10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

When the wolf is at the door, a wildlife rehabilitator will let him in. Before each stop I always called a nearby rehabber, asking if they’d like to bring their education bird(s) to the book signing and possibly drum up some local support for their operation. And feed him. That’s why we’re always broke.

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Rescue Wildlife Rehabilitation Homelessness Wildlife 226

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2014

Audubon acquired the island in 1936 and the mainland property on the shoreline of Bremen in the 1940s, eventually turning them into one of the first nature education sites in the country. The mission of wildlife rehabilitators is to return injured birds to the sky, or the sea, or wherever it is they came from. How could you not?

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Puffins Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle Eggs 274

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2015

Wildlife rehabilitators are a multi-tasking lot. Not only do we take care of zillions of injured and orphaned birds/mammals/reptiles/whatever, we also have to deal with and educate the public. The baffling, mind-boggling public.

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Hamburgers Squirrels Chickens Wildlife Rehabilitation 250

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2015

As a wildlife rehabilitator, I am used to dealing with the (sometimes) well-meaning but uninformed public, who ask questions like “Do birds have bones?” “What’s it called when birds return to the same nesting spot?” he asked the group, as we settled in a small clearing and set up the nets.

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Puffins Birds Groups West Virginia 277

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2014

If that’s not possible, she needs the knowledgeable care of a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Wildlife rehabbers love the public. Somehow they manage to get the bird or animal to a rehabilitator, even though finding one is often a feat in itself. Why do wildlife rehabilitators not love the public?

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Feral Cats Hamburgers 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2013

Wildlife rehabilitators are not known for our bling. People who work with wildlife wearing nice clothes? “I Sharron Montgomery went through the same thing with a badly-behaved educational Bald Eagle named Booker T. As for nice clothing … right! I had to scramble to get them back before he swallowed them.”.

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Bald Eagle Wildlife Rehabilitation Vet Turkey 250

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2015

This week’s guest blog was written by Linda Hufford, who has been a wildlife rehabilitator specializing in raptors for over twenty years. She runs Birds of Texas Rehabilitation Center in Austin County, Texas. Can a dead bird educate the researcher on its song? Or how gracefully it flew? How it raised its chicks?

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Collecting Wildlife Rehabilitation Solomon Islands Texas 240

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2014

“My very first rescue was a House Sparrow caught in a glue trap,” says Donna Osburn, a wildlife rehabilitator in Kentucky. I was so far beyond furious – several people got an education they hadn’t counted on.”. Birds birds glue traps glue traps sticky traps wildlife rehabilitator'

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Mice Rodents Rescue 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2015

This blog was written by Marge Gibson, co-founder of Raptor Education Group, Inc. My work as a wildlife rehabilitator over the past forty-five years has allowed me a unique perspective on a disturbing trend. Rehabilitators educate constantly, encouraging the public to leave healthy wildlife alone.

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle Rescue Wildlife 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2016

Today’s blog was written by Kathy Hershey, co-founder of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators in Hope, Indiana. Because he’ll always want to seek kids and shoelaces and risk danger to himself, Parker has a new life at our wildlife rehabilitation center, and his story puts a face on these amazing birds.

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Mice Indiana Wildlife 186

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

Today’s post is written by Monte Merrick, wildlife rehabilitator and co-director of the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center/bird ally x in Arcata, CA. I happened to work at that facility, for International Bird Rescue at the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center , part of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.

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Los Angeles Wildlife Rehabilitation Killing San Francisco 250

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2013

This blog was written by Marge Gibson, founder of the Raptor Education Group, Inc. Even as a veteran wildlife rehabilitator, I could scarcely believe the sight before me. in Antigo, WI. She is a lifelong champion of all birds, and a hero and inspiration to me. The phone rang early. We put her on the clinic’s exam table.

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Eagles Wounded Bald Eagle Wisconsin 257

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2016

Cat and dog rescuers share with wildlife rehabilitators the unfortunate burden of healing the hurt caused by other humans. There’s an imperative to get this message across to cat people who, like me, can be educated to value wild lives as much as we value the lives of our four-legged family members. And, I would have understood.

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Cats Stray Cat Stray Los Angeles 223

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2016

I asked a group of wildlife rehabilitators: “What are some of the Worst Bird Myths? An injured or orphaned bird must be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator as soon as humanly possible, or they will have little chance of surviving. That’s why I can’t take owls to a lot of my education programs out here in New Mexico.”.

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Porcupines Raccoons Ethiopia 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2015

This post is from Lisa Beth Acton, a wildlife rehabilitator in Accord, NY. She has a captive-bred education bird named Xena, a Eurasian Eagle Owl. Lisa brings her to all kinds of gatherings to spread the word of wildlife (see Xena’s Facebook page ). This summer Lisa raised three orphaned Common Ravens.

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Raised Mice Wildlife Rehabilitation Squirrels 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2016

This guest blog was written by Mikal Deese, Wildlife Educator, Rehabilitator, and founder of On A Wing And A Prayer in Corrales, New Mexico.

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New Mexico Wounded Owls Mexico 187

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2012

This lovely tribute to a crow was written by Erin Baker, Animal Care Supervisor & Environmental Educator at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining, NY (www.teatown.org) The photos show the lengths dedicated people will go to in order to keep non-releaseable birds happy and entertained. Tri-State described her as “feisty but friendly.”

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illegal Rescue Raised Animal 232

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2025

By Lisa Smith, NWRA (National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association) Lisa is a lifelong birder and has over 20 years of experience in wildlife rehabilitation.

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Humane Experiments 208

Animal Person

SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

I was watching a news segment on a wildlife rehabilitation center here in Florida. From 2002-2005 I was heavily ensconced in a bird and waterfowl phase with sometimes daily drama of the life-and-death variety that led to my unintentional education about all things duck (Muscovies, in particular).

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Euthanasia Wildlife Rehabilitation Fowl 2002 100