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MAY FLOWERS BRING . . . BABY BIRDS The baby birds are here! Weve
already admitted the first robins, house finches, and mourning
doves in addition to those early-bird owls, goslings, and
ducklings. Soon the clinic will be filled with the chirping and
peeping of many more babies begging for food.
Although we will continue to accept birds daily from 9 a.m.
until 5 p.m. only, were starting a third shift. For now, the third
shift will run from 6 to 8 p.m. only. As more babies arrive, we
will extend those hours, so keep an eye out for announcements about
scheduling and be ready for calls for clinic help from Julie and
front desk volunteers.
SPRING REMINDERS AND REQUESTS If you are a gardener and have
planted lettuce, please consider sharing some of your bounty with
the birds.
Remember that the speed limit on Possum Hollow Road is 25 mph.
Fledglings and other young animals will be hopping and scurrying
across the road in greater numbers. Please drive slowly and keep an
eye on the woodland edges for those youngsters ready to dart into
your path.
Please remember that all volunteers and staff members should
park in the upper lot. We need room in the lower lot for
transporters and members of the general public bringing in baby
birds and other patients. If you are working the third shift, you
may park in the lower lot. Volunteers who have difficulty walking
or other health issues may park in the lower lot at any time.
OPEN HOUSE A RESOUNDING SUCCESS The dynamic combination of the
big tent, self-guided tours of the Frink Center for Wildlife and
our new Wildlife Response Annex, Phung Luus birds, and TV sports
anchor Beasley Reece helped attract an estimated 1,200 guests to
the annual Tri-State Bird Rescue Open House. This was by far the
most well attended Open House in Tri-State history. Many people
were thrilled to have a chance to tour the new annex to find out
more about our efforts to help wildlife affected by hazardous
spills and incidents.
Joining us again as food concessionaires were I Dont Give a Fork
and Dinos Ice Cream. Our younger bird enthusiasts enjoyed face
painting, homemade owl crafts, and meeting Tri-States unofficial
owl mascot. The big tent provided sponsor and exhibitor interaction
with the crowd, and sales of Tri-State merchandise and baked goods
helped raise funds for our avian patients.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter May 2015
Celebrating 39 years of excellence in wildlife rehabilitation
and research
Photo by snyders/moonbeampublishing Editor: Loretta Carlson
Before long, more hungry babies will join these nestling house
finches in our Window Room.
Staff Photo
Bird lovers young and old enjoyed checking out their wingspans.
Photo by Russ Carlson
Beasley Reece, a former Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout, took time
to talk with other Scouts.
Photo by Russ Carlson
Bird demonstrations attracted enthusiastic audiences. Photo by
Russ Carlson
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Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 2
Phung Luu of Animal Behavior and Conservation Connections, along
with his assistants Jackie Kozlowski and Cora Monroe, gave guests
the chance to meet raptors up close and personal, and Indy the
trained parrot helped solicit donations from guests hands into the
donation box. On hand was Beasley Reece, lead sports anchor for
CBS3 and The CW Philly, who greeted attendees and lent his personal
support to this community event.
Tri-State extends a special thanks to the planning committee and
our dedicated volunteers, staff, and board members who freely gave
their time and talents to support our efforts. Plan now to attend
Tri-States annual Open House next year on Sunday, May 1, 2016.
CALLING ALL FOSTER WILD BIRD FAMILIES Whenever baby owls,
finches, wrens, goslings, and ducklings come through our doors, we
hope we can return these youngsters to their parents. However, some
of our patients will be healthy orphans. With your help, we can
place these youngsters with foster families whose nests are located
in suitably safe locations. Contact clinic supervisor Brie Brigham
([email protected]) if you know of good foster family
candidates for goslings, ducks, or songbirdsespecially species that
nest in boxes. If you know where we can find a good owl or hawk
family, contact clinic supervisor Aimee Federer
([email protected]).
TRANSPORTER TRAINING: THIRD TIMES THE CHARM! Weve finally
rescheduled the transporter training session cancelled due to
inclement weather in both February and March. Many people who find
injured birds are unable to bring them to the clinic, so we rely on
our corps of volunteer transporters to help us provide this
important community service. In some cases, transporting the birds
involves picking up a bird that is already in a box or carrier.
