CWRC Blog

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration

2011-05-01T22:50:00.000-03:00

They're back :)

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/humm_ruby_spring2011.html

Nesting Season: Please don't cut trees down now

2011-05-01T15:02:00.004-03:00

Please check out the below link posted by one of our rehab colleagues in the USA. Cutting trees in the spring often creates orphans. Trees are best cut outside of nesting season.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150172665493579.308327.299058178578

Red- Tailed Hawk Release

2011-05-01T12:49:00.004-03:00

This Red-tailed Hawk was found behind the Truro Mall on January 25, 2011. The hawk had suffered head trauma and a broken leg from a collision with a car. It was in a very weak state and suffering from shock. The hawk received a physical exam and stabilization at Central Nova Animal Hospital in Bible Hill, including fluid therapy for shock. It was then taken to the CWRC and placed in an incubator and left in peace and quiet to stabilize.

The next day the hawk was taken for x-rays and further assessment. Based upon the x-rays it was determined by Dr. Macmillan and Dr. Van Doninck that the hawk was a good candidate for surgery and the leg had a high chance of being successfully healed.

The surgery took place on January 27, 2011. It took almost two hours to complete but went very smoothly without any problems. The hawk returned to the CWRC for the next 11 weeks for rehabilitation during which time the leg healed. Periodic X-rays were taking during this time to confirm the break was healing normally. Pins were removed several weeks later.

A release date was chosen based upon the return of good weather and the fact that the bird started a molt (seasonal feather loss and regrowth) while in our care.

The bird continued to recover in our flight cage. After ensuring the hawk was flight ready, it was returned to the area it was found and successfully released on April 30, 2011.

Photo Essay:

https://picasaweb.google.com/CWRC.Net/RedTailedHawkBrokenLeg?feat=directlink#

Non-Lead Ammunition

2011-04-01T14:44:00.002-03:00

Here at CWRC we try to educate as much as possible, especially regarding issues that bring wildlife to our door. Lead poisoning in wildlife is an issue that rears its ugly head time and time again and I like to pass on anything I can find that may help convince people to stop using lead...period! We have known for years that it's poisonous and it seems like a no-brainer that lead ammunition and fishing gear should be banned or at least phased out. I came across some great links showing info about Alternatives to Lead Ammunition :

http://www.iws.org/Lead%20Alternatives.htm

and a list of retailers and manufactures who sell or produce non-lead ammunition:

http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/w_c/condors/Non-lead%20ammo%20retailers.pdf

Feel free to share and spread the word. If we don't ask for alternatives, the market demand will keep them low on the priority list. Talk to your suppliers and ask them to stock alternatives.

Helene

Preventing Bird Deaths from Lead Poisoning and Car Collisions

2011-03-29T22:41:00.003-03:00

Hi all, I've recently been asked to do a monthly guest blogger post for Nature Canada. Quite an honour. My post this month was about lead poisoning, a problem I see all too frequently. Love to hear your comments.

As a wildlife veterinarian and rehabilitator, I get a first hand glimpse into what happens when wild birds and humans interact. While many of these encounters are positive, I often see the results when the outcome is negative for the bird. More than ninety percent of the admissions to our rehabilitation centre are a direct result of interaction with humans or our structures.

Each year we analyze the reasons birds and other wildlife are brought to us seeking medical aid. The top reasons for admission include birds that are: hit by a vehicle, victims of cat predation, poisoned (lead poisoning in particular), injured from striking a window, orphaned, oiled, and shot.

We spend a considerable amount of time trying to provide education that will help to decrease the number of animals that are victims of human interaction. People who bring us birds often ask how they can help. For several of the causative reasons listed above, the solution is obvious.

Thousands of wild animals are struck by vehicles every year and simply driving slower and being more aware during dawn and dusk-periods of increased activity may help decrease collisions. Birds of prey and scavenging species are often struck when they opportunistically consume other vehicle collision victims. To help prevent this (not for the faint of heart), I personally carry a shovel in my vehicle and if it is safe to do so, will move dead animals to the ditch or well off the road to prevent another wildlife death. In 2010, we admitted 2 bald eagles that had been struck while scavenging. Both died of their injuries despite medical care.

In recent years we have seen an increase in bird deaths due to lead poisoning. Sadly, these deaths are easily preventable. It has been known for years that lead is toxic, yet it is still used to make hunting and fishing gear and in the manufacturing of other items. Lead shot was banned in waterfowl hunting years ago, but it is still legal to use for hunting other species.

