Alaska News

Baby birds are hatching, so take steps to keep them safe

Folks -- it's baby bird season and we all can do some simple things to make it easier for hard-working bird parents.

First, don't let your cat roam outside during this critical time. There's nothing worse for volunteers at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center than to admit orphaned babies and parents who have to leave behind their families because of cat wounds. Even a scratch makes an antibiotic necessary to save them. Take a look at catgoods.com for ideas for preventing cat attacks.

Do put post-it notes on your windows to minimize bird-window collisions. No one wants to find injured and dead birds in their yard.

Last, if you plan to power wash a building, please wait until later in the summer if you find nests on the building. It is illegal to remove a nest. The worst thing I encountered was a removed nest brought to the BTLC that contained two baby birds the size of nickels. We could not save them.

So please, let's do our part.

-- Susan Valenti

Anchorage

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