Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

MONTHLY FLYER A Volunteer Newsletter

February 2016

Celebrating 40 years of excellence in wildlife rehabilitation and research

Photo: snyders/moonbeampublishing Editor: Loretta Carlson

HARD-WORKING VOLUNTEERS REPAIR CAGES Seven hard-working volunteers braved the cold winds of December and January to replace all the rotted rafters in both flight cages. We are immensely grateful to Rand McIlvaine, Dan Cotterman, Jim Howey, Greg Keegan, Emilio Oliva, Josh Cruse, and George Harrison for all their carpentry work.

We extend special thanks to Rich Hinkle, owner of Victoria Builders and former Tri-State volunteer and board member, for providing his technical expertise and guidance.

These newly refurbished cages provide a safe place for our raptor patients to practice their flight and hunting skills.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR VOLUNTEERS Mouse-Feeding Protocol Please check the charts before you put out food for the mice. We have been going through a lot of food recently. Remember that mice cache (store) their food. Therefore, even if you dont see food, if the chart notes that the mice have been fed, rest assured: They have been fed.

Suggestion Box We welcome your feedback! Place your questions and concerns about any aspect of your Tri-State experience in the Suggestion Box in the volunteer office. We read all comments, and a staff member or a member of the Volunteer Advisory Committee will address them with you directly or during clinic shift meetings. You also can raise any concerns or questions with Julie Bartley.

Volunteer Raffle Tri-State holds a monthly volunteer appreciation raffle. Remember to put your name into the Raffle Jar in the volunteer office each time you work a shift, transport a bird, help with mailings, or volunteer your time for any Tri-State activities.

Volunteer Testimonials As we celebrate Tri-State Bird Rescues 40th anniversary, we would like to hear from you about your positive experiences as a Tri-State volunteer. We will share your testimonials in upcoming issues of the Monthly Flyer and in A Birds-Eye View, the quarterly members newsletter. Send your comments to Julie Bartley via e-mail at jbartley@tristatebird.org or via snail mail at 170 Possum Hollow Road, Newark, Delaware 19711.

Thank you for all your hard work on behalf of the birds!

Staff Photo

Soaring to New Heights Together

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RECENT RELEASES Weve admitted eight Sharp-shinned Hawks since December, and fortunately, weve been able to release several of those birds. A juvenile sharpie suffered a midshaft fracture to its left wing when it crashed into and broke a window at a home in Princess Anne, Maryland, on December 6. In addition to the fracture, the juvenile hawk sustained minor bruising on its cere and abrasions on its feet. After securing the fracture site with a figure-eight wrap, we administered pain medications, treated the bird for parasites, and prescribed cage

rest. By the next day, the hawk was self-feeding quail and proving itself to be an accomplished escape artist. With physical therapy to restore range-of-motion in the wing, the bird was ready for flight exercise in an outdoor cage by the end of December. Once its flight skills and lift were strong, we banded this Sharp-shinned Hawk, and volunteer Karen Wenner-Pedersen released it on January 13 back in the area where it was found.

Two days after this hawk arrived, another Sharp-shinned Hawk came to us from Rising Sun, Maryland. A presumed impact victim, the juvenile female was not standing in the carrier when she arrived at the clinic, and she had head and spinal trauma. Although her left shoulder seemed tender and she had a wing droop, radiographs revealed no orthopedic injuries. By December 16, the wing droop resolved and the hawk was self-feeding very well. With time in the flight cage, the Sharp-shinned Hawk regained her strength and was ready for release. We thank volunteer Linda Mullin who transported the hawk to Tri-State and then released her on January 6 back in the area where she was found.

A third Sharp-shinned Hawk required only one-nights rest at Tri-State before we released her on-site. A Newark homeowner found the hawk trapped in his screened-in porch. She had slight bruising on her left shoulder but no other injuries. After receiving pain medications and spending a quiet night in the clinic, the Sharp-shinned Hawk was released on January 17.

Our colleagues from other rehabilitation facilities often call on us to provide continuing care for birds that may need specialized treatment and housing. Such was the case for a Snow Goose that came to us from the Raptor Trust in New Jersey on January 5. The adult female had minor wounds and feather soiling plus a few broken flight feathers. While the goose was under anesthesia, Dr. Cristin Kelley cleaned and sutured her wounds and implanted new feathers to replace broken primary feathers. After ensuring the implanted feathers were holding and her waterproofing was good, we placed the goose in a large flight cage on January 13. Once we confirmed that her feather condition and flight skills were good, we arranged for volunteer Dennis Davis to release the Snow Goose in Smyrna on January 15.

