If you have to chase a bird on the ground, maybe you shouldn’t. Fledglings spend three to five days on the ground after leaving the nest. They learn to use their legs before they exercise their wings. When they hit the ground, they look around, “Huh! What am I doing here?”
The parents, especially robin parents, hang around and constantly give them advice, much of it to spread their wings and fly. That happens eventually. I compare them to a kid who has graduated from high school but thinks it’s smart enough to have finished college.
They still need attention from their parents and time to spread their wings.
What they don’t need is a person chasing them. That stresses the bird and actually jeopardizes its survival. So if you have to chase a bird on the ground to catch it, as one caller disclosed, let it be. It’s a fledgling learning to walk before it flies. Your chasing it may make it break a leg, literally.
Thank you for caring about the critters,
Patti