First observe if the bird is injured or sick, and not just having a rest. This will often happen if a young bird has just left the nest as sometimes they are exhausted after having their first flight.

Catch the bird. This can be done by placing a towel etc gently over it and picking it up. This procedure is very important with large adult birds such as kookaburras, magpies etc as they can give a nasty bite. Keep the bird away from your face so it does not inflict an injury to your eyes.

Once the bird is caught, place it into a cardboard box or some other suitable container so it cannot do any further harm to itself.

DO NOT GIVE THE BIRD FOOD OR WATER! If water is forced into the bird, it may inhale and it will end up in the birds lungs and it will basically drown. Food should not be given unless you know what type of bird it is and what it eats. Incorrect food may make it very sick.

INFANTS : If you have a small infant it is very important to gently and loosely wrap it in some cloth and keep it very warm. This can be done by using a hot water bottle covered with a towel and placing the wrapped baby on top. REMEMBER NO FOOD OR WATER!

WET BIRDS: Often summer storms will cool the temperature down considerably and any bird found wet will usually be cold. Dry the bird gently with a towel and keep warm with a hot water bottle as above. With adults that are fully feathered an hour or so will be sufficient until the bird has dried.

Now that you have caught the bird and housed it correctly it is important that the bird is left alone so that it can overcome the stress it has just been through. DON’T let children handle the bird or look at it every few minutes. Further stress may send it into shock and cause its death.

Once you have done these things contact a Volunteer Wildlife Carer and take it to them so they can look after it.