Probably nothing. A young bird alone on the ground has not necessarily been abandoned. The young of many birds will fledge after they grow feathers, but before they are able to fly. They spend a day or two on the ground before their feather development is complete. It is really best not to interfere. The parents will be close by and come to feed the bird as soon as it is safe.

No, birds have little or no sense of smell, but do keep contact to a minimum. It is often easier to pick a bird up by gently covering it with a cloth first.

A baby who is intentionally left or discarded by a parent unwilling or unable to care for the child. Many babies are abandoned in hospitals. Others are left in public places like the doorways of buildings. You may have also heard tragic stories of babies left in dumpsters or public toilets.

Most baby birds found on the ground are not orphaned and may not need human assistance. Look for the parents or a nest. If you see either one, leave the baby alone or put it back in the nest. Touching the baby will not cause the parents to abandon it. Watch from a distance and keep children and pets away from the area. If the baby is injured or the parents have not returned after several hours, it will need help.

No. The egg donation arrangement is a confidential one. Most donors never meet their recipients. All information regarding all parties is kept confidential.

Definitely. We've always been surprised that a baby-sitter's parents might not want to meet you, too. But most of them don't seem to think of it. At any rate, we feel it's important to get a feel for the relationship between the baby-sitter and her parents. This relationship, if it's a poor one, has scared us off of baby-sitters.

No. These are not suitable foods for young birds most of which will be fed on soft insects, worms and grubs in their early days. Scrambled egg, with a little moist cereal, is fine to begin with but more suitable food, for both seed and insect eating birds, is available from pet shops.

A nestling, that is a naked or down-covered baby, found on the ground should be put back in its nest, if at all possible. If the youngster is cool to the touch, it should be gently warmed in your hands before placing it back in the nest; the parents will not reject it because a human has touched it. However, there is an exception. Baby ducks and geese are walked to water from the nest soon after hatching.

Adoption is your choice. This is your baby and you are the only one who will know if you can raise this baby. In most states, your parents cannot stop you legally from creating an adoption plan and working with American Adoptions. An adoption plan is something that may present a challenge for you emotionally if your parents do not want you to place the child. It is something that you will have to be prepared to deal with throughout your adoption process.

We often get questions from our readers about how to embrace different cultures through your holiday celebrations, and so we are taking the time to research the answers to your top questions. Below you'll find answers from some of the leading experts on the Internet. As with any advice you find here or elsewhere on the 'net, you should also do your own research.

In nearly all domestic adoptions, the baby will go home with the adoptive parents directly from the hospital.

Unless it is in obvious distress or injured, leave it alone. Very few baby animals are true orphans, and the babies' best chance for survival is with their parents. If the bird is a nestling (naked or downy with few or no feathers) find the nest and put it back. Or, if you can't find or reach the nest, put it in an open box in the tree or bush close to where the nest might be. If it is a fledgling (feathered but not able to fly), move it nearby but out of danger.

You're in luck. Call Ann Young, "The Bird Lady". She is a world renown wild bird rehabber, and she runs a wild bird refuge right here at 205 Robin Road in Altamonte Springs, FL 32701. Her phone number is 407-339-2900. Please give her a donation so that she can continue to run her clinic. If you happen upon a bird of prey (hawk, falcon, owl, etc) call the Orlando Audubon society at 407-644-0190.

Do not pick him up and take him home! Don't feed him. His parents still may care for him, and it is very important to give that baby bird the chance to be with his natural parents. Taking him away from his parents can result in that bird becoming imprinted on humans - bonding to humans instead of his natural wild parents. An imprinted bird cannot survive in the wild.

Leave it alone because the parents could be nearby. Keep the pets and kids far away from nests and nestlings. Check here for more information.

You may not legally keep wildlife. Our suggestion is that you leave the "baby" bird or animal alone. Many times, you have found the animal because it's parent may be locating food; or you may have startled the parent animal which is very probably nearby. If you disturb or remove the "baby animal" you may very well insure that it's parent cannot return to care for it! Wild babies are best left in the "wild" where the special needs of diet and care can be provided for by the adult animals.

Most mothers want you to, but ask first to be certain they're ready. Asking permission allows the family to make the decision. If they do wish to talk, listen patiently and be empathic. If they're not ready to talk now, then be there when they are, and let them know you'll be ready to listen then. Top

Changing advice on the sleep position [to recommending that babies be put to sleep on their back] is probably the biggest intervention that's been made in the last ten years. It looks like, depending on the study you read, we've seen somewhere between a 17 and 34 percent reduction in the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome with the "back to sleep" program.