A WILDLIFE charity is urging people not to interfere with baby birds during the nesting season.

The South West branch of the RSPB says there are only a couple of situations when the public should lend a helping hand to the creatures.

Morwenna Alldis, communications officer, said: “At this time of year we get hundreds of calls from well-meaning members of the public about the seemingly helpless baby birds they’ve discovered on the ground.

“But it’s vital that people resist the urge to intervene – this is a natural part of the bird’s development, so keep calm and step away.”

She added: “Just before baby birds are ready to tentatively extend a wing, wiggle a tail feather and take flight for the first time, they leave their nest – ‘fledge’, as it’s called.

“Fledglings then spend a couple of days on the ground and around the nest developing their final flight feathers. The fledglings will appear fully feathered and hop around your garden in broad daylight – hence why members of the public are convinced they need rescuing.”

Morwenna said another common fear is that the fledgling has been deserted by its parents, but they are “extremely unlikely” to be abandoned.

“Mum and dad are probably off gathering food or hiding nearby with a beady eye on their young, waiting for you to leave," she said.

The only situations when the public should intervene are when the baby bird is in immediate danger or if it has been injured.