Learning to care for baby birds

SHARON — Volunteers young and old gathered at Sharon Audubon on Sunday, May 22, for a training workshop that covered rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured and baby birds. Participants were 10 and older; those under 16 were required to have a parent or adult caregiver present. Sharon Audubon’s resident crow, Princess, introduced the workshop by making as much noise as she could.“She’s confused because there’s a room full of people not paying attention to her,” said Sarah Conley, an Audubon intern. Though the 13 volunteers were there to learn mostly about aiding baby birds (many of the newborns are brought to the center in spring and summer), they also learned about adult injured birds, like Princess. Many in the crowd were returning volunteers, however, and already knew the chatty crow’s routine.Eighty to 85 percent of rehabilitation admissions are baby birds, said Erin O’Connell, Sharon Audubon’s wildlife rehabilitation and outreach coordinator. Most of the birds the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center receives are ones that come in contact with people: crows, turkeys, robins, phoebes, warblers, wood ducks, mallards, woodpeckers and hummingbirds. Red-tailed hawks and owls are also common. The goal of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Program is, ultimately, to release birds, animals and reptiles back into the wild — though that isn’t always possible. In 2008, 35 percent of baby birds admitted were released successfully — but 36 percent died and 16 percent had to be euthanized.“They’re in rough shape to begin with [when they are rescued],” said O’Connell. “It can be sad sometimes, but we ultimately have to do what’s best for the animal.”Johanna Walton, a wildlife volunteer, remembered a red-tailed hawk she helped care for. When Audubon first took the bird in, it was covered with parasites and had a wire hanger tethered around and embedded in its leg. Walton said Audubon had the hawk for six months, but it survived. It was released about six weeks ago (for the story, go online to www.tricorner.news.com and search for “Eagle, hawks released into wild”).“It’s those success stories that outweigh the sadness,” Walton said.The volunteer trainees toured the entire facility, from the six outdoor cages for pre-release training to the 15 indoor rehabilitation cages to a special kitchen lined with shelves of plastic cereal containers filled with seed, starter and a couple of boxes of live maggots and cockroaches. O’Connell explained that it’s important to know what kind of food the bird you’re working with eats. She told the story of two baby robins that were brought to the center. They had been fed raw ground beef because the person who found them thought they were baby hawks. One of the robins died; the other was saved. “We have to try to educate the public,” said O’Connell. “It’s really important that you identify the species before you start shoving food at them.” Walton, who knows just what a hungry baby robin wants, giggled as she reached into its cage and let the tiny bird perch on her finger. With a pair of tweezers, she fed the gaping baby something squirming. “I’ve become addicted and obsessed,” Walton said. “I’ve never loved anything more, besides my daughter, in my life.” Her daughter, 14-year-old Sabrina Walton, seems to share that love. She began volunteering last year, helping with the rehabilitation of larger birds. Her favorite is Paloma, a white mourning dove that wildlife experts suspect was a pet that was released accidentally into the wild.“We’re buddies,” Sabrina said, cradling the dove in her arms. “When I come to the Audubon, I go straight to her cage.” Sabrina said Paloma will even snuggle inside her sweatshirt hood and fall asleep.