we found a baby bird two days ago on a hike. i looked around for nests and couldn’t find any, and it was starting to storm, so we took it home. per the instructions of a wildlife center nearby, we put it in a box with a towel in the warmest, darkest, and quietest part of the house without food or water.
the next morning, we took it to the center, but unfortunately, they were full. they gave us a list of other possible centers that could take the bird in, but i called the closest ones, and have not received a call back, or was told they did not have any room. the rest of the options are hours away, and unfortunately everyone in my household works during the week.
the person that helped us at the initial wildlife center gave us a can of cat food that she said would sustain the bird nutritionally for two days, but now those two days are almost up.
it might be possible for us to make the drive this weekend, but, it seems i’ll be taking care of it for the time being. we were told taking it back and building it a makeshift nest for the mom to find it could work, but since it’s on a hiking trail and not somewhere we could check on it, i fear that could put it in a worse situation.
does anyone have any advice? i know that many baby birds unfortunately don’t make it, but i couldn’t walk away from it without trying to help. if cat food will no longer provide it with the necessary nutrients, what else could i start to feed it? does it need to be fed every 30 minutes? i’ve heard holding it close can calm it, so i’ve been doing that at night before bed. is there anything else i should be doing? i have a shift at work tomorrow and am nervous about leaving it for that long. any help is much appreciated. hope y’all are having a great day.