Dealing with Nestlings A bird that qualifies as a nestling has suffered a mishap. This is one of the darker realities of songbird life. If food sources should dwindle during the period of brood-rearing, parent birds may toss out some or all of their young to compensate. Don't fret about the parents rejecting it because the bird now has human smell on it. This is a misconception.
Songbirds have a very poor sense of smell.
The parents won't even notice. Occasionally an entire nest may come down, with several nestlings stranded on terra firma. If this happens, pick the nest up and return it to a sturdy branch of a tree, and then put the babies back. In all likelihood the parent birds are nearby, and the chances are fairly good they will pick up with their brood-rearing activities. Nearly 4000 Trips Work Outdoors at GORP Jobs Click Here.