substances that repel small mammals.

• Make sure that food stuffs and garbage are secure so that animals are not attracted to it. Especially in springtime, animals need to replenish their bodies and will always be attracted to easy meals.

• Please do not use pesticides to get rid of your invaders- they’re not only harmful to the animal you’re trying to get rid of.

A poisoned animal can poison your pets or other animals that might feed on it. If a nursing mother is poisoned the babies are at risk of being poisoned or orphaned.

We’ve heard from people that a poisoned mouse does not carry enough poison to kill a fox. While that might be true- a fox will eat at least 6 mice a day and if they’re all poisoned, the fox will die, and if a raptor or a smaller mammal feeds on it, it will be poisoned as well.

• Nest construction in undesirable places can be discouraged early in the nest-building period by removing the nesting materials at the nest site. The birds may be persistent once they’ve decided that location is desirable, which means nesting material may have to be removed as often as daily until they are discouraged.

If you need help relocating a squatting critter that doesn’t seem to get your hints please call us and we’ll do our best to help.

We regret to tell you that for now they are still not safe. The bird flu is in full swing and bird feeders can be spreading grounds. So as much as we think we’re helping, we might be causing harm.

https://www.kunm.org/news/2023-03-08/usda-records-almost-800-cases-of-avian-flu-in-wild-birds-across-the-mountain-west

Hummingbird Feeders:

https://www.facebook.com/100064307516471/posts/pfbid028ncPqNjsKZbeqwzf2XVHmQJpGcGy8zvwu599g3UKrGUH5q73AR84fS2sHNs8dqXul/

If you do decide to keep your feeders- please make sure to clean them regularly.

Please also keep in mind that feeders of any kind may attract other animals that you might not want to encounter on your porch or back yard. If you do use bird feeders make sure that they’re specifically designed to exclude other animals or hang them so they are unreachable by them. Please note that anything the birds drop on the ground is fair game for other animals.

Now that the roads are clearer, and spring is in the air we’ll all be doing a bit more driving. Since road conditions will be better, we might be tempted to be less careful.

Please remember that we’re not the only ones that will be moving around more freely and somewhat carelessly. More animals will be on the roads and some of them will have their young with them.

Let’s all try to avoid unnecessary harm to ourselves and the animals around us. Drive carefully!

Spring is a time of great need for animals after a long winter and they will be looking for food. Please make sure that your garbage and food are always secure. While this avoids the inevitable mess that stray animals might leave in their wake, it can also save you money and unnecessary animal encounters that could be dangerous.

Remember also that unsecure food caches are habit forming- an animal that scores an easy meal will not bother to work harder for another one. This behavior may be detrimental to the animal’s ability to succeed on their own in the wild, especially if it’s a youngling.

As you’re tackling spring and summer projects, consider the following:

• Repairing holes and breaks in your outbuildings or under your porch may prevent the next nest searching animal to make a home where you don’t want them.

• Other ways to avoid intruders is to make sure that your food and garbage are properly stored.

• Please remember that some animals are very adept at opening things, so make sure that it is literally baby proof.

• Some of your unwelcome guests might actually be beneficial, if you take a moment to consider: Raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes as well as animals from the weasel family and owls and hawks are excellent rodent killers. If you don’t have a dog or a cat who are mousers, maybe consider letting them hang out, if they don’t bother you.

• Bats and birds can keep an insect population under control.

• If you cannot fix damaged outbuildings- consider putting environmentally safe repellents- moth balls, scarecrows, flapping signals etc. Please try and avoid chemical pesticides and poison, as they will affect more than the animal you are trying to get rid of.

If none of the ideas that are presented here works for you and you want an animal intruder off your property- please call us and we will help in relocation.