The most common species to get lead poisoning are bald eagles and common loons. Eagles can ingest lead shot (just one ingested pellet or sinker can kill) when scavenging bodies or remnants of bodies left behind by hunters. Some animals are also wounded but not killed and then scavenged by eagles. Loons can ingest lead sinkers or lures left behind on lake beds – lines are often cut when the sinker or gear gets entangled under the water. It is thought that loons either see the reflective lure and go after it, assuming it is a fish, or accidentally ingest the sinker when picking up bits of rock on the lake bed, which is necessary for proper digestion.

Lead poisoned loons are weakened and unable to fly or dive. They will stop eating, have seizures, and get diarrhoea and paralysis of neck muscles. Lead poisoned bald eagles are usually found on the ground unable to fly in a weakened and thin state. They often have a drooped head and wings and are unable to respond to threats by other predators. The poisoning is fatal without treatment and can be fatal even with treatment if the lead levels are high enough or the animal goes too long without receiving care.

Anytime we receive a bald eagle that is unable to fly, but with no signs of injury, lead is my first suspicion. The bird is x-rayed to look for lead, though absence of lead on an x-ray still warrants further investigation in a symptomatic bird. If the eagle ingested the pellet more than two weeks ago, the powerful muscles and presence of other grit in the digestive tract will grind the lead down and release it into the blood stream, making it undetectable by x-rays. In these kinds of cases, a blood sample is sent to confirm the diagnosis and then we start the long process of chelation therapy to try and remove the lead from the victim. This means injections for five to ten days, follow-up blood work, intravenous fluids and tube-feeding to support an animal too sick and weak to ingest food or water. These birds require high maintenance, supportive care until they can stand and eat on their own – they will be in recovery for weeks to months if they survive.

One typical case we received involved a loon seen swimming in circles and unable to dive. The people who noted this were unable to capture it and monitored the loon for one day. The next day the bird, a mature male, was found on land in a weakened state. It was brought to us and died within hours despite medical therapy – it was simply too far gone. We confirmed a diagnosis of lead poisoning with x-rays, blood tests and an autopsy. One lead sinker killed this bird. The person who found the bird called me several days later to tell me that its mate swam back and forth near where the poisoned loon beached, making distress vocalizations for days after its mate died an unnecessary death.

How can you prevent this?

The answer is simple. Avoid using products containing lead, and in particular, do not use lead shot or fishing gear. Alternatives such as steel and bismuth do exist and are available. Ask for and demand these alternatives in tackle, hunting and bait shops. You may just save a life.

CWRC in the news

2011-03-20T00:45:00.001-03:00

There was a nice story about our work in the Herald today. Thanks to reporter Michael Gorman for stopping out to see us

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1233805.html

Red-Tailed Hawk Update and Back at It!

2011-03-10T12:54:00.003-04:00

Hello all and welcome to March.

I took a 10 day vacation in February, it was lovely to escape for a few days. We had one of our regular volunteers house -sit while we were away and she did a GREAT job: thanks Lori. I had tried to make sure any new animals would be diverted to another facility while we were away. Thanks to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park for agreeing to deal with any animals that were sent our way. It seems to have taken almost a month to get back into the swing of things after all of the catch up I had to do on my return, but I'm happy to report a return to regular "service".

Spring is just around the corner and I will admit to being very excited that the snow is disappearing. We have been in operation here for 11 years now and for me this has been the worst snow year. That also coincides with us having the most number of winter patients yet and the unexpected temporary illness of our snowblower. NOT fun trudging through thigh deep snow everyday to care for our outdoor guests. Of course the coming of spring means the start of busy baby season, so while spring is great, our workload will grow exponentially over the next few months. Stay tuned.

We have had a Red-Tailed Hawk in for the past 6 weeks that was found hit by a car behind the Truro Mall. Luckily someone spotted him and transported him to CWRC within the hour. His broken leg was pinned 2 days later and last week we finally removed the last of the pins. I'm happy to report he is doing great and will soon go to an outdoor cage to start using that leg more and more. He had a brief period where he wasn't eating and we had to force-feed him, but now that he is less confined he seems happier. We still grab him every 1-2 days to do passive physiotherapy on his leg ( which he hates!). I predict a full recovery and release in the next couple of months.

