We talk alot about how to help animals that you find. But now let’s talk about how to help wildlife via helping the caregivers you take your injured and orphaned wildlife to. This is usually a wildlife rehabilitator’s busiest and most expensive time of year because it is baby season. When rehabbers run out of resources they have to quit taking animals from the people that find them. The vast majority of wildlife brought to rehab for care arrives without a donation to help cover the care. So who’s feeding the animal you dropped off at the vet or rehabber if you didn’t leave a contribution? Most likely the person before you that left a donation with THEIR animal. Resources can be very limited and we rehabbers aren’t funded by anyone to provide services. Cash is a good donation. Alot of the food we need isn’t something typically kept in your cupboard or freezer. A big expense for us is meat-and I don’t mean hamburger or sausage! I’m talking about the kind of meat we have to special order for our predator animals and birds. Animal formula is something we use alot of during baby season. Fresh produce is something that even if donated we don’t have much space for so need to buy every other day. You CAN donate items like bird seed, paper towels, old towels in good condition, gift cards, and other items; please see our wish list. And remember-donations made to nonprofits such as EWRC are usually tax-deductible. Here are some ways to help:
Make Your Donation Go Farther
Many workplaces offer matching donations on gifts made by employees to nonprofit organizations. Hewlett-Packard, Excel Energy, and Pfizer are just a few. Some employers match dollar-for-dollar, so if you were to donate $100, then the employer might donate an additional $100, thereby doubling your donation! Some employers match employee volunteer time with dollars to that nonprofit. For example, if the employee volunteers x amount of hours, the employer donates $ per hour to the nonprofit. Check with your employer to see if they offer this valuable benefit.
Corporate Sponsorship
Sponsor an animal in rehab, a permanent animal resident, an educational program, a project, outdoor enclosure, building, or even a vehicle.
Donate a Vehicle
EWRC needs a couple of reliable, automatic cars/trucks with air conditioning and heat for our “animal ambulance” and to transport supplies to the facility, as well as bringing live animals to educational programs.
Ways to Help
* Cash, check, money order.
- Gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations, Home Depot or Lowes,etc.
- Phone cards.
- Workplace giving (Community Shares Colorado, Combined Federal Campaign, etc.)
- Donate now via PayPal (click the logo at http://www.ellicottwildlife.com/)
- Volunteer time to help us with everything from cleaning to building to programs.
There comes a point in time in rehab where an animal feels well enough that some companionship is a good thing. So what do you do if you don’t have another of exactly the same kind? You try to find a combo that works! Tammy’s chukar is best friends with a Eurasian collared dove and this little finch and tree swallow seem to gain some comfort together.
If you look toward the middle and up a tad, you can see a couple of the birds.
A huge THANK YOU to DOW Jeromy and Melanie for banding the shovelers and taking them to release. The birds had done extremely well, gained weight and regained their waterproofing here, and now is time for breeding season so we needed to release them to a place where they’re known to stay in our State for breeding season. Jeromy informed me that upon release they were immediately joined by other shovelers. Yay!
These were found in a field in Parker. Anyone know what they are? If so, please let us know at ellicottwildlife@ellicottwildife.com
We saw Becky yesterday at Hemosolutions. Hadn’t seen her in a couple years and she had a surprise for me-baby cottontails! These have their eyes open, thank goodness, and Becky had taken very good care of them for the days she had them. One of these little fellers has sutures in his leg.
Orphaned goslings.
The picture doesn’t do this gorgeous jewel of a bird justice! Injured tree swallow.
Update June 4, 2007-Jessie’s mallard is a kind of “foster mom” to 4 orphaned goslings (she’s in the far right, in the shade.) Now “Bernard-ette” seems to have healed from her chest wound and is flying in her enclosure, almost ready to go!
Dr. Hancock saved this bird’s day! Jessie from the airport found the mallard bleeding on the ramp and brought her to Dr. Hancock, who sutured the wound in her chest. Thank you AGAIN Dr. Hancock!!!
An indication that spring has sprung at EWRC-we’re all running around, literally, trying to care for the critters, answer a phone that never stops ringing, stay on top of paperwork, arrange transports for critters, trips to and from veterinarians, and…. Yesterday was no different. We coordinated our trip to the doctor’s office and high school graduation festivities preparation, extremely horrible weather, around trips to veterinarians and meeting each other to pick up critters. What a day!
