Wild Bird Fund

11/03/2024

Look who’s standing tall(ish)! This is Chimera, a juvenile red-tailed hawk who was found lying on a rooftop in Brooklyn. She’d suffered a window collision, with head trauma, eye injuries, a serious blow to the chest and other wounds. We’re grateful that a kind someone rescued the hawk and an NYC Bird Alliance volunteer transported her to us.

She was in a poor state on arrival, unable to stand, but several days of supportive care and medications have helped. She’s now more alert and often on her feet. We hope to see this trend continue and will do everything we can to give this young bird a chance to live her long, full life in the wild.

Window collisions are preventable. Turning out lights at night and adding approved markings to the outside of windows are 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.

📷: Rachel Frank

10/30/2024

Oh hiiii. Here’s a pigeon.

This cutie spent just 24 hours in our care. He was picked up for a stringer foot — a very unfortunate condition that occurs when pigeons get string, hair or wire wrapped around their toes. Such a simple mishap but with serious consequences. Over time, the string becomes tighter, causing infection and eventually cutting off circulation to the toes. Pigeons can lose toes and whole feet to this condition. And yet, these resilient creatures persist.

If you see a pigeon with stringer foot, you might be able to catch the pigeon and remove the string yourself, but only if the string is loosely wrapped. If it’s deeply embedded into the foot, attempting to remove it can cause hemorrhaging and lots of pain for the poor bird. When in doubt, take a stringfoot pigeon to a wildlife rehabber. We often have to remove the string — and toes— under anesthesia, then provide antibiotics, pain medication and wound care for a few weeks.

This guy, named Cowlick, went right back to where he was found, with all 8 of his beautiful red toes intact.

📷: Katherine Figueroa

10/29/2024

We have a ruddy duck in the house!

This little diver crash-landed in a backyard in the Bronx and has been recovering with us for a few days. We’re pleased to say she’s doing great and is ready to be released, although not as pleased as she will be. She needs a lot more swim time than we can provide in our single pool, and of our many food options, she’ll only eat worms.

We’ll bid her a warm farewell tomorrow.

🎥: Emily Einhorn

10/27/2024

Another 9 woodcocks arrived at the clinic this weekend, and it’s starting to get pretty cozy in the woodcock habitat.

These birds are all victims of window collisions. Because of the unique architecture of their heads (loooong bill, eyes far back and high up), they tend to suffer severe eye injuries during collisions. Many in our care are being treated for ulcers and lens luxation (displacement). They’re skittish and stressed when handled, so we must be delicate, fast and quiet while providing care. We also try to maintain a calm, natural habitat, plus regular worm service. 🪱

If you find a woodcock sitting or standing in an odd place where it doesn’t belong, it has likely hit a window. Please help! Approach slowly to avoid flushing it back into the window. Then gently pick it up (or toss a shirt over it to immobilize it), place it in a paper bag or other soft-topped carrier and bring it to WBF or a wildlife rehabber near you. If you need help transporting to us in NYC, email [email protected] to request the assistance of a volunteer.

📷: Lily Lugo

10/26/2024

Take your seats and please give a warm round of applause to this season’s newest mass arrival, the dark-eyed juncos. 🎩

Voted Best Dressed for the past 500 seasons in a row, the juncos are so much more than gray and white. They come in, dare we say, 51 shades of gray, and if you happen to glimpse one on the grass under an autumn sun, you might be amazed to see blues and browns and greens. And that pink bill? Perfection.

Yesterday, we admitted 3 of these sparrows (yes, they are!), and all are now recovering with us from the trauma of colliding with windows.

Please consider donating to help these dapper visitors and so many others in our care. bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Phyllis Tseng

10/25/2024

Guess what? Butterbutt.💛

There are thousands of yellow-rumped warblers in NYC right now. If that little patch of sunshine isn’t visible, you’ll know them by the flash of their white-tipped tails as they flutter about trees or in the grass, catching insects.

Of course, too many are colliding with windows. This little one was rescued from the tall, bright and very glassy One Vanderbilt tower with a concussion and a wing injury.

There’s another high migration alert tonight! Please turn lights off and keep an eye out for injured birds tomorrow. If you see one sitting or lying on the sidewalk, it needs your help. Gently place it in a paper bag and bring it to WBF or a wildlife rehabber near you (use ahnow.org if you need to find one). In NYC, if you can’t transport to us right away, please contain the bird, keep it with you and contact [email protected] to see if a volunteer is available to help.

If you’d like to help us care for these precious migrating songbirds, please visit bit.ly/wbfdonate

🎥: Phyllis Tseng

10/24/2024

Such a great read! A flashback to 2020 when National Geographic visited WBF after our worst week of window collisions: “We knew there would be plenty but didn’t expect the onslaught,” McMahon says. Wild Bird Fund put out a call on Twitter, asking for volunteers to help transport birds to the facility. One couple loaded 50 into their car; a woman secured two onto her bike, while another brought four on the subway." Article by Natasha Daly. Photos by Jeffery Jones

In boxes and in hoodies, by bicycle and subway, New Yorkers are bringing injured birds to the city’s only wildlife rehab center.

