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

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.

Before long, more hungry babies

will join these nestling house
finches in our Window Room.
Staff Photo

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.

Beasley Reece, a former Boy Scout

and an Eagle Scout, took time to
talk with other Scouts.
Photo by Russ Carlson

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.

Bird lovers young and old enjoyed checking

out their wingspans. Photo by Russ Carlson

Bird demonstrations attracted enthusiastic

audiences.
Photo by Russ Carlson

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

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 (bbrigham@tristatebird.org) if
you know of good foster family candidates for goslings, ducks, or songbirds
especially species that nest in boxes. If you know where we can find a good
owl or hawk family, contact clinic supervisor Aimee Federer
(afederer@tristatebird.org).
Photo by Kim Steininger

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 jbartley@tristatebird.org 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
Staff Photo 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
Two nestling eagles came to us from
Maryland after their nest tree fell down in
skills excellent. We banded the eagle on April 4 and released her onsite at
a storm. Although its nestmate did not
Tri-State. Many thanks to all the volunteers who contributed to the care of
survive, the other eaglet (in front) was
this eagle over her long stay. We extend our thanks as well to Bobbie
banded and successfully introduced into
Stadler, Ray Bryant, and David Anderson, devoted transporters who
an active eagle's nest in New Jersey
combined to bring this bird to us from Dorchester County, Maryland.
thanks to the help of Dr. Erica Miller and
Kathy Clark of the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
Photo courtesy of NJDEP

Monthly Flyer, May 2015

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 selffeeding, 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.
Black vulture soars away.

Staff Photo

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

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

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
First ten ducklings are safe and sound.
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.

Teamwork leads to freedom for

remaining trapped ducklings.
Photos by Jo Ann Hugues

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 ddoblick@tristatebird.org.