Hi! There’s a baby bird in my yard. It’s about the size of my fist. It has a few short white feathers. I think they’re pin feathers. The nest is too high for me to reach; so I left it alone on the ground.
More importantly and the reason I’m reaching out, the little thing hasn’t moved. It doesn’t move when I approach and it hasn’t moved from its spot all day. I don’t see any blood, but I also haven’t touched it because I didn’t want to distress it further. I haven’t caught the parents caring for it, but I did see adult birds in the tree.
Is there something I should be doing here? I’m leaving it alone and keeping my cats away from the window. The area it is in is shady, but it’s so hot outside. A cup of water? Should I make it a comfy box? I’ve got an ant problem in my yard. Will they hurt it?
Picture: 
Update: I made it a “nest” on the recommendation of google and the wildlife volunteer that called me back. It hated it and ran away in small circles. After shooing it back to its original hiding spot, I left the “nest” where it could reach it if it changed its mind and fled the scene. At least it isn’t hurt.
Update 2: it was very chirpy this morning and I heard its parents so I chose to leave it alone. The chirping stopped this afternoon and, after a while, I went to check on it. It was dropped over and unresponsive. It was in the shade of the fence but I think the 105+ degree heat got to it. Thank you all for your input. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more… :(
Can I recommend The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck? It’s historical fiction.
It’s a glimpse into life back then; focusing mostly on the affects of the dust bowl and how hard it was to find proper work. While not nonfiction, it may give you some ideas of specific things you can research more, like crop rotation and Hoovervilles/shantytowns.
Side note: I always think of the Great Depression when an appliance breaks. My history teacher said one of the causes was that things were built to last back then. When they say, “they don’t make them like they used to” it’s 100% correct. Now we make things with a shorter lifespan on purpose because, when things last forever, we don’t buy new ones.