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Wild Bird Fund

@wildbirdfund

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NYC's only wildlife rehabilitation and education center. If you find a bird or small mammal in need, please bring it in. We are open daily 9-7.

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If you see a small bird sitting on the sidewalk, puffed up against a wall or huddled on the ground at night, that bird needs your help!

Please take a few minutes to pick this bird up and get them safely contained in a paper bag or box. Please do this even if you can’t transport the bird to us right away.

**You are likely that bird’s only hope of getting help, especially during the storm.**

Once you have the bird safely contained, you can bring the bird to WBF (565 Columbus Ave, NYC, we are open daily 9-7) or contact helpline@urbanwildlifenyc.org (in NYC) to see if a volunteer can help transport. Keep in mind that volunteers are not always available right away.

If it’s after hours, it’s fine to keep the bird overnight until we open in the morning. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation in the box, but keep it closed in a quiet, dark location. Please do not provide any food or water, and do not handle or talk to the bird.

If you need a wildlife rehabber outside of NYC, you can search ahnow.org.

Thank you for looking out for our resident and visiting birds! If you’d like to help us care for them, please donate via the link in our bio or 🔗bit.ly/wbfdonate
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#wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation #birdrescue by @wildbirdfund

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8 days ago

It’s the time of year when we need to stock hornworms for our cuckoo guests.

We have two yellow-billed cuckoos in house right now. Both are victims of window collisions, and both are strong and feisty, with a great chance of return to the wild.

Cuckoos are big fans of caterpillars! They especially like finding a large trove, such as webworms or tent caterpillars, and will quickly take them out.

Window collisions are preventable! Turning out lights at night and adding markings spaced 2 inches apart over the outside of windows are the simple solutions. If you live or work in a building that regularly kills birds, please say something! Talk to the management. There are many good products and design solutions. Bird-friendly windows are beautiful windows.

We are in peak fall migration. Please consider donating to help us care for migrators big and small. 🔗bit.ly/wbfdonate or link in bio

🎥: @nycbirdies
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#wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation #urbanwildlife #windowcollision #cuckoos taken in Wild Bird Fund by @wildbirdfund

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2 days ago

We’re so grateful to the kind people who stopped to help this red-tailed hawk on the side of the Garden State Parkway. She'd been hit by a vehicle and was standing but unable to fly.

On arrival at the clinic, she was weak and showing signs of concussion and some internal bleeding. During three days of care, she’s gradually become stronger and is now perching strongly and much more alert. Also defensive! This brave girl is ready for transfer to our friends @theraptortrust, where she’ll receive excellent ongoing care and hopefully be returned to the wild.

What a lucky hawk! It’s so rewarding to witness such a turnaround for a beautiful young raptor just at the beginning of her journey.

Your donations help so many red-tailed hawks and other raptors, as well as songbirds, geese, ducks, herons and pigeons! Please help us continue this important work by donating via the link in our bio or 🔗bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: @suzihigh, Finley Eisenberg
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#redtailedhawk #raptorrehab #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation #urbanwildlife taken in Wild Bird Fund by @wildbirdfund

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4 days ago

For everyone who contacted us about the mallard in Battery Park City who couldn’t use one of her legs, here she is now! Much improved and able to paddle, walk and fly like a superstar.

We’re not sure what happened to cause her injury, but she was evidently in enough pain that she’d stopped using the leg, and the muscles had atrophied. X-rays showed nothing of note, so we gave her two weeks of aquatherapy in our pool, and she made an amazing recovery. 🎉

Since she’d been mostly spending time in the shallow koi pond near Brookfield Place, we opted to release her in Central Park where she’ll have more space to continue exercising her leg and a better supply of natural food.

(Music free so you can hear the sweet sound of her wings as she returns to the wild.)

Good luck out there, female mallard fka Larry!

🎥: @suzihigh
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#mallard #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation #ducksofinstagram by @wildbirdfund

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6 days ago

When they talk about hard-to-identify fall warblers, the blackpoll is often high on the list of mystery characters. But look at how many gorgeous unique features this young blackpoll displays, from the stripes on the back all the way down to the yellow feet (the best trait to distinguish this bird from the verrrrry similar bay-breasted warbler).

This bird was brought to us following a collision with a window, like most of our migratory patients.

We’re officially in peak fall migration, with 331 million birds predicted to take to the skies tonight across the U.S. Turn out all unnecessary lights to help these birds migrate safely. And keep an eye out for birds that have collided with windows. Any adult bird you can pick up needs the help of a wildlife rehabber, even if they become active later. Birds that have collided with windows usually have injuries you can’t see and they will only die elsewhere if released.

Please consider donating to help us care for migrators big and small. 🔗bit.ly/wbfdonate or link in bio

📷: @phizzny
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#warblers #fallmigration #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation taken in Wild Bird Fund by @wildbirdfund

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10 days ago

They’re city icons. Sidewalk celebrities. And, believe it or not, some of our oldest feathered companions. The Pigeon Collection celebrates the clever, resilient, and deeply misunderstood birds that have been living alongside humans for thousands of years.

To celebrate this collection, we've donated $5,000 to the @wildbirdfund , a New York City rescue that cares for and rehabilitates injured wildlife. Almost half of their patients each year are pigeons. by @wildbirdfund

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10 days ago

This great blue heron was found tangled in fishing line and hanging upside down in a Staten Island park.

