Tiny Patient: Rehabilitating an Eastern Screech Owl
by Anna Autilio, Environmental Educator and Grae O’Toole, Wildlife Keeper The screech owl could barely open his eyes at first. Early in the new year, a tiny treasure arrived at the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation—a beautiful Eastern Screech Owl in need of some serious care. The bird was found in Orwell, VT, over 65…
Winter Storm: Snowy Owl
by Anna Autilio Lead, Environmental Educator VINS Ambassador “Snowy” – Allegra Boverman Winter has barely begun, and it is already shaping up to be another Snowy Owl irruption year! These stunning, mysterious arctic visitors will find themselves looking farther than usual for a wide, expanse of hunting ground to pass the winter, delighting those of…
VINS Volunteer Transporter Training
by Lauren Adams Lead Wildlife Keeper Love animals? Live in Vermont or New Hampshire? Have a car? Have some flexibility in your schedule? We need you! Help VINS rescue and rehabilitate injured wild birds by being a volunteer transporter! Every year, VINS rescues and rehabilitates around 500 wild birds from all over the state of…
How Do You Talk With Owls: Flustered
by aJbishopCWBR Volunteer I have the keys to their enclosures. The raptors. I open them, one at a time, and do service for owls and hawks and eagles and falcons. I rake and clean and water while they, wild talon shod birds, study my every move. As I work, I can’t help but ask: how…
Trucker Holds Injured Eagle After Accident: What you should do instead!
A truck driver in Washington state held an injured eagle in his arms while waiting for assistance to transport the bird. His rig had collided with the bird minutes earlier. The police who responded to the incident also shared a photo of the event. Since it went viral, many people have been praising the man’s…
A Falcon Finds Freedom
The peregrine falcon with his wing splinted. by Calah BeckwithLead Wildlife KeeperA juvenile peregrine falcon has made his way back home after a stint at the VINS Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation. The young falcon came to VINS at the beginning of June after an unsuccessful first flight from his nest, in which he collided…
Baby Birds Have Arrived!
by Calah Beckwith, Lead Wildlife Keeper It was a little late in coming this year, but baby bird season is upon us! We are busy feeding many of these little guys every thirty minutes, but I wanted to take a moment to share some photos of the current crew. Two of the first babies to…
Roughed-up Ruffed Grouse
by VINS Staff Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus Have you ever wondered where birds sleep? Birds sleep, or roost, in any number of places – in trees and cavities, on the ground; some even roost under the snow. The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), a common New England ground-feeding bird related to the chicken and turkey, has…
A Surprise Guest
Summer is so long-gone. We’ve already had our first snowfall here in Vermont, and many of the trees are completely bare of leaves. Pumpkins dot the doorsteps of homes throughout town, and many birds have high-tailed it south. So what is this we have here? Who is this warm, pink blob with downy yellow feathers?…
A Day in the Life
If there’s one thing that holds true in the field of wildlife rehabilitation, it’s that one day is never quite like the next. Monday you may be hydrating a red-tailed hawk subcutaneously (beneath the skin), and Tuesday you might find yourself suturing an open wound on a ruffed grouse. To give you an idea of…