We rescue birds all year round. In the spring, there will be robins who have vaulted boldly from the nest just a little too soon. They need to be stuffed gently back into the nest before they have a close enocunter with Achmed the cat. Some are very determined, and will vault back out as fast as you stuff them back in in. For those, we use an old laundry basket, tied into the tree below the nest. The fledglings can hang out in there until they are strong enough to make their way.
In July, the barn swallows decamp from the nest. They can't steer, so it is important to get out of the way as they come shrieking through the aisle. By the second or third flight, they've got the ailerons working, and can steer well enough to not be a risk to life and limb. Every now and then, one of them requires a laundry basket as well. And we hang up a blanket so they can't see the cat (or the cat see them) from his high perch en route to the hay loft.
This August, one of our guests, Wendy, rescued a young cedar waxwing. These lovely birds come to the resort in droves because we have some huge old chokecherry trees. Waxwings, pileated woodpeckers, blue jays -- all love to gorge on the fruit. Which is fine, except that -- like all fruit -- it can ferment. Drinking and flying don't mix, and we sometimes see pretty bizarre flight patterns. This juvenile waxwing spent some time sleeping quietly in Wendy's designer luggage before taking a deep breath and flying away.
Sometimes, however, we need back-up. One winter David found a bluejay that had flown into a wire. It couldn't sit upright, but otherwise seemed fine. This spring it was a young robin, for whom we couldn't find parents, or nest. With these, it's off to the marvellous bird sanctuary located near Huntsville. A Wing and a Prayer, run by Janice and Michael Enright relies on donations to keep running. They take in incredible numbers of injured or 'lost' birds, rehabilitating most of them to be released back into the wild. This year alone, they have helped 400 birds. They are famous for the work they have done with loons -- pictures of Michael canoeing with Ebony the loon as he taught her how to hunt for herself in the early morning mist, the bird following the canoe, are etched into my memory. Ebony Young was the first loon chick known to be successfully rehabilitated in North America.
So, when we can't handle the situation, or if we need advice, we holler for A Wing and Prayer. Nancy sticks a donation in an envelope on the box, and the bird is delivered to welcoming hands. when the birds recover, and are ready to be released, they come back to Bondi, so they are in familiar surroundings and close to their original flock. To protect the birds the Centre is not open for public tours.
Janice and Michael do extraordinary work, with love and dedication and forever with a shortage of money. Feeding juvenile loons is costly, for instance. And no, baby robins do not eat chopped up earthworms from the bait shop. Hummingbirds are finicky. Owls and hawks all require specialized flight pens, where they can re-learn how to fly... It is an enormous challenge. They receive birds that have been hit by cars, hit by boats, have flown into picture windows, been tangled in fishing line... I think they've seen it all by now. We are more than happy to contribute to this work. They might be 'for the birds', but we're for them, all the way. (Our horizontal bluejay came back to us, good as new.)
A Wing and a Prayer Muskoka Centre for Wild Birds runs a couple of fundraising events every year and put out a fascinating newsletter. Any donations 'for the birds' would be very welcome, especially at this time of year when funds run low after a long summer of baby bird rescues. They can be reached at P.O. Box 88, Utterson, Ontario, P0B 1M0 or by email at jenright@primus.ca
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