Makeshift Nest Helps Young Dove

This young dove fell from its nest in someone’s yard, but fortunately, the homeowner noticed and put it back in a tree in a new “nest.” The mother dove took care of things from there.

Most of us were told that wildlife parents, particularly birds, will not tend to their young if human scent is on them. This is a MYTH! Do not worry about your scent scaring off parent birds. Most birds have little to no sense of smell so it doesn’t matter that you’ve touched the baby bird. If you cannot reach the nest, and you can see the mother bird is still around, try to place the baby into a makeshift nest such as in a basket with some nesting materials, and possibly nail or attach the basket to the tree, off of the ground.

Learn more about what to do if you find a baby bird:  wildohio.gov/staywild