This is a sad story. Alison called to tell me a lady had an injured owl. I called the lady, Jerri, who told me she saw an owl at the side of the road and stopped to pick the bird up. She thought she noticed a problem with the wing, that perhaps the feathers were damaged. She gently placed the bird in a box and took home, where she proceeded to make several phone calls for help. Volunteer Dave went to pick the bird up and upon exam, I was appalled at how thin the owl was; obviously hadn’t eaten in quite some time. Also the bird had an old compound fracture at the joint in his wing. A beautiful bird, a sad ending.
Update Memorial Day 2007-All 3 are flying in their cage now! This morning Cyrus got his stylin’ neon pink leg wrap off and the leg underneath looks good!
Nadine sits protectively in the foreground of her new charges.
The young Northern Saw Whet Owls at Mount St. Francis have been very busy indeed! The day after the first youngster came, a second one arrived at EWRC. Again, each landing on the ground could mean injuries. While we were in Florida it seems a 3rd youngster bailed out but this one seems to have suffered a dislocation of his leg. Volunteer Su once again went out and retrieved the bird, took to Dr. E, where the leg was dressed. And EWRC resident saw whet owl Nadine seems to enjoy the company of these youngsters. A really really big THANK YOU to Phil and Cheryl for caring for all of the critters while we were away and to Su for taking very good care of the “situation” at Mount Saint Francis.
What a variety of waterbirds everywhere! This one was grooming and stalking food.
Osprey everywhere! This one enjoys a fresh-caught fish.
Dolphins cavorting in the shallows at the beach.
I don’t know what these are. They’re in the shallows at the beach, look like shells until you get close, then out come the fins and off they go.
Last week we went on a very much-needed family vacation to Florida. We had a wonderful time with family but also saw some really interesting wildlife. I have never seen so many osprey in my life; platforms were everywhere to accommodate these beautiful raptors. We enjoyed watching the youngsters dine on fresh-caught fish. Vultures everywhere. Brown pelicans galore. And herons! And snowy egrets! Wow! They are EVERYWHERE in Captiva/Sanibel area. All we were able to see of the manatees were snouts coming up for air. A couple of visits to the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge brought more surprises. There we saw plenty of fish and crabs, as well as a frigate bird, cormorants, great egrets, snowy egrets, tri-colored herons, little blue herons, yellow-crowned night-heron, plenty of osprey, and Allyn spotted a red-shouldered hawk so close to him he was startled-the bird was quietly sitting on a branch near his head. Raccoons were out during the daytime; the lady at the USFWS info center said in Florida that is not at all unusual. Evening, just before dark, seemed the best time to go. “Alligator curve” was roped off due to nesting birds whose nests in that area seemed to be declining, so no ‘gators were seen by us. In the evening at the beach near the cottage we spotted dolphins playing in the water-so close to shore you could practically touch them. And in the mornings and afternoons in front of our cottage, on the beach, we saw literally thousands of sting rays zooming past en masse, again so close you could see their eyes. We were told by a lady that if you stood in the midst of them they’d go right on past you. None of us was that brave! The water was churning and sting ray flippers were all over the place. What a sight! An enjoyable week that went by ‘way too quickly. It is very readily apparent to people who visit this place that Floridians treasure their wildlife, their environment, and their wetlands.
Wanda of Mount St. Francis Nursing Facility called bright and early yesterday morning. Outside of her building there is a big old tree where for the last several weeks, Wanda, Laura, and several of the staff have enjoyed watching the cavity of the tree and its occupants-a family of Northern Saw Whet Owls. There has been some activity around the area recently as the facility trims trees to prevent fire hazard, as they are very close to the Hayman burn area from a few years ago and we’ve been in a drought cycle the last few years-fire safety is an inportant consideration each year. Apparently one of the “branchers” branched out and fell to the ground. The nest is so high up there’s no way to get the baby back in there and as the babies are active now, would likely end up out and on the ground again. So DOW transport volunteer Su D. picked the baby up for care at EWRC. “St. Francis” is very healthy and in good shape, ate an entire mouse last night, and will join EWRC resident Saw Whet Owl Nadine to complete growing, then returned back to Mount St. Francis Nursing Facility.
