SPONSOR Wildlife Efforts
We have rehabilitated a LOT of wildlife over the years! And we have released almost as many, though every once in a while, one of our sweet babies cannot be released, either because of a wing deformity or other issue. When that happens, we offer them a forever home with us on our pond and expansive property.
Though after being hit with avian flu in 2022 we have paused new wildlife rehabilitation, we have several sweet wild ducks and geese that are spending their lives with us and would love your sponsorship. When you sponsor our wildlife efforts, you will receive updates and photos on our current wildlife, a tax-deductible letter, and entry to our open house.
Buddy (right) came to us after someone heard a pained quacking and found him in a stream...with one of his feet caught between two boulders as the water level was rising. Though he lost a part of his foot, he kept his life. The people who saved him kept him for a while, then realized mallards are federally protected and that he needed to be with a licensed rehabilitator for the rest of his care. While he was recuperating, two domestics were put into sick bay with him, as Rocky had grown very old and started to fail, and his wife, Oreo stayed by his side. Once our dear Rocky left us, Oreo decided she then wanted to help us take care of Buddy and she coupled up with him until she passed. Buddy was in mourning for years until Iris came. One day, our ED was picking up a chick from someone that had taken an injured call duck from a bad situation. The woman thought she could give Iris what she needed but quickly realized that with an eye infection and a permanently deformed leg, Iris needed more. She was filthy and terrified, as she had been kept by a breeder in an enclosure without proper care or the company of other ducks. Our ED came back with two birds on that trip, and Buddy fell in love...for the second time. And Iris is blossoming into a joyful, confidant girl who takes great pleasure in life and doesn't let her foot slow her down!
Woodie! In 2020 we rehabilitated more wood ducks then we can count and we always wish one or two would stay but nature takes over and they always leave when it's time...but for one little guy that turned out to have one flight wing shorter than the other. He couldn't leave and quickly became a favorite here. We spend our days protecting him from predators and making sure he's safe at night.
Andy is the sweetest boy, even though he was born with no eyes and angel wing. A woman and her son found him when he was a few days old, swimming in a circle next to a deceased sibling. They were left behind by the mother, since she would only take her healthy goslings with her. Andy is irreplaceable, as he fosters so many of our wild babies each season. This happy and helpful boy is an amazing tale of perseverance and we wouldn't be the same without him.
Mallard Ducks
We rehabilitate wild mallard ducklings (some years over 100!) each year who come to us for many reasons, from their adult mother getting hit by a car or a nest of ducklings left behind after their mother gets eaten by a predator. Each nest can have a dozen babies or more. Our baby wildlife season runs from early May through late October, sometimes November.
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We also treat and rehabilitate injured adults for successful release back into the wild.
Wild Geese
We rehabilitate wild goslings who have been orphaned or abandoned for all types of reasons.
Our baby wildlife season runs from early May through late October, sometimes November.
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In harsh winters, we can end up treating several dozen adult wild geese for starvation and dehydration when our area is so icy and snowy they cannot find food.
Wild Turkeys
We rehabilitate dozens of wild turkey poults each year. Helping turkeys is especially important to us, since just a few years ago, their numbers were suffering because the babies were having trouble surviving cold, wet springs since they grow up on the ground.
Wood Ducks
We love wood ducks! Though their ducklings are tough to rehabilitate. Even though the first thing they do in life is to drop 50 feet from a hole in a tree (that's where wood ducks make their nests!), when they are orphaned, they need to be tube fed for the first week, then fed a very special diet as they grow. They make us work hard, but they're worth it and their gorgeous adult feathering is always a treat to see.
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Bobwhite Quail
We rehabilitate the quail that come to us. Most present as adults that have been injured. The Department of Environmental Management has determined that quail cannot currently live in the wild successfully, so we permanently care for those we receive.
Wild Pheasant
We rehabilitate the pheasant that come to us, both babies and adults. Our pheasant are lucky that we are surrounded by a thousand acres of fields and woods, which is the perfect place for them. Of course, when we rehab adult wildlife, we make the extra effort to release them where they were originally found.
Songbirds
We use to rehabilitate A LOT of songbirds...but baby birds need to be fed every 15 minutes from sunup 'til sundown...and we don't have enough volunteers during the spring and summer to do that...so we changed our focus to rehabilitating wild waterfowl and game birds years ago. However, we still give out a LOT of advice each spring regarding nests of baby birds found on the ground. We love when caring humans are willing to put nests back, or build a nearby area for the nest so the mother can find their babies. But it is not always possible, and we still help out a few of these tiny creatures each year.