parking lot of a shopping center. A small piece is grass with a single tree (not very tall). A baby bird, certainly a fledgling, was flying around in a very clumsy way (just like my tiels when they started to fly). Finally he ended up in the grass under the tree. Several same looking birds are spotted sitting on that tree but I couldn't locate the nest. I watched him, he appears to be not injured. I picked him up trying to direct his flight in the location of the parents, but he flew somewhere else and got stuck in bushes. Thinking this was bad, I released him, and left him under the tree in the grass. He was still there when we were leaving... and I doubt he can fly back where he needs to be.
I feel worried about this bird. he is tiny. Yellow belly and when he opens his beak, the inside of the mouth is yellow. possibly a meadowlark.
Do I need to go back to check on him? anything I should do to help?
I don't know how they survive...There is a wall of the building on one side, roadway for cars on another, some bushes, and several other grassy pieces with a tree.

He's probably OK. It sounds like he is a fledgling, not a baby that fell out of the nest. His parents should be in the area and they will look out for him.

Here's an article on when to intervene and when to leave things alone. In general, a fully-feathered baby should be left alone unless it is injured or there is some kind of immediate danger. http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/ ... birds.html

thank you Carolyn, you are very knowledgeable.
I drove back there before dark to check on him. Didn't see anybody under the tree or on the surrounding ground. There were a lot of chirping going on ON the tree - the family certainly lives there. Then I saw one baby sitting on the branch not too high, and the parent flew by and fed him. I hope the one we saw made his way up where he would be safe and fed. But in general the location is very bad for raising babies. I guess competition for nesting spots is too high.

I hate this wind! It's been very windy the second day today.
I have somebody's baby on the ground... I hope its a fledgling and that parents will find him. He is on the grass next to the driveway. I see the nest up above and it's rather high. I needed to drive away, and he moved to hide under my car. I would run him over if I didn't see him! He can walk on the ground, he seems to be fully feathered, and he was doing little attempts to fly up when I scared him. But every time he would end up back on the ground. Maybe he was thrown out of the nest by the wind a bit too early.
What should I do???
I think he is a turtle dove baby.
The nest is too high for any ladder to reach.

What my mom used to do, is that if there's a parent nearby, she would get something like a shoe box, poke some holes on the sides near the top, and hang it in the tree. If the parents are nearby, or at least visiting him to feed, you could possibly do something like that. If not, then you might need to take him in, and either try to raise him yourself, or take him to a wildlife conservation center, if there are any in your area. Might be a bit tough to catch him though, if he's trying to fly from you.

Seems that until now parents were taking care of him.
I had couple of doves who were coming to feed under my tree where I throw leftover seeds. I am sure they are the parents. But I think I didn't see them recently. I will keep watching today. He is still there, under the tree. Poor thing.

I have read that doves may abandon the nest and the babies if they consider something a threat. People are a threat.

Looks like they spend about a week on the ground after the nest becomes too small but before they fly... I can hardly imagine him being under my tree for a week... there is no place to hide... just some grass. I have read that even squirrel can hunt for them. can't believe it .
He looks a bit smaller than fledglings on the video I watched. Those looked more like adult birds and this one looks more like a baby. And he still needs the parents.
Please feel free to write some suggestions

Do you think you can take a picture from a distance? I could possibly identify what stage he's at, and if he's too young to leave the nest or not.

Also, where did you read a week? I read that they're on the ground 3-4 days before they leave the nest. Hopefully, my source is accurate, because if he is a fledgling, then he will have less time to stay on the ground. The less vulnerability time, the better.

I can organize him a nest, not a problem. What is the problem is that parents are not seen around. As I said, the mom was really broody some time ago, she would always come and sit in my front year as she was saying - give me some food. I was giving them leftovers sprouts and seeds. Then I didn't see her and her partner for several days. I can't recall if I saw her just recently or not.
I also read that if the babies don't leave the nest at a certain time (11-12 days) then the parents stop coming to the nest forcing them to leave. Maybe this is what happening?