Page 761 - Hand rearing birds second

764 Hand-Rearing Birds

Figure­49.3­ Strawberry pieces impaled on a branch make an excellent foraging opportunity for fledglings.
Source: photo courtesy of Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota.

(Cornus florida), Blackberries (Rubus plicatus), and Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) for Northern
Cardinals. Northern Cardinals will often begin to eat from a dish that is at branch level before
exploring the ground level of their enclosure. However, grosbeaks and cardinals will both oppor-
tunistically feed low and off the ground, so offer a variety of native grasses, weeds with seed heads,
and scattered birdseed on a tray of soil. Place mealworms and other insects at various heights from
“canopy” to ground level. Dishes filled with insects or seeds can be clipped into the enclosure’s
foliage using binder clips or hooks to guide young birds to forage in the trees and bushes as well as
on the ground. Natural colored dishes, such as clay‐colored, plastic plant pot saucers, brown
peanut butter jar lids, clear plastic containers, and natural vessels such as small hollowed out
rotten branches are excellent containers for seeds and insects. If the enclosure does not have wild
vegetation growing in it, smartweed and similar wild grasses can be provided in pots. Provide a
couple different styles of seed‐filled bird feeders in the aviary to help them learn how to manage
different perches and feeder ports.
Free‐choice foods for fledglings includes the following: mealworms, crickets, moths, waxworms,
fly larvae, dubia roaches, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, soaked currants, grapes, cherries,
walnuts, pine nuts, assorted seed and grains, black oil sunflower, peanut butter crumbles, suet
cake, ripe fruits: pear, apricot, strawberry, plum, fig, wild fruits grape, coffeeberry, elderberry,
blackberry. Offer new eaters large or difficult‐to‐open foods chopped into smaller pieces. Once
birds are eating well, offer fruits and nuts whole or barely cracked open.

Peanut­Butter­Crumble­Recipe

1 cup (240 ml) creamy peanut butter (no salt added)
●
1½ cup (360 ml) cornmeal
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½ cup (120 ml) freeze‐dried mealworms
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¼ cup (60 ml) dried currants
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Mix together and store in fridge or freezer. Adapted from the Songbird Diet Index by Marcy Rule.