Summer time means an influx of baby birds. WINC has seen
robins, finches, sparrows, woodpeckers, catbirds, cowbirds, grackles,
starlings, wrens, red-winged blackbirds, cardinals, and many other bird species
come in to live in the Avian Nursery. Many of these young birds need to be fed
every 30 minutes! For this reason, children 12 and over (adults, too!) can
volunteer once a week to come in and feed the baby birds. It’s a very fun and
interesting task for kids and parents alike. A wide variety of birds come
through the bird room, and Baby Bird Feeders get to learn about different
species and see them grow. Baby Bird Feeders (BBF’s) are a huge help to all volunteers,
interns and staff. They are an essential part of keeping animal care at the
center running smoothly.
Fledgling House Finches |
Our Avian Nursery consists of two-three incubators, eight
medium reptariums, and 4 large reptariums in which the birds are housed. The
rehabilitation process is different for each bird, but generally, infant birds
will start out in the incubator where they are kept warm and cozy in handmade
nests. Nestlings in the incubators are fed every 30 minutes because they have
very fast metabolisms and digest their food quickly. When the birds grow to the
fledgling stage, ignoring their nests, exploring their space, and even eating a
bit on their own, they no longer need to be incubated. At this stage in life,
wild fledglings would be leaving the nest and starting to learn how to fly.
Birds at this stage are often brought into the center because they were found
on the ground without their mothers and thought to be abandoned or orphaned.
While this does happen, it is not necessarily true. Fledglings are becoming
more independent and may venture from their mothers for periods of time. The
fledglings in WINC’s Avian Nursery are moved to the tiers where they are still
hand fed multiple times a day, but also encouraged to eat on their own. They remain in this stage for a few weeks
while they grow, interact with each other, and learn to be a bird. Older and
bigger birds are put in the large reptariums, where they have lots of room to
hop around and do some flying. They are mostly self-feeding and are only
hand-fed every 3-4 hours. The final step of avian rehabilitation is the move to
outdoor caging where they have room to fly, bathe, and browse for their own food. Baby Bird Feeders are a tremendous help to the center.
Caring for these birds is a difficult and time-consuming task, but is very
rewarding!
I got the chance
to interview two of our BBFs, Pat Kupka and Alison Huebner, a college
sophomore. These ladies have been coming to WINC once a week since May to help
out in the baby bird room.
“My favorite thing
about working in the Avian Nursery is getting to interact with wildlife. I
would definitely recommend the Baby Bird Feeding Program to others, especially
those looking for a project to do with their kids. It gives them a skill” said
Pat.
Nest of Black-capped Chickadees |
Alison says the hardest part about being a BBF was taking
care of a large number of birds with different diets for each type, but she
also said she learned a lot about how to feed and handle birds.
Fledgling Barn Swallows |
Being a Baby Bird Feeder is an awesome experience which can
help people of all ages learn and refine lots of skills like time management
and prioritizing, but also handling and feeding wildlife!
If you or your child would like to be a Baby
Bird Feeder next summer, you can apply by visiting our website and to learn more about the summer program followthe
link below:
http://www.helpingwildlife.org/images/bbffaqs.pdf
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUMMER 2013 BABY BIRD FEEDERS!
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUMMER 2013 BABY BIRD FEEDERS!