The Raptor Rescue Society

12/12/2023

The 4th Annual Wildlife Care Conference on Saturday, January 27, 2024 just keeps getting better and better! This is a VIRTUAL continuing education event for veterinary professionals, wildlife rehabilitators, and exotic animal handlers and keepers!

This conference is now RACE approved for 6.5 CE credits and thanks to the The International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, Certified Wildlife Rehabilitators will now get 8 CE credits toward their renewal! The entire conference is virtual so you can come and go for the topics that interest you most! Whether you've been in the field for 3 years or 30 years, there is something for you! We also secured our first sponsor EmerAidVet, so stay tuned for more awesome info about them in the near future!

Early bird registration is ONLY $45, but ends on December 31st. Register here: https://www.rmwalliance.org/wcc

07/12/2023

This poor little Cooper’s hawk got his foot stuck in a rat trap. Fortunately just some lacerations but no broken bones or major damage. A good reminder to us to be very careful about how we use traps and also any way we deal with rodents, as it can impact other species as well.

28/07/2023

Fledgling Cooper’s Hawk rescue. Hopefully we can reunite her with her family asap.

25/07/2023

Considering getting a pet parrot, and want to do some research? You are in the right place!

25/05/2023

A few weeks ago, These beautiful baby Barn Owls had their nest collapse out of the insulation in a building being demolished. We were unable to reunite them with their parents, unfortunately. while that is always our first goal, if that is not possible, fostering them with captive parents is a decent option also. So we are working with Barn Owls from The Raptors to foster these babies and soft release them from a local farm.
Trying to give them the best chance possible!

20/05/2023

On Sunday, May 21st, the Raptor Rescue Society will be hosting our Wild Forever silent auction to raise funds towards continuing to provide care for injured wildlife in our area.

The silent auction will be held in person at The Raptors. Throughout the day we will be having talks about the Raptor Rescue Society and sharing some stories about what we do and some of the wildlife we have rehabilitated over the years.

Here is a sneak preview of some of the items that will be in the auction We have had some amazing donations from local artists, a huge thank you to everyone who donated to help our cause! the auction ranges from artworks to an Eagle experience provided by The Raptors, as well as a Parrot Experience with some of the Raptor Rescue Society’s rescued parrots!

-Caitlin

10/05/2023

❤️❤️ vultures
We just released a Turkey vulture that overwintered with our friends MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre.

06/05/2023

You don’t need to live in an outdoors paradise to make it work.

28/04/2023

Beautiful release of the Cooper’s hawk who needed a bath due to some oily substance!!! Before and after photos in the comments.

27/04/2023

Inter species fighting…
Bald Eagles are often seen fighting with other eagles in territorial battles, that can look similar to courtship rituals (spinning in the air). This time of year, particularly, eagles are defending their territories and get into nasty fights. Almost every year we have multiple calls about eagles who land on the ground attached to each other (I.e. holding on), and won’t let go. We’ve seen them also stuck in trees holding on to each other, gone on boat rescues to get them out of water holding on together and so on…
Although most of the time they somehow don’t badly injure each other, there are times when the damage is fatal.
This poor guy was seen fighting with another eagle and spiralling to the ground. Unfortunately the impact caused some serious head/spine trauma and we were unable to save him.

25/04/2023

Oh no! You’ve found a baby bird on the ground, apparently alone and in distress. Its tiny chirps may pull at your heartstrings, but stopping and assessing the situation is essential. Here’s our guide on how and when to assist baby birds: https://bit.ly/3HdXnX0

25/04/2023

This poor little male Cooper’s hawk was found at a Compost facility looking so bedraggled he couldn’t fly. We are not sure what was all over his feathers but they were oily and absolutely filthy. An aggressive bath and a few days rest later and he’s looking much better.

18/04/2023

Just another laundry basket owl! 🤣
Every spring we get calls about owl chicks falling out of the nest. And, while they do come out early and hop around the forest with their parents following them (and in fact can climb trees), this is a case where a wind storm knocked this guy right out of his nest a little too early. The parents will continue to feed, but he’s a bit young to be out of the nest. so up goes a human made nest so the parents can continue to care for him, and he can be safer from predation and other threats! Thanks to our wonderful volunteers for making this happen!!! ❤️❤️

16/04/2023

We are hiring for the summer season! If you want to help wildlife, and work with us, please check out the job listing! It is posted on The Raptors page, as they support us with our administration. Please follow the job application instructions.

Job posting for a (RRS) Wildlife Rehabilitation Assistant

12/04/2023

Last week we posted about rescuing an eagle from maple bay marina, but posted it had died. Well, we didn’t do a proper exam, due to HPAI concerns, on it after it “died” (i.e. didn’t use stethoscope). We left it to cool and put in freezer the next day - when we went to put in freezer, it was alive!!! What a mistake on our parts, but happy Easter surprise! He made a full recovery and was released this morning, despite fully appearing dead last Wednesday.
Yes, very embarrassed about my mistake, with 18 years wildlife rescue and rehab experience… - robyn

11/04/2023

Learn the basics of wildlife rehabilitation!

We are excited to offer Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation in-person again along with the online option. Please contact [email protected] or call the office if you have any questions about North American...

