I received this phone call a while ago:

“Evelyne, I need help. A coworker found a baby barn owl in the parking lot, put it in a box and brought it to the office. What should I do?”

Sometimes I hate springtime. You’re dealing with someone with a big heart who wants to help a bird in distress – but you know they will not like what you have to tell them. So you must be gentle, clear, and certain you understand the situation.

I started by asking the most important question: “Is the bird covered with feathers, or is it naked?”

“Oh, no, full feathers – but it does not seem to be able to fly well from the ground. It flutters.”

“Does it seem injured?”

“No. It looks fine.”

When you have those two things out of the way, the answer is obvious: You are dealing with a fledgling – not a baby bird, but a toddler learning to fly.

Their flight feathers are not fully developed, so the bird can hop and flutter from branch to branch. Sometimes its falls from the branch or takes a rest on the ground from the strenuous and tiring flying lesson. The important thing to remember is that the parents can and do feed the baby on the ground.

So I told my friend: “This is hard to do, but you have to take the bird back to the parking lot where it was found. Come on, be brave, you can do it. Put it back where you found it, but wait until the evening. A barn owl does not come to help the baby during the day; it is just too risky. If you want to see how it all ends, stay inside your car, because mom should not see you. Otherwise it won’t come to help the baby.”

This lady was dedicated, and she was on a mission. She did as I instructed, and when it grew dark, she saw the shadow of a bird coming to the nearby tree, and the baby was gone when she checked a few minutes later. We can hope it was Mom coming to rescue the baby…

At the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, at this time of year, people bring birds they have “rescued” every day, and I was asked to write this article to explain a few things that will help you kind-hearted people know the right thing to do.

Many mothers will leave their young for extended periods of time while they search for food. The birds that are in the process of learning to fly and have full plumages are called fledglings. Even if those birds fall to the ground, the parents will take care of them. Even if we can bring this bird to a rehabilitator to take care of it, we have to remember that only the parents can teach this bird how to hunt and care for itself.

It is still early in the season, but the warm weather has changed a few things. Many baby birds are already born, many future parents are building nests, and some species, including some owls, already had their babies in January. Some birds that fall from the nest are not going to make it – I won’t sugar-coat the situation – but they will become food in the food chain and will help another animal to survive.

A chirping baby robin on the ground might upset you, but it is most likely telling its parents where it is, that it is hungry, and that it wants to be fed right now.

Robins are gentle birds, but a friend of mine heard a fledgling in the grass, chirping with the dramatic insistence that all babies in the world have. (Human babies scream the same way.)

Although she knew better, her curiosity won, and she approached the baby. It turns out that Mom was actually a scrub jay, and those are not shy or timid birds. She had to run back home while Mom tried to attack her, and she had to cover her head really fast with her hands. Mocking birds will do the same, so be aware.

Don’t forget that some birds, like sandpipers and killdeers, actually nest on the ground. Not too many of those in Santa Clarita, I admit.

Being a fledging is the most dangerous time in a bird’s life, and depending on the species, this stage can last up to seven days.

Now that I’ve spent this whole article telling you not to rescue a fledgling, I have to clarify another point: Birds do not have a sense of smell, so parent birds do not abandon their babies if they have been touched by humans.

If you find a baby bird on the ground with little feathers, you should locate the nest and put the baby back into it, then step back. Do not stay around; the parents will come to the rescue.

If you cannot find the nest or if the bird is injured, then it becomes more complicated. The best way to catch an injured bird on the ground is to drop a towel gently over the bird. The darkness will calm the bird, and you can carefully pick it up. Put it in a small, dark box with holes punched into the lid. Cover the box with a towel during transport; the bird will feel more comfortable in a dark, quiet environment.

Do not try to feed the bird. Keep it warm and call the Placerita Nature Center. We do not do rehab animals, but we can put you in touch with somebody who does. Be ready to answer a few questions, because people are specialized in the kind of animal they can help. Somebody who knows how to take care of raptors or owls probably won’t want to handle a mockingbird. If you cannot contact the Nature Center and the animal is injured, you have to act fast, so I will give you a few places to call: Wildlife Care of Ventura County, 805-498-2794 or 805-581-3911, www.wildlifecareofventura.org.

You can try the California Wildlife Center, 818-222-2658 or 310-458-9453, www.californiawildlifecenter.org.

Both are nonprofit organizations and are in need of donations.

When there is life, there is always hope. My daughter and I took care of a starling (yes, I know starlings are considered a pest by some, but to us, it was still a bird in need). The starling had some nerve damage and could not keep its head straight, so it was hanging to one side. We took care of it, and it was feeding itself, to my great surprise. It ended up having a long and happy life for 9 years.

Feeding a baby bird is difficult and time-consuming, so leave it to professionals who have been trained to do rehab. The requirements they meet are pretty complex, and you might be surprised it is against the law to own a wild bird. You must have a permit to do so.

I also must add that you should wash your hands carefully when you handle a wild bird, and avoid loud noises and quick movements.

Many things to remember. I am sorry about that, especially as I know you only want to help and see you do the best you can. This is why a little bit of nature education will make you more effective and give you a better understanding of how to proceed in each situation.

Thank you for reading this, and good luck to all of the birds and bird lovers.

Evelyne Vandersande has been a docent at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center for 28 years. She lives in Newhall.