10/23/2024

The golden-crowned kinglets are so small and fast that the non-binoculared among us are likely not aware of their omnipresence in NYC during fall migration. And guess what. They’re surprisingly hardy for such small birds, and some will stay here ALL WINTER. How lucky are we giants?

All season, we’ve been admitting a steady stream of kinglets who collided with windows. And many, many more don’t survive. They’re among the most numerous window casualties.

It’s crucial that we turn out lights at night during migration and apply bird-friendly markings to problem windows. These are not difficult steps to take!

Please consider donating to help all our patients — the migrators, the overwinterers, the residents and all. bit.ly/wbfdonate

🎥: Phyllis Tseng

10/22/2024

This great black-backed gull, Lucinda, spent a month with us being treated for injuries and respiratory issues. It was a bit of a rollercoaster for this resilient bird, who was initially found stuck between rocks on a jetty. Despite her many issues, she really enjoyed her meals with us, especially the 🦑!

She needs more time and space to continue her recovery. Luckily, our friends agreed to take her in. We are grateful to them beyond measure!

We wish Lucinda all the best.🖤🤍

🎥: Emily Einhorn, Noah Barreto

10/21/2024

Ah, to have the laser focus of a white-breasted nuthatch digging through a bowl of seeds. He hasn’t checked his messages in like 10 minutes! He’s not even distracted by the cork wall or the worm supply.

We admitted 5 of these beautiful tree-trekkers last week, all victims of window collisions. Most have already been returned to the wild, with one still recovering from concussion.

The migration is still ON. Keep your eyes out for injured birds on the sidewalk that need your help. (Place an injured bird in a paper bag or other closed container and bring it to WBF or a wildlife rehabber near you). Turn off your lights at night to help the birds migrate safely. Put bird-proof markings on your windows. It takes so little to protect our precious migrating birds.

🎥: Michelle Talich

10/20/2024

The whole segment is now available! Follow the link in the original post to see the extended interview with Rita and take a visit to the Wild Bird Fund.

10/20/2024

Look who’s on CBS Sunday Morning! That’s our director Rita McMahon with Christian Cooper. Watch tomorrow at 9am.🤍🤍🤍

10/18/2024

It’s time for a mini-mega-migrator release!

There’s been an absolute whirlwind of migrators here, with many dozens coming in every week, nearly all victims of collisions with windows. For those able to overcome their injuries, it can take a few days to a couple of weeks before they’re ready to return to the wild. We turn them around as quickly as we can. We know they’re on a schedule (and also stressed by being in captivity) and need to get south.

These moments are so rewarding for all of us — and they’re the pinnacle of our work.

There will be another night of high migration tonight!Please consider donating to help us care for the many birds yet to come: bit.ly/wbfdonate

🎥: Cynthia Vasquez, Lily Lugo

10/17/2024

Right on schedule, the American woodcocks are back in town. A LOT of them. Yesterday, we admitted five, all victims of window collisions.

These well-beaked round fellows are late migrants, and we typically admit them all through October and November. Because they migrate at lower altitudes than many other birds, they seem to struggle particularly with our cityscape. They’re often found in narrow streets lined by skyscrapers, but almost any well lit or glass-covered building will give them trouble.

If you see one of these birds standing still in an odd place, it has hit a window and needs your help. Please, as with other birds, approach slowly to avoid flushing it back into the window. Then gently pick it up (or toss a shirt over it to immobilize it), place it in a paper bag or other soft-topped carrier and bring it to WBF or a wildlife rehabber near you. If you need help transporting to us in NYC, email [email protected] to request the assistance of a volunteer.

📷: Winston Qin (also this bird’s rescuer!)

10/15/2024

This common loon is curious about what’s in our pool but won’t actually dive. He knows he’s not in good shape, and this is why he beached himself in Queens. This usually happens as a result of an infection or injury (such as from swallowing a fishhook). We know he has coccidiosis (an intestinal infection caused by a protozoa) and once he’s better hydrated, we’ll be getting some x-rays as well.

These birds breed farther north, but many spend the winter here and can commonly be seen off the city beaches. They spend nearly all their lives in the water, so if you see one sitting on the shore, something’s not right.

We’re grateful to the rescuer who noticed the problem, contacted us and brought this bird all the way from Queens last evening!

🎥: Emily Einhorn

10/12/2024

If you’re not familiar with the dee dee dee of the golden-crowned kinglet, you might not realize that NYC is in the midst of a full takeover by these 5-gram dynamos. We advise a quick surrender. If those furious faces don’t get you, the fiery crowns will. We for one welcome our new eensy overlords.

Window collisions are the biggest threat to kinglets, and many other migratory birds, here in the city. Kind rescuers have brought us 10 of these birds in the past week. Many are too injured to save, but we do all we can to return the rest to the wild.

Your donations make this work possible! Please visit bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Suzanne Highland

10/11/2024

On this very special , we’re celebrating the release of this gorgeous common nighthawk*, an enigmatic bird, active only at dusk and dawn.