Thanks for tuning in and I hope to keep in touch regularly

Helene

Duck Frozen into a Lake

2011-02-19T16:26:00.002-04:00

About a month ago we received a call from a former student of mine who noticed a domestic duck sitting in the same spot on a frozen lake for 2 days. Since it didn't sound like normal behaviour and since the weather was bad, I recommended that she investigate if she could do so safely. What she found was a domestic runner duck hybrid, literally frozen into the ice. It had a little hollow thawed out under if but was stuck to the surface of the ice by its feathers ( it came in with ice chunks still adhered to its flight feathers). Nearby lake residents had noted this bird and a mate in the area for several days, but the mate had disappeared ( we presume it either died or was a victim of some sort of predation).

The duck was hypothermic, weak, thin, dehydrated and shocky. It also had two large infected bite wounds above its tail. We immediately gave it IV fluids and it spent the next 3 days warming in an incubator, gradually building up strength. We knew the bite wounds needed attention so they were cleaned up and antibiotics were started, but I knew it wasn't strong enough to handle anesthesia. After medical care and food for 6 days I took it to Central Nova Animal Hospital, anesthetized it, and cleaned the wounds properly.

Since that time it has spent the last couple of weeks recovering in our bird room in a soft sided playpen as we wanted to keep it warm and keep the wounds uncontaminated. I am happy to report that today it went to a new home ( thanks Claudia!) where it will live its days with other ducks and geese and a caring owner. We don't normally handle domestic birds, but have so far had good luck placing stranded ducks and geese. A happy ending for a duck that was otherwise doomed. Thanks to Jennifer T. for taking the time to call and rescue this duck :)

Guest Blog Posting for Nature Canada

2011-02-05T18:17:00.002-04:00

I was asked this month to do a guest blog post for the Nature Canada website. This was quite an honour! It was wonderful to be able to reach an audience of this size and contribute for such a respected organization. I hope to do this again and feel free to check it out at:

http://naturecanadablog.blogspot.com/2011/02/injured-birds-how-can-you-help.html

Barred Owl Release Video - Truro Daily News

2011-01-16T22:29:00.002-04:00

Yet another video about the release of our barred owl, taken by Sherry Martell of the Truro Daily News. Enjoy!

http://www.trurodaily.com/News/Local/2011-01-16/video-2121285/Owl-released-after-stay-at-rehab-centre/1

Barred Owl Release Article

2011-01-16T21:41:00.002-04:00

Looks like we made the local paper. Thanks to the reporter for a great story

http://www.trurodaily.com/News/Local/2011-01-16/article-2121285/Owl-released-after-stay-at-rehab-centre/1

Barred Owl release video

2011-01-16T00:51:00.002-04:00

As promised, this is the release video for the barred owl today. She was trapped in some wire up against a barn window for several days before someone found her. She came to us in a near comatose state, very weak, cold and dehydrated. After some IV fluids and a few days in an incubator with regular tube feeding, she started to come around. She made a full recovery and was released tonight in New Annan in the presence of the man who found her and about 30 of his neighbours. We wish her well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7DLkqLNelI

Barred Owl Release

2011-01-14T18:22:00.003-04:00

Owl update!

In December we received an owl that had been trapped in the screening in a barn window. She was there long enough to be dehydrated and in a near comatose state when we got her. She spent her first week in and incubator and getting gradual rehydration and refeeding and has been slowly building up strength. Great news, she will be released tomorrow night in her own territory just in time for mating season. Hope to have a video for here tomorrow !

Is banding birds harmful?

2011-01-13T11:46:00.002-04:00

Just found this study about the effects of placing flipper bands on penguins. I have always wondered about this. There have been lots of long term studies on penguins based on the very visual bands traditionally placed on these birds. I imagine things will change now, this looks pretty conclusive.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2011/01/13/penguin-flipper-banding.html?ref=rss

Lost Duck in the Storm

2011-01-13T10:09:00.003-04:00

Today we received a refugee from the storm...a male domestic duck ( possibly a Rouen). He sort of looks like a mallard with a white ring around the neck. We don't normally house domestic ducks here but occasionally one that needs rescuing finds its way here and we do our best to find a home for it if we can. So far we have managed to place all domestic birds who have found their way here. This duck was found wandering on the Salmon River Road in the middle of the storm last night, but local residents said he had been wandering around for about a week. I'm thinking he strayed from someone's property as he is quite tame. Will post pics soon and let me know if you know anyone who keeps ducks up that way. If we can't find his home, he will be soon looking for a home. Thanks to Justin Martin (volunteer extraordinaire! ) for another middle of the road rescue :).

