photo by Jim Sedgewick, Wikimedia

On this rescue, I think I might have not only played the role of rehabber, but also matchmaker! Mr. Sticky got increasingly defensive of his little female sweetie and would fly at my head when I opened the enclosure. Ha! Good for you little man!  

With these two adorable patients at healthy weights, good plumage, mostly grown out tail on Sticky, and free from any injuries.....I Decided to take advantage of a couple days good weather to release these two. Poorwills are fragile, gentle little birds, and it just amazes me that they have withstood millennia and still grace this planet. They require such precise, tender, and specific care to keep them from captivity related injury. They are so at risk, with potential for injuries like broken feathers. And having to be hand fed, is stressful for the caretaker as well. Feeding these guys is an advanced rehab skill, as a volunteer learned today.

They are 'hiding' in the picture...their one defense is excellent camouflaging (other than flying at you). Their tiny feet are pretty useless for defense, they cannot even perch in a tree and have to sit on a limb wide enough for them to stand not grasp the limb. They meld right in with the log and the rocks. In fact, they are so well hidden researchers have a hard time figuring out how many we really have left. 

One of the harder parts of rehab is letting go. It is quite stressful and worrisome to release birds back to lives that we know put them at real risk. I turned down an otherwise excellent release site for these two because sadly the owners dogs were allowed to run loose. And these guys are at real risk because they are ground dwelling and nesting birds. They fly to eat only, otherwise they are hiding on the ground. So, I put them somewhere I hope has no cats or dogs, water, and potential peaceful nesting places. I did not release them at my place as I  have feeders for my outside birds, some of which are rescues. Feeders mean small hawks and owls which prey on the little birds that are drawn to our free meals we give them. 

Wish them well and enjoy these pictures. Everyday, celebrate the unique, extraordinary birds that we have been so blessed with on this wondrous home of ours we call Earth. 

My first poorwill got a friend recently. He is still growing a couple of tail feathers in. She came in from Prineville, found in someone's yard who has a lot of cats and dogs. Nothing wrong with her, she just went into her nightly cold weather torpor in an inappropriate place. She was quite thin though, so we took her in. 

Now she and Sticky are hanging out, getting some weight and getting ready to leave. In the pictures above you can see the girl is on the right (she has more tan tail feather tips and is smaller) and he is on the left (he has white tail feather tips and is larger). The mouth is on the left. It is only open 1/2 way in this picture and is expands at a small joint 1/2 along the lower jaw line so that the mouth sort of 'balloons' open, like a whales. Very cool bird. 

I get a lot of calls about birds - mainly crows or robins - 'attacking' or pecking at their windows. This is different from them slamming into the window when they do not see it. Robins - or any other bird really - may see their reflection in a window and falsely believe who they are seeing is another bird, not themselves. During breeding season, when hormones are increased, highly territorial birds (robins, corvids, peacocks) get very excited about other birds coming into the area they have decided will be their nest site. 

Now, this is not stupid. Its smart. Most songbirds, like robins, feed their babies insects. This is true even of birds that will grow up to eat fruits or seeds, there is nothing with more protein than insects for baby birds. Since they must grow at a phenomenal rate to reach adult size in a matter of just a few weeks, their parents select out an area that they have assessed as being able to provide enough abundance of insects to feed their babies. The birds will base how large an area they need on how many insects...some tiny birds need only a yard or two, others acres. 

If a robin has chosen your yard and location as a good site (yeah for you as they are very cool birds), then both parents will defend that area throughout the nesting period. That means that 'other' robin in the window is a real threat to them. The more energy and time they take to fight that guy, the less they spend with their babies or eggs or feeding. So, it is helpful for the bird for you to intervene and convince them that the bird they are seeing is gone. 

HOW?
First, we must impede the reflection. The reason our windows are so reflective now is from energy efficiency - the mirroring that window manufacturers put inside our windows to refract heat and retain warmth in winter. So any way you can think of to limit that reflectivity will work. This must be done from the outside of the house usually, though drawing down shades is always worth a try. 

Here are some ideas. Go to "Living With" and also "Windows" for comprehensive lists of what to do to exclude birds. 

1) Block the window for the breeding period. Use anything you want, decorate hangings, tarps, garbage bags, sheets, cardboard, or be creative and artistic.

2) Use colorful window paints that will wash off after the babies are mostly raised (2-3 weeks). 