This bird suffered injuries during a window collision and needed a week of special care and handfeeding. Our director herself cared for him at home! We released him at dusk in a place where he could easily become invisible among the tree trunks and fallen leaves only to appear again on the wing in the early dawn. We expect he’s already migrated well south of here.

Nighthawks are members of the nightjar family (Caprimulgidae) along with other odd forest-colored birds like the whippoorwill and Chuck-will’s-widow.

These birds rely heavily on insects, foraging on the wing, and their declining populations are largely a result of pesticide use and habitat loss. Every choice we make on our lands and in our yards affects wildlife. Plant native plants, don’t use harmful pesticides and minimize your lawn. We must tread so much more lightly upon the earth if we hope to save our native birds.

Consider donating to help support our patients through peak migration. Visit bit.ly/wbfdonate❤️

📷: Rita McMahon 🎥: Michael Elliot

*We initially called this bird an Eastern whippoorwill.🤭

10/10/2024

Baby pigeons don’t exi—😍

Thank you to longtime rescuer John Painz, who saved this young pigeon from the sidewalk. Though pretty big, this kid is actually a nestling, too young to be out of the nest. We’ll be giving him care until he’s ready for the world.🌎

10/09/2024

We’ve got creepers! And they’re making the best of our soft carriers and free-range worm buffet. All three of these little acrobats collided with windows during this week’s peak migration.

If you see a bird sitting or lying on the sidewalk, it has hit a window and needs your help. Please contain the bird in a paper bag or box, close the container securely and bring it to the Wild Bird Fund or a wildlife rehabber near you (use ahnow.org if you need to find one). In NYC, if you can’t transport to us right away, please contain the bird, keep it with you and contact [email protected] to see if a volunteer is available to bring it to the clinic.

Report any birds you find, dead or injured, to dbird.org

📷: Lily Lugo

10/08/2024

We have some breaking Tony Montana swan news.🦢

A week ago we returned this mute swan to his home and mate in Dead Horse Bay after 45 days in care. He was treated for a severe wing injury and lead poisoning. Hopes were high, and his release attracted much attention and goodwill, but things didn’t go as planned.

Although the wing was doing well on release, the stress of wild life proved too much, and the wing quickly reverted to its former droop. This meant Tony had to return to the clinic. (Huge thanks to his rescuers!) Because of our limited space, we aren’t able to offer him longer term care and evaluation. We decided it was time to find him a sanctuary where he could receive ongoing care.

The good news is that the wonderful people Carolina Waterfowl Rescue agreed to give Tony Montana a home! Yesterday, a generous volunteer drove Tony Montana to North Carolina, where he’ll be able to get the care and observation he needs, along with permanent sanctuary. This is the best possible outcome under the circumstances, and we are so grateful for everyone who has helped this big guy.

Visit Carolina Waterfowl Rescue if you’d like to donate toward Tony and their other patients. They’ve also been taking in animals from other sanctuaries affected by the hurricane!🩵

📷: Rachel Frank, Emily Einhorn

10/07/2024

Last night was the biggest night of migration so far this season, with 1.5 million birds passing over Brooklyn alone. Heavy migration usually means A LOT of patients for us since many birds begin colliding with glass as soon as they arrive in the city. We admitted 78 patients today, our second biggest day of the year. About 50 were victims of window collisions.

Here are just a few of the many beautiful faces we saw today during the worst moments of their lives: a white-throated sparrow, a yellow-rumped warbler, a brown creeper and a Northern flicker. We received multiples of each of these species, along with other warblers, sparrows and woodpeckers.

Please remember that these are the lucky few who survived the initial impact and were rescued. Collision monitors with NYC Bird Alliance Project Safe Flight also picked up large numbers of dead birds today, many of these at buildings with well-documented histories of collisions. Help us spread the word! 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.

And please consider donating to help us care for all these patients! You can click the link in our bio or visit bit.ly/wbfdonate

📷: Rachel Frank

10/06/2024

Last night was the biggest migration of the season in NYC! We hope you'll enjoy a great day of birding, but please keep an eye out for injured birds too. If you see one, pop it in a paper bag and bring it to WBF. Email [email protected] for help transporting (please contain the bird first, don't leave it there).

10/05/2024

This little charmer is a brown creeper, one of our favorite fall visitors.🤎 We prefer to see them creeping up tree trunks, hunting for insects, but if there’s one in the clinic, it’s always because of a window strike.

This creeper collided with a window at 450 West 33rd Street near Hudson Yards, a building that is entirely clad in mirrors and therefore a deadly hazard to birds, like so many other buildings in that shiny cul de sac.

Thank you to the rescuer Fred (this bird temporarily bears your name while in our care!) and to the NYC Bird Alliance transporter who gave freely of her time to bring the bird to us. Every day there are dozens of small acts of bravery and compassion to help birds here in the city. These efforts, and these precious birds migrating thousands of miles, are fuel for hope in challenging times.

📷: Phyllis Tseng

10/04/2024

Breaking gallinews! Huge thanks to Dennis and everyone at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary for taking over care of our former patient, the purple gallinule, and sending him home.