Baby Bird Season - FAQ's with RSPB Northern Ireland

Published: 12 Mar 2024

It’s that time of year when birdsong is in the air, the sunshine is starting to come out and we get inundated with questions about how to help birds and wildlife.  As a wildlife conservation charity, we unfortunately do not have the facilities or expertise to treat injured birds and would urge you to contact a local vet or independent wildlife rehabilitator so it can receive the proper treatment as quickly as possible. You can find contact information at the end of this page.

We have however, put together this helpful list of answers to the most commonly asked questions during breeding bird season.

*Please note that most of the below information is universal, but much of the contact info and wildlife crime guidance and references are specific to Northern Ireland.

The Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 protects all wild birds, their (active) nests, eggs and dependent young. We advise against cutting hedges or trees from the start of March until the end of August, as doing so runs the risk of disturbing or destroying nests, which is a criminal offence. If you believe an active nest is being destroyed or disturbed, you can call the PSNI on 101 or report it anonymously through the Crimestoppers website (www.crimestoppers-uk.org/) or by phone on 0800 555 111.

As a wildlife conservation charity, we don’t have the facilities or expertise to treat injured birds. An injured bird should always be passed onto a local vet or an independent wildlife rehabilitator so it can receive appropriate treatment as quickly as possible. Scroll to the end of this page for our full list of wildlife contacts in Northern Ireland who can help. If you think the bird has been attacked by a cat read the next question below.

Even if the bird looks relatively uninjured, cat saliva is poisonous to birds - so unless the victim receives a shot of antibiotics, he/she will most likely die within a couple of days. It is best if you get in touch with a local vet or independent willdife rehabilitator. If you have a cat, make sure it wears a bell on its collar to alert birds of its presence. And if you think there is a vulnerable bird nearby, please keep your cat indoors (or if it is your neighbour’s cat, encourage them to do so).

It is always best to leave the family undisturbed whenever possible. The mother duck knows where the nearest water is to take her young to, although it may be a couple of miles away. In most instances it is best to leave her alone, because interference can cause extra stress and risk the mother panicking and abandoning her young.

In many cases keeping an eye from the distance and shepherding the family across a danger point, such as a busy road, is all that is needed.

If the family is in a dangerous or an unsuitable place such as an enclosed courtyard with no way out without flying, it may be advisable to relocate them – but only as a last resort. This must be well planned and prepared.

It is important you catch the mother duck first, then the ducklings into a separate box. Be careful to ensure that the first effort to catch the mother is successful, because if she flies away in a panic, she may abandon her young. Handle the duck and ducklings as little as possible. However gentle you are, the whole experience will be very stressful for them.

Once safely caught, take the family to a safe place, preferably near a pond, reservoir or lake with gently sloping banks and good cover. Release the ducklings first onto an open bank where they can stand and be seen by the mother. When you release the mother, make sure she has seen the ducklings before letting her go. Place the box she is in carefully on its side so that the opening faces the ducklings. Stand behind the box so that when it is opened, she can walk straight out to her family.

It is very common to find a young gull on the ground. Young gulls leave the nest when they are only a few days old, well before they can fly and begin to wander about in search of cover. Parent gulls know to look for their wandering young and it is very rare that they become separated, they will usually be close by keeping a watchful eye.

There is no need to intervene unless the young gull is injured. If it does have a visible injury such as a wing trailing the ground, seek advice from a local vet or wildlife rehabilitator

• Contacts for injured birds (and other wildlife): helpwildlife.co.uk
• Debbie Doolittle’s WildLife operates a rescue and rehabilitation service to all wild animals. Debbie is contactable via her Facebook page: Debbie Doolittle’s Wildlife
• Vets Now (24hr): 028 9065 1729
• For seal rescues, contact Exploris via Facebook or email info@explorisni.com
• USPCA: 028 3025 1000 / enquiries@uspca.co.uk
• For injured bats, contact the NI Bat Group

If you have a question between 9.30 am – 4.30 pm Monday – Friday, we have a dedicated wildlife enquires telephone line which you can call on 01767 693 690 outside of these hours you can contact the RSPB HQ wildlife enquiries team via wildlife@rspb.org.uk.

Northern Ireland Wildlife Crime Information

•       Wildlife Law and You
•       Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW NI)
•       Nesting Birds Leaflet (PAW NI)