What a terrible ordeal this must have been. The fish hook was embedded in one elbow, and the line was tightly constricting the wing.

We removed the hook and line, cleaned the wound, and provided fluids and oxygen, as well as medication for pain, stress and infection, but the heron was too unstable to do more.

It’s too early to know if the bird, named Galatea, will be able to pull through or how serious the damage is to the wing. For now, we simply hope she can rest overnight and be stable enough in the next day or so to do a more thorough exam and imaging.

Poorly discarded fishing tackle is a pervasive problem across the city parks. Please discard all fishing tackle properly, and if you see any lines or hooks left behind, please take it upon yourself to collect and dispose of it.

Many thanks to the Urban Park Rangers who rescued Galatea!

📷: @rachelfrankfrank
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#greatblueheron #heronsofinstagram #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation taken in Wild Bird Fund by @wildbirdfund

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12 days ago

Here at UES Pet Concierges we care about all animals, so when a pigeon was in need we stepped in to help along with some other incredible animal rescuers (@kira_elizabeth @elenasinstaphotos ) and the @mta. Meet Baby Q! This baby pigeon was stuck in an unoccupied MTA building across from the Q station for days. We provided them with food and water through a small opening in the wall until the lock was broken and they were finally released today! S/he is now safely in the care of @wildbirdfund being checked out to make sure all is well. Send Baby Q your prayers and best wishes!! #bird #nycpigeons #petcare #rescue #uespetconcierges taken in Upper East Side, NYC by @wildbirdfund

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12 days ago

That magical moment when an injured bird goes free.✨

American redstarts are the most numerous patients of the season. We’ve received 50 already! These birds were all on their way to Central and South America when they collided with windows in NYC. This beauty is one of the 17 who survived so far to be released.

You can tell an American redstart, even in this yellow immature or female plumage, by the dramatic flair of their yellow-tipped tails as they flit about in the trees foraging for insects. It’s a signature flourish that’s hard to miss.

🔔Window collisions are preventable! Turning out lights at night and adding markings spaced 2 inches apart over the outside of windows are the simple solutions. If you live or work in a building that regularly kills birds, please say something! Talk to the management. There are many good products and design solutions. Bird-friendly windows are beautiful windows.

We are barely halfway through fall migration! Please consider donating to help us care for migrators big and small. 🔗bit.ly/wbfdonate or link in bio

🎥: @arunamiddleinitialdas
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#redstart #warblers #fallmigration #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation by @wildbirdfund

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13 days ago

Bigger than a kestrel and smaller than a peregrine is our third local, and least common, falcon, the merlin. This juvenile is very underweight and a bit off. He also came in with a slight wing injury, so we suspect a window collision but likely caused by an underlying condition.

We’re treating The Wiz for possible rodenticide poisoning as well as collision-related trauma. He’s a little stronger after 2 days in care, and we hope to see this beauty continue to improve.

📷: @rachelfrankfrank
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#merlin #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab #urbanbirds taken in Wild Bird Fund by @wildbirdfund

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15 days ago

Goodbye and good luck to 23 more pigeons, who are back plying their trade in New York City after weeks of rehabilitation and care at WBF.

🩶Among this flock is Uncle, a fledgling who was rescued from under the George Washington Bridge during the pigeon netting debacle (still ongoing).

🩶Kiviuq and Aspen both had severe double stringerfoot and needed surgery under anesthesia.

🩶Sibling pre-fledge squeakers Firefox and Waterfox were found in a street planter where they’d been left after their nest was removed.

🩶Shauna and Amer nestlings were each found on the sidewalk.

🩶Wick came in with an avulsed scalp.

🩶Whistler was stuck in a glue trap.

🩶Device was attacked by a cat.

And the others, many suffering from classic “scrawny fledge” conditions, were treated for avian pox, lead poisoning and lots of bacterial infections.

What a joy to see these birds get a second chance at a healthy life. If you see them around, say hi! They wouldn’t say no to a seed or three.

🎥: @annabeth_crittenden
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#pigeonlovers❤️ #pigeonsofinstagram #pigeons #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehab by @wildbirdfund

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17 days ago

WILD INSIDE heads to Queens this weekend! We are very pleased to present a special screening this Saturday followed by a Q&A with producer Gabriel Sedgwick, film participant Suzanne Highland of @WildBirdFund and Novem Auyeung, PhD, Director of Research & Monitoring, Environment & Planning for @NYCParks, moderated by filmmaker @tashavanzandt!

FREE WITH RSVP! Go to MovingImage.org.

🦉ABOUT THE FILM:

Flaco, a Eurasian Eagle-Owl, escapes from the Central Park Zoo and sets off on a magical odyssey through the island of Manhattan. An apex predator with 2-inch talons, a 6-foot wingspan and piercing pumpkin-orange eyes, Flaco overcomes his years of captivity and lack of survival skills to answer the call of the wild—and discovers he was wild inside all along. This one-of-a-kind owl’s epic song is sung in Wild Inside by a chorus of besotted New Yorkers—young and old, bird-nerds and civilians, many of them immigrants themselves—all of them reaching for a glimpse of the wild, a glimmer of magic, or even just someone to believe in. The remarkable story of Flaco raises some questions: is it right to keep a bird in a cage? How can we be better to our nonhuman neighbors? by @wildbirdfund

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18 days ago