This isn's a storyline out of Portlandia season 5, though it could be: Orphaned baby birds are being rehabilitated in hand-knitted nests created by local residents.
San Rafael nonprofit WildCare put the call out in April for knitters to craft nests that mimic baby birds’ naturally warm habitats. So far, the Chronicle reports, 529 nests have been donated, half of which have gone to California wildlife hospitals and bird rescue centers. Below, check out a video by WildCare that shows these adorable chicks hanging out in their knitted homes.
The nests are primarily being used for songbirds that have fallen out of their nests during the spring season. Once they fall, the baby birds' mothers are often unable to pick up the chicks and fly them back to the nest.
WildCare keeps the baby birds in knitted nests for two weeks, feeding them 15 times a day until they’re strong enough to be moved to a larger cage. The birds are usually released to where they were found within two months.
The Baby Bird Nest campaign started two years ago, following in the footsteps of Sebastopol's Native Songbird Care & Conservation, which first designed the pattern for the knitted bowls that’s still being used today. Previously, WildCare used hard-surfaced bowls that caused the fragile birds to bruise or develop other problems.