Ron and Janet love their birds. They put out more seed and fresh water than anyone I know, and this draws very large numbers of hungry birds to their property to feed. The other day Ron finished putting out seed and noticed a red-winged black bird flopping on the ground. He went over to pick the bird up and it was readily apparent something bad had happened to the bird-he was missing several head feathers, and the skin had already callused and was inflamed-looking. Ron sent the bird to EWRC where exam revealed no broken bones or other obvious external injury but the bird is extremely emaciated. The bird is in very bad shape but so far is hanging in there, eating and drinking on its own. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a successful healing and release back to Ron and Janet’s place.
Due to our work schedules, EWRC canNOT take babies like these!
It’s May and already people are picking up baby birds (and various other baby wildlife.) The kids are outside playing and come inside with a baby bird. The dog or cat brought you a surprise-a baby bird. You’re trimming trees and out falls a nest full of baby birds. Do you know what to do? Most people don’t.
The phone is ringing with frantic members of our community that want to help but don’t know how. Generally it takes someone an average of 5 calls to vets, bird stores, wildlife agencies, and/or critter control services before finding a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to help with their situation. Unfortunately, due to the immense time requirement and financial hardship, there is nobody that we know of in the Colorado Springs area that can take baby songbirds until June. Babies brought to veterinarians die or are euthanized if nobody licensed is available to pick them up and provide care for them. Ellicott Wildlife Rehab can take baby water birds, baby hawks, owls, and falcons, and any and all self-feeding birds but we work regular jobs and cannot tend to the songbird babies for the every 15-minute feedings the baby songbirds require, sunup to sundown, for several weeks. As always, our priority is reuniting these babies with their parents, who absolutely give the BEST care possible to these babies. People sometimes pick babies up and try to raise themselves; this is ILLEGAL in the state of Colorado and frankly, after a day or two, or when the baby begins to die, is when these people look to us for help, at which time there’s usually nothing we can do.
MYTH: If I pick the baby bird up and handle it, won’t the mother smell my hands and reject the baby?
FACT: Nope. The ONLY bird that has a sense of smell is the turkey vulture, and if you have one of her babies the smell of your hands will be the least of your worries!
Mother birds WILL reject damaged babies. She will boot them out of the nest. She knows the damage well before it manifests itself to the point where people can spot it. Too much handling of babies damages them. The key is to not handle the babies any more than absolutely necessary; stress damages babies.
Are you ready to become a licensed baby bird rehabilitator? This volunteer job means no time for yourself and family, no vacations, picnics or barbeques, no weddings or graduations. You’ll be outside catching bugs to feed the gaping mouths of hungry babies, feeding every few minutes from sunup to sundown for several weeks. You’ll be spending your paycheck to buy food, pay the utility bill, gas in your car, etc. Ringing telephones all day every day and lots of paperwork for you. Sound like something you’d like to do? No? Well, this is why there are so few of us.
The BEST parent for any animal is it’s own natural parent. Is the baby really orphaned or just fledging (learning to fly?) Fledglings spend a lot of time on the ground but are still cared for by the parents and will not accept food from people. This is the time when they are most susceptible to predation by dogs and cats-keep the pets in for a few days until these youngsters are up and off the ground.
If you find a baby bird, call for help before doing anything that can cause a problem for you or the animal. Call the Colorado Division of Wildlife during normal business hours at 719-227-5200. Call Ellicott Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at 719-683-8152 or visit us online for more help at www.ellicottwildlife.com, or write EWRC, P.O. Box 75069, Colorado Springs, CO. 80970.
The scaup was released, immediately joined by another scaup.
Donna of Village 7 in the ‘Springs noticed unusual droppings around her back porch steps one day and then saw some fluttering underneath. She was surprised to find this waterbird underneath her porch and pulled the bird out to have a look. Donna’s dog had apparently gotten the duck and there was a tiny puncture wound on the bird’s bill and a neck laceration. Donna brought the bird to Belcrest Animal Clinic where Dr. E. sutured the neck wound. The bird is in very good body condition, may have gotten blown off course during the storm last week, and found a safe spot under Donna’s porch. These birds need very large bodies of open water to fly, and we anticipate a release in the next several days.
Thank you to Nathan for doing the transport from the vet to Ellicott!