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…
An Eagle Against the Odds
By Sheena PatelWildlife Rehabilitator Here’s a remarkable story about a Bald Eagle on its last breath who, against all odds, was able to be nursed back to health and rejoin the wild: On February 20th, the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS) Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation received a call about a Bald Eagle found…
The Red-tailed Hawk with Bald Eagle Parents
by Anna Autilio Environmental Educator Amidst the news stories this week is the curious tale of a nestling Red-tailed Hawk in British Columbia, Canada. Why is this little bird, of the most common hawk species in North America, the subject of headlines across Canada and the United States? Nestling Red-tailed Hawk (front, left) with Bald…
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…
Nevermore: Returning a Raven to the Wild
by Jordan DaleyScience Outreach CoordinatorHalloween is not my favorite holiday. Shadows obscuring a midnight sky, dry leaves rattling against my window, scary stories, haunting and ghosts; none of these are among my favorite things. I like to spend the weeks surrounding October 31st partaking in entirely un-creepy activities, like baking or yoga. As a kid,…
Our Tiniest Patient: the Northern Saw-whet Owl
by Calah BeckwithLead Wildlife KeeperHawks, falcons, eagles, owls. We treat a variety of raptors, each with his or her own unique challenges and needs. These predators of the sky range in size from the 10-pound bald eagle to the 1/4-pound American kestrel. Without exception, we know that regardless of size all raptors have extremely sharp…
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…
Remarkable Robins
by Calah Beckwith Lead Wildlife Keeper The nest….in good condition forfor such a long journey. What are the chances? I find myself saying this many times each week, and I’m constantly amazed at the strength and will to survive that our wild patients exhibit. Of all the birds who find themselves in harms way, it’s…
The Bear Man
Guest blog by Gene Walz, Friend of VINS Bears understand us better than we understand them. That’s one of the many take-away insights that Ben Kilham revealed to a packed audience at VINS at his June 19 talk. In other words, bears are not the simple dangerous brutes many people fear. The Bear Man,…
