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.

Latest News

Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

Keep ReadingShow less
Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less