Animals In Distress Association & Ruth Melichar Bird Center

03/18/2025

Thank you to Steve Dent of Idaho News 6 for stopping by our Baby Bird Shower on Saturday!

See the story at: https://www.kivitv.com/backroads/ruth-melichar-bird-center-hosted-the-baby-bird-shower-and-it-featured-a-baby-owl?fbclid=IwY2xjawJFJ4ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQTUJABPQHoxB4dsjcgGsh2EFnQwnuaBdDjd1RlGjrSUeW7dRc7iXnRfLw_aem_GhD1a09P3nMVJDhorSAXKQ

The Ruth Melichar Bird Center is a non-profit that rehabilitates birds and gets them back into the wild with a release rate around 75 percent.

03/17/2025

We are still soaring after yesterday's Baby Bird Shower! Thanks to the more than 150 individuals who spent part of their day (even when it was windy and chilly) to bring shower gift donations, take tours, visit with a baby great horned owl, learn about helping our feathered friends, make pinecone bird feeders and show interest in volunteering with us. The event was not possible without the dedication of our center's volunteers, as well as generous donors who donated prizes for a basket raffle that helped raise more funds that will all be used to help all the birds who visit us this upcoming season. We cannot express our gratitude enough, and we can definitely say that we are starting off our busy season well-stocked with all the shower donations of things like bird seed, meal worms, cleaning supplies, misters, hoses and paper products. If you weren't able to make it, but still want to help, visit our event site to see links to our Amazon Wishlist and online giving pages, as well as a listing of items we can always use throughout the year: https://tinyurl.com/rmbcshower.

02/28/2025

IBO has helped us in releasing the burrowing owl last year. Please help them off you can.

Today is Bronco Giving Day! Now more than ever, we are deeply grateful for your steadfast support as we navigate the hurdles posed by the loss of federal funding.

To all our who have already given today and to all who have re-shared our posts to help spread the word: thank you! The momentum is building!

Every dollar given will help us raise awareness for the importance of bird and habitat conservation at a time when this message is needed most 💙

Join in supporting us today: https://broncogivingday.com/campaigns/intermountain-bird-observatory-ibo

As you know, we depend on contributions to continue making a difference in the lives of people and in the conservation of the birds we all care for so deeply. While we face these challenges, one thing remains certain:

IBO is committed to moving forward with our mission. 💪

Your donations allow us to continue to work with K-12 and university students, gather vital bird monitoring data that drives our conservation efforts, recover from the Valley Fire and study its impacts on our Lucky Peak research station, and create new opportunities for both people and birds at the Diane Moore Nature Center.

Thank you for standing with us as we push ahead!

Join us this Bronco Giving Day to make sure we are able to continue this important work. https://www.boisestate.edu/ibo/give/

Golden Eagle photo credit: Eden Ravecca

02/03/2025

Did you know that our bird center cares for nearly 200 baby birds at any given time from early May through September? Our busiest season is right around the corner. We’re celebrating with a Baby Bird Shower, and you’re invited!

Please mark your calendars to visit the center. A baby shower isn't a shower without gifts. Please visit the following URL for gift ideas.

tinyurl.com/rmbcshower

Thank you so very much! We can't help the birds without you.

02/02/2025

This Northern Saw Whet spent 3 weeks in rehab recovering from a sprained wing. He's happily back in his territory, now. These owls are very small and average about 7" tall.

01/19/2025

12/01/2024

Do you remember our cute, escape artist, burrowing owl with the broken leg? He was released by Boise State University Raptor Research Center on July 19, 2024. It truly takes a village for birds to be rehabilitated and released back to a proper environment. This is what makes what we do worth it. 😊

11/14/2024

Sweet Pumpkin has found a forever home. 💜💜

Meet Pumpkin. He's a sweet boy and needs a forever home. He's about 6 months old. Please call the bird center at 208-338-0897 to inquire about him.

09/22/2024

**This baby has found a forever home. Thank you for helping.

This sweet Fancy Chukar Silver Mutation came into the center today. He is looking for a family to adopt and care for him. Please call the bird center between 10-2 at 208-338-0987 to inquire about him.

08/03/2024

Dear wonderful supporters,

AIDA/Ruth Melichar Bird Center is experiencing an unfortunate financial circumstance. This devastating circumstance is forcing us to temporarily close our doors starting on August 15 with a reopen date of September 15. This is heartbreaking, since we are passionate about saving Idaho's wildlife and birds. We would greatly appreciate you partnering with us in the mission to keep our doors open. If you are able to donate, please visit our website to donate online, or if you would prefer, checks can be mailed to PO Box 7263, Boise, ID 83707.

Thank you so very much for partnering with us and helping to save our precious wildlife.

**We are hoping to raise $100,000 by April 2025. During the busy baby bird season, we will have up to 200 birds in care daily. Due to rising costs of operational expences, (food, water, electric, etc.) We are experiencing a deficit of funds. We are working on grants, but do not receive any state or federal funding. As a small non-profit, we rely on donations to provide services to Idaho’s wildlife.

The link to our website for donations is:

https://www.idahowildliferescue.org/checkout/donate?donatePageId=604d225bd5db3e46790533e9

07/26/2024

Howdy wonderful supporters!

We please need transportation for this beautiful osprey from Boise to Grangeville on Saturday. Please DM me for details. Thank you so very much for helping us.

Thankfully, this baby has found a ride to Grangeville.

07/26/2024

I want to thank everyone for their support! 💜💜

If you can spare some mixed berries, the Cedar Waxwings and Robins would greatly appreciate it. They are quite fond of berries and we are running very low. Thank you so very much for all of your donations and support.

07/13/2024

The Cedar Waxwings are so stinking adorable! We have 10 currently in care. Most are happily flighted in a cage until they start eating on their own. I walked in this morning to the escapee happily sleeping on the side of his basket. Never a dull moment at the bird center.

07/13/2024

We got some cute baby killdeer brought in this week. When I went to change our their bin, I caught this cuteness. 💜💜

07/05/2024

This cute burrowing owl was found with a broken leg in the nest. He is quite the escape artist with his leg in a cast. The last time he was roosting/sleeping behind the microwave. At least, we know he can fly. 🤣

07/05/2024

I want to continue to thank our supporters. We can't help about 3000 birds each year without you. 💖💖

We are now in need of peas, corn, and berries. As the baby birds grow, they need big bird food and like teenagers eat us out of house and home.

**Please avoid green beans. The birds are also a bit picky and don't like green beans.