Teen found hoarding 53 baby birds

Police have cited an unidentified 15-year-old Longmont boy for taking no fewer than 53 baby birds from their nests and harboring them in shoe boxes until his mother discovered what it was going and called authorities.

Many of the birds were hatchlings, and did not survive after being taken last Wednesday to the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center near Lyons, while others had to be euthanized.

Only 13 of the birds, mostly swallows and sparrows, survived and will likely be returned to the wild in coming weeks.

The boy, who took most of the birds in the 1800 block of Meadow Street in Longmont, has been cited for violation of municipal ordinances, cruelty to animals and interference with birds or fowl.

Although police found no sign of malicious intent, they admit they have no idea what the teenager had in mind.

"That's the mystery in this case, is that we don't know what his motivation or his intentions were," said Longmont Police Sgt. Dave Orr. "We questioned him about that and he was not forthcoming about that at all, in that regard, so we really, simply don't know."

Orr said the birds are believed to have been taken mostly in the 24 hours or so prior to June 17, when his mother reported him.

"The neighborhood that he lives in, there's a number of trees, and there's some bridges and a waterway through the area, and so, it's really fairly ripe for nesting conditions for a variety of species," said Orr.

Baby birds need to be fed every 15 to 20 minutes between dawn and dusk, a feeding schedule that would be tough for most people to maintain, for several dozen creatures.

"As they mature they need to hear their song, the song specific to that species, so that they'll identify with that species and be able to breed in the wild," said Gabriele Paul, operations director for the Greenwood rehabilitation facility, a non-profit that depends on volunteers and donors' contributions. She said anyone trying to raise birds should also have access to a large aviary, so that birds can develop their strength, and that birds need to be taught to self-feed, if they are not in the wild.

"It's not something that the general public can really do successfully on their own, without harming the birds," Paul said.

Orr said one reason police took the matter seriously is due to an established length between those who abuse animals, and those who ultimately commit violence against people.

"It's certainly a concern of ours, because of the well-established and recognized link between animal abuse and other forms of violence, specifically domestic violence," said Orr. "It's a concern we're well aware of, that link, the potential is there.

"Hopefully, if that's where this was headed, we will have interceded early enough and sufficiently to keep that from ever happening."