My grandchildren discovered a baby birdie lying at the base of our ash tree today. We can't see a nest, so don't know what to do with it. He is alive (pooped on my leg), but not lively.

It is 4" long and has yellow and gray markings similar to a lesser goldfinch, but the beak is gray and thinner like a robin's. He has feathers, but still a little bit of baby fluff too.

Should I try to feed it? I offered a spoonful of water, but it refused.

Does it want a worm or birdseed or what?
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If it has a pointy beak, as opposed to a thick beak like a sparrow, that means it eats bugs.

I raised a robin once back when I was in college..I fed him
dog food, offered on a toothpick.

It might be a warbler.

I'd try to give it water with a eye dropper.

Will it perch on your finger? If you put it in a box, with some
sticks will it sit on one? If it is too weak to do that, you
cannot let him loose,safely.

Warblers take their babies with them while they hunt.
We have them up North. They bring them to our makeshift
bird bath. I have a picture somewhere...let me see.....

I'll be back.

I forgot it does not have the RAM this one does!

Anyway here is a pic from 2007.... a mother warbler with her
baby--at the bird bath we made...it is just a saucer from a large plastic planter...with a stick.

Does it look like this?

The youngster is on the left, the adult on the right.

It is a little blurry, because I had to really zoom it, and some
vibration is hard to control (I am getting old)...

What I do when I find a youngster like this is put it back on a branch where I found it. (so the cats can't get him). He will cheep and call the parent. But if yours is too weak, that would be a problem.

Well, it looks more like your warbler than it does any of the 25 birds pictured in my copy of "Backyard Birds of Utah."

So, what do they eat?

I will watch for the parents in the morning. He can sleep in his little flannel-lined box tonight.

BTW, very nice photography, mrsd! Thanks for your help!

If you have ground turkey/hamburger, or dog food in a can,
try giving him that. Just a little bit on the end of a toothpick. You might have to nudge him a bit,
but don't force him. Babies open the beak pretty easily and quickly. I've done baby birds twice in my life.

See if he will perch.

If you put a drop of water on his beak (at the tip) and do not
cover his nostrils, see if he will open and drink.

Once he is used to that, try the food. I'd really try to feed and water him tonight. He may not last til morning if not fed. They eat alot at this stage.

I have ground beef. Raw is what you're talking about, right?

and only a little bit. It has to be big enough for him to see, but not so big it chokes him.

Say 1/4 of a pinkie fingernail size thereabouts.

Is he alert, watching you? Does he flap his wings? do anything?

This is a trying time when nestlings fledge. They sometimes
can't fly too well and get stuck.

The eagles at Norfolk last year had some fledging videos on
YouTube showing a huge eagle getting stuck upside down and falling onto a lower branch. One of them got lost at the airport next to the Gardens and had to be retrieved!

So little birds have the same problems. We have a family of chickadees coming to our bird bath and feeder. We watch them from the porch. Its been a week now and the adults are still feeding them. A whole week already!

I offered him two big ole pea-sized bites of the raw hamburger. He made some soft chirpy noises and ate!

No, haven't seen him flap his wings, but he will sit on my finger. So I put a stick in his box, but he prefers the soft flannel.

Thanks so much, mrsd! You'll have to PM me your name so I can name the birdie after you!!!
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We had a baby bird fall out of a tree by us. Our local wildlife rehab place said to bring it in as soon as possible because success with handraising is very low. They also said, don't try to replace the bird in the nest - it won't work either. If you have a wildlife rehab - that would be your best bet. They have the incubators and the knowhow for what they eat to ensure that the bird has the best chance for surviving.

That's GREAT... exciting. His parents may move on and you may have him for a while. So if that is the case, I'll help you to raise him so he won't get tame..so you can release him more
successfully.

Yes watch for the parents. See if they come by tomorrow. They sometimes have a route they follow.

I'd put him with the box in a safe tree if you see the parents.
they will see him and hear him. And you watch him too, to see what happens. I hope you have the time for it!

Feed him as much as he will eat tonight. And prepare to get up early tomorrow. And water too.

I really enjoyed the birds I raised. They are so interesting.

I even rescued a hummingbird once... with a sprained wing.
I kept him/her for 2 days, and released it. She/he flew off
happily. Here is a pic of him/her in the fish tank with the
sugar water I gave in an old feeder bottom...