Spring is upon us and with it brings blooming flowers, longer days, and nesting birds.

Nesting bird season begins March 15 and ends Sept. 15 for most birds, except for birds of prey may begin building their nests as soon as January.

Nesting birds require a safe place to build the nests and lay their eggs and Mission Trails Regional Park provides a highly suitable habitat for such a thing. However, birds can easily get disturbed by loud noises and eggs can be knocked out of nests by careless actions. When planning your trip to the park, please remember to stay on designated trails, play music only in your headphones, and do not remove overhanging branches.

Also, birds are known to nest wherever they can – and that might mean in your backyard.

During nesting season, it’s important to be mindful when exploring the outdoors and remember that there may be nesting birds all around you. You can detect a nest by observing bird behavior. If you notice a bird carrying nesting material, like grass or natural fibers, and the bird is consistently returning to the same bush or tree, then it is likely that there is a nest nearby. If you suspect there is a nest, be sure not to disturb the area by not playing loud music, keep cats indoors, and do not trim trees or bushes during nesting season. Tree trimming should only occur outside of nesting season and between Sept. 15 – March 15.

Baby birds can sometimes fall out of their nests and the best thing to do is simply place the nestling back in the nest. Please do not attempt to care for the animal yourself. If you cannot locate the nest, leave the nestling where you found it or move it to a shaded area. The parents almost always come back and only remove the baby bird from the area if it is imminent danger.

If you need further guidance, contact Project Wildlife or consult the Wildlife Help Hub Birds Self-Help Center.

Please, be a good neighbor and watch out for nesting birds.