Another quick-turnaround patient was the Red-throated Loon that came to us on January 10 after a mislanding in Mays Landing, New Jersey. A passerby found the adult male by the side of the road and brought it into the Tri-State Bird clinic. The bird was stressed on arrival, but he had no fractures or injuries other than abrasions on his cere, beak, and feet. After observing the loon swimming in the tub, we ascertained that the birds waterproofing was good, allowing us to move him to an outside pool. By January 12, the Red-throated Loon had recovered from his injuries, and he was eating well, diving, and preening.

Volunteer Sharyn Fagone released him in Middletown.

OTHER RELEASES IN JANUARY In January, we also released a Bald Eagle, a Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Screech Owls, Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, a Northern Gannet, a Great-blue Heron, Ring-billed Gulls, a Herring Gull, a Carolina Wren, a Tufted Titmouse, a White-throated Sparrow, and an American Robin.

Supervisor examines Sharp-shinned Hawk from Rising Sun. Staff Photo

Red-throated Loon Staff Photo

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FEATURED BIRD: HAIRY WOODPECKER The Hairy Woodpecker is one of the most widely distributed woodpeckers in North America. A black and white bird similar in size to the American Robin, the Hairy Woodpecker ranges from about 8-1/2 to 10-1/2 inches long. It has a heavy black bill that is nearly as long as the head is deep, a black nape, black shoulders, and a white face with a black malar mark. The black wings have white spotting and the tail is black, although the outermost feathers on each side are entirely white. The males have a red occipital patch.

Insects make up 75 percent of the Hairy Woodpeckers diet, particularly the larvae of wood-boring beetles and bark beetles. This bird also eats fruit and seeds, and you can entice it to your backyard with suet and sunflower seeds.

Forming monogamous pairs, some Hairy Woodpeckers have been known to stay together for several years. They have one brood of three to six young a year and excavate cavities in live trees as high as 60 feet off the ground. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The cavity is often in a branch or stub that isnt perfectly vertical, with the entrance hole on the underside. This location may help keep flying squirrels and sapsuckers from trying to take over the hole. If the hairys use any nesting material, they typically layer wood chips at the bottom of the cavity. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the young once they hatch. The nestling woodpeckers remain in the nest for up to 30 days.

One of the challenges of bird identification is distinguishing between the Hairy Woodpecker and its near-twin, the Downy Woodpecker. Downys are smaller, and they have short, stubby black bills. The white outer tail feathers, in contrast to the hairy, are spotted or barred. Visit Project FeederWatch (http://bit.ly/1QAlT4x) for more tips on how to distinguish between the Hairy and the Downy Woodpecker.

Hairy Woodpeckers live at sea level and in mountainous areas up to 6,500 feet high. They are common visitors to a variety of habitats, including all types of forests, forest edges, ponds, swamps, and of course your own backyard. Listen for the down-slurred whinny of the Hairy Woodpecker or its sharp peek call. Learn more about the Hairy Woodpecker at the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys All About Birds Web site, www.allaboutbirds.org, as well as in Birds of North America, published by the Smithsonian Institution, or your own favorite birding book.

JOIN THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT You still have plenty of time to learn how you can take part in this years Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which is scheduled from Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15. This joint project of the Cornell Ornithology Lab and the National Audubon Society offers families, students, and bird lovers of all ages the opportunity to make an important contribution to conservation.

You dont even need to leave the comfort of your home. Count birds in your own backyard and report sightings online at www.birdcount.org. Online resources at this website include tips on identifying birds and materials for teachers and students.

Spend as little as 15 minutes counting birds on one or more of the designated dates. The more people who participate, the better the information scientists will have about how bird populations may be changing over time due to habitat loss, climate change, disease, or other factors.

At Tri-State Bird Rescue, we see many birdsmost of them injured, ill, or orphaned. This is your opportunity to see healthy birds in their native habitat. Dont miss it! When you take part in the GBBC, you will not only be enriching your own knowledge of birds, you also will be helping provide data to the ornithologists who study bird populations, migration, and conservation throughout the year.

White-breasted Nuthatch Photo by Kim Steininger

Photo by Russ Carlson

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GET MODOVATED! Tri-State announces a brand-new initiative to help our most vulnerable avian patients. We invite you to become a MODO! Not a Mourning Dove, but a MOnthly DOnor. Your recurring gift will provide a steady resource for our patients to receive the best care. Your credit or debit card is automatically deducted each monthsafely, securely, and hassle-free. This program is a safe, easy, and efficient way to support Tri-State.

Why should you become a MODO?