3) Put a full color large picture of a person on the outside of the window, perhaps laminate for it to last. (Don't bother with fake owls)

4) Hanging netting - this does NOT stop the reflection, but it may dissuade a bird from coming back. See instructions on Windows page. Must be placed at least 4-6 inches from the window. Plant hangars and eaves work great for this. 

5) Any product you can paint on the window that will come off will work. 

Remember - Robins have one of the most beautiful calls in the animal world. They have but 3-6 weeks to get their babies raised and ready for a harsh life as a wild bird. 

Also, robins feed entirely on the ground, and the babies must learn to find food on the ground. They often are on the ground before they can fly well. Keeping cats and dogs away from your baby robins is critically important. Love your robins!

Thank goodness for folks who see birds and go, 'That doesn't seem right'! This little cutie pie was found in the Lowe's garden center in Bend. An employee luckily thought that it looked out of place, although there are some birds that make the center their home. But this one looked out of place, so she picked it up and eventually it found its way to me through another person willing to drive her to me.  Luckily too, those involved in the rescue all were wise enough not to simply put the bird outside, where she would for sure have died from hypothermia. She had somehow gotten some kind of sticky spray on her feathers that would have made it nearly impossible for her to stay warm, much less fly. However, this was not immediately apparent and one could easily have mistaken this bird as healthy. (Which is why it is better safe than sorry to call a professional and find out the best thing to do for a bird). 

    We know its a dove, because she has that dove 'look' - heavy bodies, smallish head, not a full upright position (like a robin), long tail. Now, what kind of dove? What are the distinguishing characteristics?
   Bird ID is not easy, but its fun. Generally, you look for several things. First, basic appearance...what does it look sorta like (a canary? a regular yard bird? a duck?). Then you look at color, size, head size, tail length, type of bill (length and color too), feet, markings on the feathers, where it is. After that, more detail is needed. Try to use a common bird, like the robin or mallard as your comparison to gauge size. 
   How about the next bird? Yep, another dove. And, both are fledglings. What differences do you see? If you saw them side by side, you would see that the one below is about half the size of the other. In fact, you could say the one below is small, and the one above is medium sized. Also, they both are smaller than the adults, and look young. The Collared above does not have its black feathers around the neck that look like a collar. The dove below is a darker color than its parents; the dove above is lighter than its parents. Fledges can be hard to ID, but you can get a sense of if it sorta looks young. Also, fledges often cannot fly yet. They can leave the nest early (totally normal) and stay on the ground for up to a week unable to fly.
   Now, look at the bills. The top one has a heavy, light grey bill, it has bumps on it, and its longer. The one below has a shorter, smaller, brown bill, more pointed. Overall color is different too. Light cocoa below with black spots; color of a hamburger bun mixed with grey above.  The bird below is darker, smaller, with spots, and a small, but pointed brown bill. The one above, is a roundish, heavy looking bird, with light almond (hamburger bun) with grey in it, and a heavyish, long, grey bill.  

   Now, what are they? The one below is our native Mourning Dove. The one above is the Eurasion Collared Dove, they are not original to the US and in fact are having an ecological impact on the smaller mourning dove. They both eat food on the ground: insects, seeds, vegetation. Both nest in trees. The Collared Doves are bigger birds and aggressive to the mourning doves as they compete for valuable food and nesting sites.   

   That's great! Now, before you pick her up, check the scene out. Is she injured, or just bebopping around eating or resting in the sun? Look for the parents. Are there others around? Did you see something capture it, a cat or dog? Is it safe more or less? Are their immediate dangers to the bird that nothing can be done about (like someone else's outdoor cat? Can you ask that person to put the cat inside for a few days? Is it near a window? Has it been in the same place for a long time (sitting still for an hour for example, stunned at the base of a house under a window? 
   Ground feeding birds are best left to learn how to eat and find food. The ground is their dinner table. As young birds, they need to learn to find food. The parents are teaching them by showing them where the food is and bringing them some. And the young are learning on their own. 
   In general, we tend to leave the bigger, more robust Collared Doves alone. The Mourning Doves we can talk to you about to gauge whether there is a real need for 'rescuing'. We can never replace these birds' wild foods in rehab, so we are careful about rushing them in to care. Like all of our youth, they should be watched over some and their play/feeding grounds made as safe as possible for them. Make sure they have some water, and you are not bothering or scaring them if they are in your yard. Bring the dog or cat in till  they can fly. 
   If you are really concerned, the bird is just not flying off, there are no parents (and you have given them privacy to return), and they look injured. Call us. 

   In the meantime, enjoy your doves. They are a neat and pretty bird. The Mourning Doves are a sweet, gentle, and fun little bird.