Quite often ii spring newly born birds fall from the nest and lie helplessly on the ground. What can we do to aid these poor little creatures?

First of all they need a warm nest. A small box or basket stuffed with woolen rags is perfect for this. If the little bird is only a few days old it will have to be kept warm. This can be done by keeping a 25-watt bulb alight over the box. The bulb should be shaded so that the light does not distress the bird. The box is best kept in a quiet corner, preferably in subdued light, and away from draughts and gas fumes. It must be placed well out of the reach of domestic pets.

The biggest problem is how to feed the fledgling. If it gets the wrong food it will die. A young bird also has to have certain quantities of food given to it at certain intervals. In normal conditions nestlings are fed about every ten minutes by their parents. If they go for more than one hour without food they begin to be ill.

As to be kind of food, birds normally eat insects, grubs and worms. They enjoy maggots but they will also take flies. Use a pair of tweezers with rounded ends of feed the bird.