Helping injured and orphaned birds in your community
At Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society, we are committed to helping injured and orphaned birds here in our community.
We take all species and aim to rehabilitate and release as many as possible. From baby hummingbirds to injured eagles and trumpeter swans, we ensure the bird receives the best possible care.We are also here to help with other animals in distress.
While we do not yet have the facilities to care for them, we can ensure that they get the attention they need. If you are unsure, call us!
BIRD TIPS
*Found a bird? Put it in a covered box – birds fly when you least expect it! Remember, even to the fiercest of birds, humans are predators, and just seeing us sends their stress levels soaring. Don’t handle them more than absolutely necessary!
*With the wet weather arriving, remember to keep your feeders clean. Feeders can spread many diseases that can be fatal to new arrivals at the feeder. Whether it is seeds or hummingbird syrup, pathogens grow, so empty the feeders and wash them regularly.
*If a bird is unconscious after hitting a window, even for a brief time, play it safe: put it in a box and call us. Just like humans, it can take a day or two for a concussion to show up. Leaving the bird to fly away can mean a painful and often terrifying death, while a couple of days’ R&R with PROWLS can guarantee a safe return.
*There are a number of ways to prevent birds hitting your windows. The simplest (and cheapest) is to put a bar of soap in a bucket of warm water long enough for the water to become cloudy, then wash the outside of the window with the liquid. This will take the reflection off the window without impairing your view. If you don’t like the result, you can simply wash it off. For more information, check out www.flap.org .
* Most of our hummingbirds are gone for the winter, but a few hardy Anna’s hummingbirds will stay all winter. Please consider leaving your hummingbird feeder up, as the tiny birds rely on our feeders to survive the winter. Use a simple mixture of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar, increasing to 3 parts water to 2 sugar when the weather gets really cold. Honey might seem like a more nutritional sweetener, but it causes a fungal infection that kills the birds. The red mixture that many stores carry causes birth defects in the babies. Simple is good!
For more information on cats and birds, check out www.catsandbirds.ca
What’s new?
Our Fall weather has finally arrived, and the winter birds are here. The geese and swans have arrived, the songbirds that we seldom see in the summer, like song and fox sparrows and dark-eyed juncos, are back at feeders, Steller’s jays are chattering at us and the owls are back. There is plenty to see out there!
There has been an outbreak of avian pox in our area this year, and the ravens are suffering dreadfully. We have had significant success, however, and look forward to releasing these beauties.
Texada Islanders kept us busy this year. From an injured bald eagle to several hummingbirds and even a beaver, our volunteers on Texada were up for the challenge. Thanks to everyone involved!
We got a call from OWL asking if we could help with an eagle rescue in Halfmoon Bay, and we were delighted to be able to pass the call to a volunteer who lives there. Tammy picked up the eagle and delivered him to Gibsons Wildlife Centre, then called to let us know how it went. It was a wonderful example of co-ordination and co-operation: from conservation to us to Gibsons and on to OWL. That’s how it should work!
One of our volunteers put us on to an organization called Wildlife Rescue Nests. These are volunteers who knit and crochet nests for use in wildlife rehabilitation facilities. We signed up and got an amazing box full of nests, with sizes for everything from hummers to crows, as well as hanging nests for cavity nesters. They are not only beautiful, they have been created with forethought, and we thoroughly enjoyed filling the nests this summer!
Volunteer
There are many ways you can help us with our work. We can use your skills for everything from catching birds, building and mending cages, foraging for materials, cleaning cages, bird care and much more.
Let us know how you would like to help
Donate
Everyone at PROWLS is a volunteer, so your donation goes directly to the animals. There are no salaries or administrative costs.
Whether it is for special feeds, cage supplies or housing, we rely on donations to provide for our patients.
Organize
We also need volunteers helping with our society, including serving on the board, fund raising, helping with public education and our web presence.
You don’t need animal skills to be a valued member of our team. Join us today!