To save writing and mailing a check

To ensure your donation goes farther

To give at a higher, manageable level

To help save birds lives

You control what you give and you can change your monthly donation amount any time. Through your personal donor account, you can update your payment information or schedule. Youll receive an automatic Tri-State membership at the respective level when you begin your monthly donations, along with your MODO sticker. Plus, all of your charitable donation receipts for tax purposes are emailed to you automatically.

Get MODOvated and join our recurring donor flock today! Visit https://triestatebird.org/modo/ to sign up and help us save birds lives. If you have any questions, call Duke Doblick at (302) 737-9543, extension 108.

LEAP DAY TV RAFFLE Make Leap Year 2016 a special one and take a chance on winning a gently used 46-inch Sony Bravia HD-TV and a PolkAudio SurroundBar 6000 Instant Home Theater. (The TV wall-mounting bracket is included.) Tri-State is raffling off these outstanding electronics on Leap Day, Monday, February 29, 2016, at 12 p.m. The value of these prizes is approximately $2,000.

You can buy one chance for $5 or get three chances for $10.

Tickets are available in the Tri-State volunteer office, by e-mailing ddoblick@tristatebird.org, or by calling Duke Doblick at (302) 737-9543, extension 108. If you fill them out at Tri-State, put your purchased tickets in an envelope and drop it in Dukes mailbox (check or exact change preferred) or bring them to the development office. All proceeds from this raffle will be added to the 2015 Yard Sale profits and help us save birds lives. Good luck!

VOLUNTEER ANNIVERSARIES FOR FEBRUARY 22 years: Mary Birney and Mark Cameron 18 years: Roger Suro 17 years: Lucinda Peterson and Perrie Lee Prouty 16 years: Liz Gontarz 15 years: Barbara Nichols and Al Ware 14 years: Sam Crothers 13 years: Dave and Donna Houchin 12 years: Rosann Ferraro, Eileen Mills, and Mary Milroy 11 years: Cindy Ahern, Joan Beatty, Doug and Arlene Reppa 10 years: Valna Persak 9 years: Linda Amundsen, Janice Brink, Sharyn Fagone, Rob Romeo, and Gail Schrenk 8 years: Terri Heagy 7 years: Betty Sharon 6 years: Gail Heath 5 years: Dan Cotterman 2 years: Marty Allen and Bill and JoAnne Rosenfeld

All donors receive this exclusive sticker.

Monthly Flyer, February 2016 5

JOIN US FOR TRI-STATES OPEN HOUSE ON MAY 1 Tri-States 2016 Open House, presented by WSFS Bank, is just a few months away. Well have the Frink Center for Wildlife and Wildlife Response Annex available for self-guided tours. Our new What is

Your Wingspan? banner will be displayed on the 2nd floor deck for our young (and not so young) bird enthusiasts to see how they measure up. You will experience another fun-filled, educational presentation by Phung Luu and his trained birds, including Indy who accepts cash donations for Tri-State.

Stop by and see Duke Doblick in the development office or call him at (302) 737-9543, extension 108, to volunteer to help that day or to help us plan this important community event.

UPCOMING EVENTS Information Sessions and Adult Bird Care Workshops. Do you have friends or family members who think they may be interested in volunteering for Tri-State, but who are concerned that this may not be the right choice for them? We have the perfect solution: a one-hour Information Session that gives prospective volunteers a good overview of our operations and expectations. All those interested in volunteering at Tri-State must attend one Information Session before they can register for a bird-care workshop.

Winter/Spring Information Sessions: February 27; March 5, 12, and 19; April 16 and 23; and May 7. All sessions will take place on Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Adult Bird Care Workshops: Saturday, April 2, 9 a.m.1 p.m., and Sunday, May 15, 9 a.m.1 p.m.

Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, Sunday, April 10, 2 p.m. Please join us for our annual celebration of you! This event will include distribution of the coveted volunteer awards and a fabulous free-flight bird show by Phung Luu and Jackie Kozlowski. We will share more details in upcoming issues of the Monthly Flyer.

Open House, Sunday, May 1, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. See article above for details.

Benefit for the Birds, Friday, October 21, 6 to 11 p.m. Well be taking a short jaunt to Deerfield in Newark, Delaware, on Friday, October 21, from 6 to 11 p.m. Deerfield is across Paper Mill Road, just over one mile from the Tri-State turn at Possum Hollow Road.

Save the date, mark your calendar, reserve your tickets, and buy a dress or rent a tux. Its not too early to get excited for this momentous occasion! More details to follow in upcoming issues of the Monthly Flyer and on the Tri-State website (www.tristatebird.org).

Photo by Russ Carlson