Birds Hit by Cars

2011-01-12T00:59:00.000-04:00

We received a mourning dove tonight that was hit by a car. Surprisingly many little birds survive this type of trauma; I think they are light enough to be blown over the top or under the car. If you happen to hit a bird and you can safely stop and check, please do so as it may have survived and will need help. This bird lost tail feathers but will be fine once they grow back :)

Refugee from Florida

2011-01-10T09:48:00.001-04:00

A new patient last night, an anole. Came in a shipment of plants from Florida at Walmart. Thanks to Amanda for making sure he got rescued, to Jennifer and Joey for braving the horrid weather last night to drive him out here, and to the security guard at Walmart who gave up a mitten for him to hide in. Just 4 inches long and was pretty cold and dehydrated last night but still alive this morning. Fingers crossed :)

Slide Show of Patients

2011-01-08T14:44:00.001-04:00

This is a video we produced in 2010 for a fundraiser. Enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fjEkmXdxp8

Welcome 2011

2011-01-08T12:06:00.002-04:00

We've had our first patient of the year, an eagle! Believe it or not they were our most common admission for 2010. Let the games begin! Also had a crow with what I think is poxvirus, going to send that one to AVC for a postmortem.

Dovekie Strandings

2010-12-30T14:16:00.002-04:00

Hi All,

I am still getting lots of calls about stranded dovekies so I thought I would make a little post in here to help people decide what to do. I have gotten calls and birds from all over, but they seems to be stranding everywhere as I have gotten calls from NB, PEI , Cape Breton and of course the mainland. Several of the birds we have gotten are quite thin and have died despite my best efforts and I am assuming some of these are young from this year which have a pretty low survival rate anyway ( sad but true and part of survival of the fittest). I have also gotten several in good body condition that are quite vigorous and are just victims of the weather and been blown ashore. I'm giving the whole spiel here so if I am saying a pile of stuff that people know about already..sorry :-)

So, Dovekies are pelagic seabirds, meaning they spend all of their time in the ocean and are not normally on land unless they are nesting. If they do come ashore they are pretty much in trouble as they can't take off from land and can't even walk around very far due to the placement of their legs. When people call, I try to convince them to bring them to me so I can assess them and figure out if they are a healthy stranding or a thin bird in trouble. If they are a healthy ( good body condition ) stranding, I keep them long enough to get a dose of fluids and a meal into them and provided the weather is good, bring them to the ocean ( not a river or lake, needs to be salt water). If they are thin or weak, I keep them for several days, give them fluids and food, and decide when I think they are healthy enough to go back. Of course some of these die as they are in poor condition and have very little energy reserves left. A few notes on dovekies in captivity....they generally will NOT eat in captivity as they eat very tiny fish, crustaceans and copepods in the wild...I have been able to get a few to self feed with tiny minnows. I feed them by inserting a specially designed stainless steel tube into the crop via the mouth. They dont like this but rarely regurgitate the food as it is a slurry. I have tried to forcefeed minnows in the past..which they usually just regurgitate back up. Many people want to put them in the tub...if your water is hard you can interfere with their waterproofing and if they are in dirty water ( fecal contamination) ..the same thing happens. Also, even oils from your bare hands can compromise their waterproofing so they are best not handled or if you must...wear gloves. I house mine on a suspended net bottom pen so feces dont get on their feathers and allow limited access to softened water to let them drink on their own. River or seawater works too for temporary housing. Warning..if they are thin or weak and are left alone in water..they can drown...

Many people think they are are in good shape because they are bopping around and trying to escape and look " puffy" which many equate with being "fat". This is often far from the truth. The best way to assess body condition on any bird is to feel the breast or pectoral muscles. Again..sorry if I am preaching to the choir here but I tell my volunteers and students to imagine a full chicken breast...the keel being the middle cartilage and the plump breast muscles on either side. If you feel for the keel, you should feel muscle on either side...in many cases close to level with the keel ( some seabirds have a more prominent keel and streamlined muscle...but you shouldnt feel sharp keel)..if the keel is sticking out of the breast muscle like a blade..they are thin and possibly even emaciated.. Some birds will beach on purpose when they are dying and if you put them back in the water they will just drown or beach again. For this reason I try to get people to bring them to me so I can examine them before putting them back in the water.

Lastly... we shot this little video for our website/blog/facebook to help people who have found these birds identify them. The one that seems lame...is. The other 2 are fine and were released.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVWHgO5of-Q

Ive had 4 more calls tonight about more of them. Feel free to pass on my contact info below to anyone who has found one and if I can help I will.

