The guest speaker at our September meeting was Bonnie Boime, from the Wild Bird Rehabilitation Inc. Founded in 1992, WBR is the only songbird rehabilitation organization in our region. Bonnie is in charge of Volunteer Operations for this not-for-profit group. Someone is actually out there taking care of all the little babies that fall out of trees, and adults that for whatever reason need human assistance. Rescuing the Birds Like a lot of animals, wild birds would benefit from a little restraint on the part of their human neighbors. One clear plea, or bit of education, was to keep house cats in the house. Apparently cats disrupting nests accounts for many of their rescues. Similarly, not every bird you might find on the ground may require assistance. While they are at higher risk on the ground, some/ a few/ many may heal themselves and return to their regular routine. It is apparently a well propogated myth that handling a baby bird will cause rejection by its parents. It is beneficial to return a chick to its nest if you find it and know where it came from. It will probably not surprise GPC members, but baby birds do not benefit from milk. Like our birds, they are lactose intolerant, but they will consume dairy products. Apparently well-meaning people attempt to bottle feed displaced babies, which unfortunately aggravates malnutrition.
Rescuing the Rescuers Like many orgainizations fighting the good fight, WBR has come on hard times. As of September, they were forced to leave their base of operations in Crestwood. Though they have not ceased operations completely, they are restricted to birds they can process in distributed locations, like their volunteers’ homes. Bonnie seemed remarkably upbeat about the process and optimistic they have located a new facility which they hope to occupy in October. Their telephone number is still active, (314) 984-9116. They also have a website at: http://www.wildbirdrehab.org/ They always need volunteers, particularly in the April – October period, and though Bonnie didn’t solicit donations, I am sure they are in desperate need of funds to assist their relocation. Look here, and in future newsletters for more information on their progress. Or, better yet, call them and help…
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