Often, however, we need volunteers who are able to capture the
birds as well. To augment our existing ranks, we are offering a
free workshop on Sunday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for people
who would like to be volunteer transporters/retrievers. Although
this workshop is primarily geared toward beginners, experienced
transporters, bird-care volunteers, and front desk volunteers are
welcome to attend. To register, contact Julie Bartley at
[email protected] or by phone at (302) 737-9543, extension
102.
RECENT RELEASES After more than two months in our care, bald
eagle 15-88 finally took her rightful place back in the wild. She
came to us in late January after a hiker witnessed her fight with
another eagle as the two floated down a stream. The other eagle
flew away, allowing the hiker to capture our soon-to-be patient. He
then carried her nearly a mile through the woods to his car. The
adult female suffered bruising to one wing, and she was unable to
bear weight on
her right leg. While the eagle was under anesthesia, the vet
cleaned and sutured her wounds and wrapped the leg. Then began the
long process of recovery. The highly stressed patient was reluctant
to self-feed at first, but by early February she began eating on
her own. By mid-February, she was strong enough for us to move her
to a flight cage to begin the flight conditioning that would enable
her to regain her stamina and practice her flight skills. By early
April, her wounds were well healed, and her flight skills
excellent. We banded the eagle on April 4 and released her onsite
at Tri-State. Many thanks to all the volunteers who contributed to
the care of this eagle over her long stay. We extend our thanks as
well to Bobbie Stadler, Ray Bryant, and David Anderson, devoted
transporters who combined to bring this bird to us from Dorchester
County, Maryland.
Staff Photo
Photo by Kim Steininger
Two nestling eagles came to us from Maryland after their nest
tree fell down in a storm. Although its nestmate did not survive,
the other eaglet (in front) was banded and successfully introduced
into an active eagle's nest in New Jersey thanks to the help of Dr.
Erica Miller and Kathy Clark of the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
Photo courtesy of NJDEP
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Monthly Flyer, May 2015 3
We also recently released another long-term patient, red-tailed
hawk 15-129, that came to us from Virginia on February 12. The
adult male had a metacarpal fracture as well as significant
bruising and small puncture wounds on his left wing, the results of
an impact with a motor vehicle. We cleaned the wounds and then
wrapped and splinted the wing. As soon as the wounds began to heal,
we moved this very aggressive patient to an outside cage with low
perches and a ramp leading to higher perches. By February 29, the
hawk finally began self-feeding, and his condition continued to
improve. On March 6, we moved him to a flight cage and observed the
bird flying to high perches and showing good range of motion in his
injured wing. After four weeks of exercise, the hawk regained his
stamina, lift, and flight skills. On April 3, volunteer Sharyn
Fagone released this red tail in Virginia back in the area where he
was found.
A third long-term patient was released on April 15. This black
vulture came to our clinic on November 30 after it was found on the
ground with gunshot injuries. The vulture had an open humerus
fracture and extensive feather damage. To allow the fracture to
heal correctly, we placed a pin in the bone and wrapped the wing to
the birds body. After months of expert care and treatment, the
fracture healed and the bird molted its damaged feathers. Once this
member of natures cleanup crew had regained strong flight skills,
it was returned to the wild and soared beautifully upon
release.
Another victim of an impact with a motor vehicle, great blue
heron 15-373 came to us from City Wildlife in Washington, DC, on
April 7. Quiet on admission to Tri-State, the heron perked up once
we administered pain
medication and placed him in the free room with access to mullet
and silversides. Radiographs showed no evidence of fractures, and
so we moved the heron outside the next day where we observed him
running and perching. By April 11, the heron was flying up to high
perches, and we moved him to a flight cage to give him more space
for exercise. With the heron in excellent condition and
demonstrating strong flight skills, we released him near Kennett
Square on April 13.
An adult tufted titmouse that came to us on March 1 had an
experience all-too-common for many of our songbird patients: He was
the victim of a cat attack. Although his most significant injury
was a keel fracture, the bird also had deep puncture wounds on his
left wing as well as bruising and swelling of his breast. We
cleaned the wounds, prescribed cage rest, and placed the bird on
heat to soothe his swollen shoulder muscle. Once the titmouse was
eating well and his condition stabilized, we anesthetized him to do
a deeper cleaning of the necrotic shoulder muscle, suture the site,
and tape the birds left wing to his body. By the end of March, the
birds wounds were healing well, allowing us to remove the wing wrap
and move the titmouse to an outside cage. At first, he had poor
lift and his flight was noisy. By April 14, however, the titmouse
was flying silent and strong, enabling us to release him
onsite.