Thanks

Helene

Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

Truro NS

893-0253

birdvet@hotmail.com

Release of an Immature Bald Eagle

2010-12-22T19:15:00.002-04:00

This bird was with us for 5 weeks. Came in a weakened state with a severely infected foot. We were quite sure we could see bite marks on its foot and assumed it was bitten by another animal. Took a major struggle to get medication into this bird for 3 weeks but the effort was worth it as we watched her fly away today with a healed foot. Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3S3jyKc5f4

New Patient - Barred Owl in shock

2010-12-22T18:58:00.002-04:00

Admitted an adult barred owl 2 days ago. Had gotten trapped in a barn in a confined space for several days. The owner of the property thought it was dead until he saw its head move. The bird was still in decent flesh but was badly dehydrated. We gave her IV fluids ( assuming a female because of higher body weight, females are larger than males in species of birds of prey) and put her in an incubator to bring her body temperature up. Within 12 hours she was looking better and we repeated her fluids. A few hours later we fed her a food slurry and then the next day, a small mouse. Happy to report that today she is quite bright and has eaten 2 mice! Pics to follow :)

Eagle Release

2010-12-22T17:20:00.000-04:00

A good year for land protection in NS

2010-12-20T21:49:00.000-04:00

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1218256.html

Rat poison often kills wildlife

2010-12-15T22:23:00.001-04:00

Please consider wildlife before using rat poisons. Any animal ( including your pets) can be secondarily poisoned by eating a rodent containing rat poison

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=super-toxic-rat-poision-kills-owls

Wildlife Solutions

2010-12-09T09:10:00.001-04:00

Cool story but the answer here is not to relocate the owl, but to make a less flimsy chicken pen . If one owl discovered they are easy to get at, others will , so relocating this one won't work. Plus..it will likely just come back. They aren't stupid! :) Most issues where wildlife conflicts happen, is because we have done something to attract them and need to fix that.

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/johnmccoy/2010/12/08/chicken-killing-owl-freed-by-chickens-owner/

Oiled Wildlife Training

2010-10-30T06:57:00.001-03:00

CWRC is at Point Tupper Marine Services ( oil handling facility), teaching a seminar on oiled wildlife rehabilitation. Oil spill preparedness is a main focus of our group.

Oiled Wildlife Preparedness

2010-10-28T22:24:00.001-03:00

I spent the past few days at the REET meeting ( Regional Environmental Emergencies Team) in Charlottetown. We have special expertise in oiled wildlife rehabilitation and I spent those the days networking with govt and community team reps. Great opportunity to spread the word about preparedness for wildlife affected by oil spills. Several training sessions coming up too. The more people I can train to help deal with wildlife if we have a spill, the better!

Benefit Concert in Two Weeks and Baby Season has Arrived

2010-06-06T22:44:00.004-03:00

Hi Everyone,

We are just entering our busiest month and so far this is the most active year so far. Our first baby wild animal showed in April and was a baby fox ( later joined by 6 others). Since that time we have admitted many more and the phone calls get busier everyday. Will give more details later but so far in house we have the following species: Northern Saw Whet Owl, Barred Owl, American Crow, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flying Squirrel, Eastern Chipmunk, Red Fox, Mallard Duck, Long-Tailed Weasel and a Mourning Dove. Never a dull moment.

This week we also received a bald eagle that I'm pretty sure was poisoned. Luckily we had the antidote on hand and she was the quickest release ever. She was only here for 5 days and was then released back into her territory in Cumberland County.

We have our 2nd Annual Wildlife Benefit Concert and Silent Auction happening on June 19 at Kegger's Alehouse in Truro. It was a great time last year, please come and bring a friend. More info can be found at:

http://www.cwrc.net/2010_benefit.shtml

We have a summer intern from the NSAC Veterinary Technology Program ( welcome Matt) and our summer student starts tomorrow ( welcome back Kathleen). It's great to have the help as this place has gotten way too busy for me to handle on my own!

Stay tuned and I hope to keep up with this blog. Feel free to comment.

Till next time

Helene

Owl release

2010-05-06T12:31:00.001-03:00

Released an owl in Cape Breton last night.Wonderful experience, more details to come :)

http://www.capebretonpost.com/Living/Community/2010-05-05/article-1055679/What-a-hoot!-Rescued-owl-returns-to-the-wild/1

Thoughts for 2010

2010-01-02T16:18:00.002-04:00

Hello all,

First of all, Happy New Year and the best to you and yours for 2010.

2009 was a great year for CWRC and we are looking forward to bigger and better things in 2010. We have been fundraising like crazy and hope to FINALLY get our large raptor flight enclosure constructed. This has been in the works for a long time and we cant wait to have it up.

