Help! What should I do?

I just went outside and found that 2 baby Indigo buntings have fallen out of their nest. The parents are watching and the birds are large, but still not large enough to fly. What should I do? Nothing? Or should I try and put them back in the tree?

I would try and put them back in the tree.

the parents are there with them in some tall ice plant under the tree. The nest is too high for me to get too I now realize. Do you think they can tend them there in the ice plant? I will have some company tomorrow who could help me get a ladder, but no one is around today.

By all means, put them back in the nest.... Most Indigos around here nest close to the ground....Maybe they just hopped out, or something spooked them like a snake or something..... If you know where the nest is, try and put them back in it....

...Dave

I will try thanks for the advice!

If the nest is out of reach, just 'park' the chicks on as high a branch as you can reach. It gets them out of the reach of cats and suchlike. The parents will still find them when they call for food.

Resin

Even with a ladder I couldn't reach the nest. I tried putting them in a tree (cats can easily climb a tree) and they jumped back down, so maybe they are learning to fly? I left them alone and now can't find them so maybe they did fly or the parents have moved them to hide from me. I just hope they are ok. I see one of the parents sitting in another tree so they are in the area.

Try lining a plant basket and put that in the tree. When the nest is too high to reach, most of the time the parents will accept this. I've done this many times and it worked.I know what a terrible and helpless feeling that you have. Good luck-----------Beth

I had the thought of using a basket and thought they would not accept it!

I had this problem last year with Cardinals. After some research, I found that these youngsters were fledgelings, not babies. Most web sites instructed to not attempt to put them back in the nest, but protect from cats, etc.

Here's a link: http://www.nhaudubon.org/naturalist/naturalistbabybird.htm

Thanks for that link. I think the birds were fledglings as they did have open eyes and were hopping around. They had some downy feathers, but mostly regular ones and the tail feathers seemed shorter than the adults. This has at least been a learning experience!