06/04/2023

An adult eagle hit a float home yesterday, in maple bay. He landed on a small island that required Gerard to boat over to pick up. Without another set of hands, he had to row and hold the eagle on the way back…! We are good at !
Unfortunately the eagle died shortly after rescuing, we are unsure if from trauma hitting the home or something else caused him to hit the float home wall. We are investigating.

05/04/2023

Spring time is here! Here’s a helpful article to identify when you should and should not help chicks.

It’s not uncommon to find young birds away from their nests during spring and summer. But should you help them? That depends.

09/09/2022

This beautiful little Merlin was found on the ground in The Raptors parking lot in late June. We have no idea how he got there but best guess is he was snatched from his nest by a predator (e.g another raptor) and then dropped by accident. He suffers from blindness in one eye but has otherwise done well growing. He now goes through a series of tests to make sure he can live and hunt on his own before release.

29/05/2022

22/04/2022

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day 🌎 💚 🌍💚🌏

21/04/2022

18/04/2022

*The Raptor Rescue Society is Temporarily closed*

As the RRS houses a number of resident rescue parrots and is supported by The Raptors, who have many resident raptors, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our wildlife hospital due to the risks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that is appearing across North America and recently emerging in BC. Due to the risk posed to resident birds we must stop taking in injured wildlife of any kind. We hope this will be a very short lived closure, as it breaks our hearts not being able to rescue and help birds. If you find an injured bird or raptor in the Cowichan Valley, please contact one of the following rehabilitation facilities:
North island wildlife recovery centre: 250-248-8534
WildARC in Metchosin: 1-855-622-7722
Or Saltspring wildlife Center: 250-537-0777

12/04/2022

There is nothing better than watching a release like this one. This adult Bald Eagle was eager to get back into the wild, but decided to stretch its wings first before take off. This eagle was found in a bush below some power lines. Upon examination by our veterinarian, we found that it had heart arrhythmia. We suspected that it was either electrocuted or had mild lead poisoning which affected the circulatory system and the bird didn’t have the stamina to fly. After lots of R&R at MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre, it was able to recover ❤️ Thank you MARS team for caring for this eagle!

21/03/2022

🌟The Raptor Rescue Society is hiring!🌟
We are looking for someone to join our team and assist in avian rehabilitation, parrot care and education. If this is up your alley, please visit the link below for more information and to apply:

https://ca.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=b0d4c98b74ffd467&from=serp&prevUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fca.indeed.com%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3Draptor%26l%3DNanaimo%252C%2520BC%26sameQ%3D1%26sameL%3D1

19/03/2022

It's baby season! Soon the outdoors will be filled with young birds peeping at their parents for food. If you find a young bird on the ground, there's a chance it does not need help. Please check out this diagram to see if the baby bird is actually in need of assistance. If you need further advice to assess the situation, call us at 250-936-0732. Lets not bird-knapp babies!

(Diagram by MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre).

17/03/2022

We don't just care about birds, but everything that makes up our ecosystems! Happy St. Patrick's Day

It's St. Patrick's Day.
Another good reason to highlight the green of the ocean right?

Kelp forests and smaller algae produce oxygen (more than 50% on earth in fact), buffer so much carbon dioxide, fuel the marine food web, and, in the case of the bigger algae, provide habitat / refuge.

For the importance of kelp forests and to answer the burning question "Is there enough carbon monoxide in Bull Kelp to kill a chicken?" see team member Jackie's information here https://themarinedetective.com/2019/06/10/enough-carbon-monoxide-to-kill-a-chicken

(Yes it's Jackie typing here and you are correct; I will use ANY reason to talk about kelp ☘️ 💚 ☘️).




Photo: June 20, 2021 off northeast Vancouver Island in Kwakwaka'wakw Territory, ©Jackie Hildering.

17/03/2022

We got a call about a Bald Eagle who couldn’t fly. After taking X-rays it was determined that she suffered a soft tissue injury to her wrist. She endured a few weeks of physiotherapy and had a wrap to support the wing. Usually with soft tissue injuries the prognosis is uncertain. These injuries can take a long time to heal, and the tissue may never end up returning to its original state. Luckily, this eagle was able to recover and is now back home 🦅

03/03/2022

This little Sharp-shinned Hawk came to us after hitting a window. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks are notorious for hitting windows as they tend to hunt songbirds at bird feeders, which are usually close to houses for viewing. This "Sharpie" is recovering from a soft tissue injury on its right wing, but is already making great progress.

01/03/2022

Our local raptor species are currently getting busy for the upcoming baby season. So when do these birds begin laying eggs? Here's a summary:

-Great-horned Owl: Lay eggs starting mid February. Incubation period is 32-35 days.

-Barred Owl: Lay eggs starting in March. Incubation period is 21-28 days.

-Barn Owl: Lay eggs starting in March. Incubation period is 30-34 days.

-Red-tailed Hawk: Lay eggs starting in March. Incubation period is 28-34 days.

-Bald Eagles: Lay eggs starting in March. Incubation period is ~ 35 days.

-Cooper's Hawk: Lay eggs starting in April. Incubation period is 35-36 days.

Enjoy this adorable video of a Red-tailed Hawk mom with two newly hatched chicks (Cornell Lab Bird Cams).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U14SwT41dyY

Big Red rises off the nest to feed her two bobble-headed hatchlings on a windy day in Ithaca, New York. At this stage of development, the chicks are just bar...