We had a New Year's Eve fundraiser at Kegger's Alehouse in Truro and raised $1200. All going towards the big flight cage, stay tuned for more info on that.

As the winter sets in, things are more quiet here. So far we have a flying squirrel, 2 crows, a saw whet owl, and 2 pigeons as "guests" for the winter. They are staying for various reasons, mostly to not release them at a time where food supplies are slim in the wild. We do this every winter for some patients and release in the spring. Stay tuned.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to keep this blog regularly updated. Help me out with this and feel free to check in regularly and leave comments. Makes it more fun when I know there is someone out there reading. I promise to keep up with the pictures too.

If anyone still needs a calendar for 2010, we have some left and they are also for sale at both Central Nova Animal Hospital and Truro Veterinarians in Truro.

Best Wishes for 2010 and thanks for your interest.

Helene

They're Baaaaaack! It's Baby Time!

2009-05-21T22:24:00.002-03:00

Hi all ,

Right on schedule we have had an explosion of springtime babies here at CWRC. So far in the past 10 days we have had baby raccoons, snowshoe hare, woodcock, and starlings. Its just beginning and going to get crazy. I'll try to get some pics up soon and also some advice on how to decide if the baby animal you see wobbling around your yard actually needs help! Happy Spring Everyone :)

Helene

Hummingbirds are back!

2009-05-04T20:48:00.002-03:00

Hello all,

Reports are coming in from all over the province that hummingbirds are back. We get them at our feeders every year and often have at least 6 per year come into the rehabilitation centre. The main reasons we get them are from being caught by cats, hitting windows and fighting with each other.

If you want to make your own hummingbird nectar ( less expensive than buying it and no artificial colours), simply mix 1/4 cup sugar in 1 cup of water. I often boil the water first, dissolve the sugar in it, then let the mixture cool before filling the feeders. This should be changed regularly ( at least every other day) to prevent growth of bacteria in the feeder. We often dont have to change it as they empty the feeder daily. Enjoy these birds while they are here.
You can also plant flowers such as beebalm and bleeding heart which will attract them to your garden.

Helene

Earth Day

2009-04-22T21:42:00.002-03:00

Happy Earth Day !

Thought it was fitting to put in here that I spent some time today doing a presentation about owls and other birds of prey at Redcliff Middle School in Truro. I was invited by Sandra Arsenault, one of the teachers from Redcliff. I had a great time with her students during their Wednesday morning exploratory session. The student were very interested, had lots of questions, and even presented me with a whole pile of items listed on our wishlist. How thoughtful! :)

A big thank you to Sandra and her very keen bunch of students.

This presentation also gave me my first opportunity to use our newly donated multimedia projector. We're very excited to have this item as it means we can give presentations in any location and to any size group. Presentations about wildlife are always better with pictures and now we can share the images of the animals we care for at CWRC. Please contact us if you would like a presentation for your group.

Have a great day

Helene

Welcome to the CWRC.NET BLog

2009-04-17T10:40:00.004-03:00

Hello and welcome to the first entry in the CWRC blog. Ive been meaning to do this for a long time. Many people have expressed an interest in what goes on here at CWRC , so hopefully this will provide a small glimpse.

I have a few items to tell you about. Firstly we are having a Wildlife Benefit Concert and Silent Auction on June 6 at 8 pm at Kegger's Alehouse in Truro. We are hoping to finally erect our eagle flight cage this year and funds generated from this event will go directly to that cause. Come join us for an evening of entertainment from local musicians including Tim Bowers, Murdo Messer, Kim Langille, Jason Grant, and the band Cod Liver Oil. We will have a list and pictures up soon of our silent auction items, check back at cwrc.net often. There will also be a 50/50 draw, a running slideshow of some of our patients, and other events. See you on June 6 and bring a friend! Admission charge ( which comes directly to CWRC) is only $6.

Next, we have a special guest here at CWRC. About a month ago we received a little Boreal Owl that was hit by a car. They are quite uncommon in this area so it was nice to see one up close, though happier circumstances would have been better. He came in with a head injury , vision impairment and an injured wing. Luckily all of those things have been corrected and he's now in an outdoor aviary building up muscle strength, soon to be released :)

Lastly, baby bird season is soon upon us so it will get busy here very soon. Check back regularly for updates and pictures. Leave a comment and say hi if you'd like, let me know someone is reading this and I promise to keep it updated!

Have a great day

Helene