OTHER RELEASES IN APRIL In April, we also released an osprey, a
red-shouldered hawk, eastern screech owls, a nestling great horned
owl, a wild turkey, a mallard, a clapper rail, a great black-backed
gull, Canada geese, a ruby-throated hummingbird, American robins,
house finches, and a northern cardinal.
FEATURED BIRD: CANVASBACK One of the largest North American
ducks at 19 to 24 inches long, the canvasback has a distinctive
slope from its crown to the tip of its long dark bill. A shy
species that rarely comes close to the shoreline, the canvasback
dives deeply to feed on aquatic vegetation and mollusks.
Male canvasbacks have rich red plumage on their heads and necks,
a black tail and breast, and a white back and sides. Females have
pale, rusty plumage on their heads, and their bodies are gray. The
monogamous pairs build nests on floating platforms constructed of
dead vegetation lined with down and have one brood a year. The
female incubates five to eleven eggs for twenty-three to
twenty-nine days. The young leave the nest soon after hatching and
take their
Photo by Marian Quinn
Black vulture soars away. Staff Photo
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Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 4
first flight when they are fifty-six to sixty days old.
Canvasback populations decreased during the 1980s, likely due to
loss of nesting habitat. Since the 1990s, however, development of
nesting habitats has helped stabilize the species population. Learn
more about the canvasback at the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys All
About Birds website, www.allaboutbirds.org, as well as in Birds of
North America, published by the Smithsonian Institution, or your
own favorite birding book.
DUCKLING DIRTY DOZEN With spring come the calls about ducklings
in distress. On April 28, a woman arriving to shop at the Kohls in
Glasgow saw a mother duck leading twelve ducklings across the
parking lot. When she left the store a short time later, the mother
was frantically flapping near a storm drain where all the babies
had fallen. Tri-State volunteer Russ Carlson answered our call for
help and got to work with a net and carrier. By the time the Aetna
Fire Department arrived, Russ had captured ten ducklings, but two
scurried further into the storm drain out of reach. The firemen
removed the grate and, with their help and the help of a second
passerby, Russ was able to retrieve the last two ducklings. After a
quick check showed that all ducklings were lively and uninjured, he
took them over to the nearby retention pond and reunited them with
their mother who had patiently awaited their return.
VOLUNTEER ANNIVERSARIES FOR MAY 19 years: Ann Banning 11 years:
Donald Bauman 8 years: Janice Brink 7 years: Rachel Despins 5
years: Melanie Figgs 4 years: Carol Donner, Andie Downes, Larry
Sun, and Mary VanderDussen 3 years: David and Tara Kee
NEWS VOLUNTEERS CAN USE Wed like to thank all the volunteers who
signed up on Volgistics and have begun recording their hours and
signing up for shifts on the website. Did you know you can post
your photograph there as well? If you have not already submitted a
photo, please do. Its great to be able to put names and faces
together.
Also on Volgistics, some volunteers have indicated that they
prefer not to receive e-mail messages. When you do that, we cannot
notify you of upcoming events orto be franksend you our pleas for
help in the clinic. We understand that you are already inundated
with e-mail, but we would appreciate it if you would change the
settings so we can send you Tri-State announcements. Thank you!
Finally, we have volunteer t-shirts available for $7 each. See
Julie Bartley if you would like to purchase one.
UPCOMING EVENTS Volunteer Upgrade Session dates have been posted
in the Volunteer Office. These sessions are for volunteers who have
been trained in adult bird care only and who would like to continue
working in the clinic through the summer. We hope you do! At the
peak in July, we could have as many as 300 birds in-house.
Volunteer Information Sessions Done for the Spring. Once the
busy baby bird season is behind us, we will schedule sessions for
new volunteers in the fall. All those interested in volunteering at
Tri-State must attend an information session before they can
register for a bird care workshop. These one-hour information
sessions give prospective volunteers a good overview of our
operations and expectations.
Giant Yard Sale. Saturday, October 3. Details to come in future
issues of The Flyer. The trailer will be in the upper parking lot
in June. Start cleaning out your basements and attics now.
Benefit for the Birds. Friday, November 6. For information,
contact Duke Doblick in the Development office at (302) 737-9543,
extension 108, or via e-mail at [email protected].
First ten ducklings are safe and sound.
Teamwork leads to freedom for remaining trapped ducklings.
Photos by Jo Ann Hugues