Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter
March 2015

Celebrating 39 years of excellence in

wildlife rehabilitation and research
Photo by snyders/moonbeampublishing

Editor: Loretta Carlson

RECORD-SETTING FEBRUARY
The prolonged cold and blustery winds of February sent record numbers of birds to the Tri-State clinic. During a
time of year when we typically have a caseload numbering in the teens, we admitted 143 birds in February
nearly half of those birds came in from February 16 to 22. From raptors, ruddy ducks, and grebes to the typical
backyard songbirds, many species that have been struggling to survive may have found the extreme weather so
late in the season to be a final hurdle they could not overcome.
All of this means we need your help! If you can sign up for an extra shift or just work a couple of extra hours,
we would be most grateful. Log in to Volgistics to see where we need the help. Many thanks to the volunteers
who came in on short notice to help with our unexpected caseload.
CELEBRATION SEVEN YEARS IN THE MAKING
Nearly 200 donors, staff, board members, and invited guests gathered
on February 20 for the official dedication of Tri-States new Wildlife
Response Annex. In attendance were U.S. Senator Thomas Carper,
Delaware State Representatives Michael Ramone and Joseph Miro,
Delaware State Senator David Sokola, and DNREC Secretary David
Small. Board President Charles Robertson and Advisory Board member
John Frink offered special remarks.
On Saturday, February 21, Tri-State
held an open house for donors,
Friday ribbon cutting (from left to right):
volunteers, and community guests
Lisa Smith, Charles Robertson, Sen. Carper,
Sarah Tegtmeier, and John Frink.
to tour the annex, with remarks at
Photo by Russ Carlson
noon. Features of the new building
include a state-of-the-art HVAC system to better remove fumes from the
building and a recessed, grated floor in the wash and rinse areas to help
prevent slips and falls. Radiant in-floor heating, an Intensive Care Unit, and
an industrial-grade hot water system to ensure consistent temperatures of
Saturday open house
the wash and rinse water are just a few of the features designed with wildlife
Photo by Russ Carlson
patients in mind. Environmentally friendly highlights include a grey water
recovery system and the capacity to install a solar panel array on the roof.
Additional features for human safety include ceiling-mounted, retractable extension cords and hose reels.
The addition allows Tri-States staff and volunteers to be better equipped to respond to oiled wildlife
emergencies and other wildlife disasters or disease outbreaks within a five- to six-hour driving radius. Thank you
to everyone who helped make this dream a reality.
SPRING MIGRATIONS AND LIGHTS OUT! WILMINGTON
With the recent plunge into freezing temperatures, its hard to believe that millions of spring migrants soon will
pass through our region on their journey from the tropics. Unfortunately, because many travel by night and
navigate by the stars, they can be distracted and disoriented by light emanating from tall buildings. The
Delmarva Ornithological Society estimates that this problem leads to the deaths of nearly 1,000 birds each year
in Wilmington alone. Nationwide, conservative estimates place the toll at 45 million deaths.

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

To combat this problem, businesses in cities such as Wilmington have adopted a

program called Lights Out!
By simply turning off exterior decorative lighting and interior perimeter lighting in
tall buildings above the fourth floor between the hours of 10 p.m. and dawn,
businesses have saved the lives of thousands of birds each year. During the
daytime, Lights Out! businesses pledge to move indoor greenery away from all
windows, reduce the reflectivity of glass with patterned film treatments, and close
blinds and shades to reduce reflections of water and sky and eliminate the
perception of safe passage.
The Lights Out! Wilmington period for spring migrations extends from March 17 to
June 7.

Baltimore oriole
Photo by Derek Stoner

For more information on the Lights Out! Wilmington program or to find out how to
register your building, visit the Lights Out! Wilmington website at www.lightsoutwilm.com.
RECENT RELEASES

Were always happy to report the release of a long-time patient. On December 19,
a Maryland falconer found a bald eagle on the ground in Centerville. The adult
female had a healing distal fracture of the ulna, an injured right foot, and an old
keel fracture. Despite her chronic injuries, the eagle had a good appetite and
gained nearly 1000 grams in eight days. Once all her injuries had stabilized, we
moved her to a flight cage in early January to build her stamina and flight muscles.
She had been down for quite a while, so the process of flight conditioning took
several weeks. By February 12, however, our patient was ready for banding and
release. Because the eagle was so active and feisty, we decided against
transporting her back to Maryland and instead released her at Tri-State.
On January 19, a motorist driving through Newark found a white-throated sparrow
in the middle of the road. On admission, the adult sparrow was alert but in
respiratory distress and not grasping well with one foot. We prescribed cage rest,
started him on a course of pain medication, and placed a bird sandal on his left
foot to prevent the bird from knuckling his toes. By the end of the month, once
Staff Photo
his weight stabilized and injuries resolved, we removed the sandal and moved our
patient into an outdoor aviary for flight exercise. By February 1, the sparrow was grasping perches and flying
beautifully. Because he was originally found on nearby Fox Den Road, we were able to release the sparrow at
Tri-State.
A homeowner from Oxford, Pennsylvania, brought us a northern flicker that she found outside her home on
January 19. An apparent impact victim, the immature female had sustained head and spinal trauma and was not
able to stand. We administered fluids and pain medications and, by the next day, found her clinging to the side
of her basket. As she began self-feeding suet, her strength returned and she slowly progressed, allowing us to
place her in a half playpen by January 22. Soon she was perching well and enthusiastically eating fruit and
mealworms. After we observed her flying in the playpen on January 28, we moved the flicker to an outside cage
to help her reacclimate to winter temperatures and give her the opportunity for sustained flight exercise. By
early February, the flicker had recovered from her injuries and was flying with strength and precision. Volunteer
Kathy Wiwel released her back in Oxford on February 4.
Several birds admitted during the recent cold snap were quick turnaround patients that needed only a few days
to regain their strength and recuperate from injuries sustained due to mislandings on the road, in residential
neighborhoods, and snowbanks. Among the birds admitted and released during the third week of February were
a horned grebe and two ruddy ducks. Horned grebe 15-170 came from Fenwick Island on February 18. The
victim of a mislanding, the grebe was ready for release after a night of supportive care, meals of silversides, and
swims in the aquatherapy room.

Monthly Flyer, March 2015

The ruddy ducks likely were blown off course due to heavy winds and storms.
Because these birds cannot take off from land, they needed to come into the
clinic. A homeowner found ruddy duck 15-163 in her Rehoboth Beach yard,
frozen into a snowbank and with scabs and abrasions on her feet. With pain
medication to ease her way, she soon eagerly accepted meals of greens, krill,
and brine shrimp and enjoyed swims in the tub. Ruddy duck 15-169 was found
on a Bethany Beach road on February 16. She spent one night with Denise
Denny, a downstate volunteer transporter, before coming into the clinic
Three ruddy ducks enjoy a swim.
courtesy of Denise and another volunteer, Noel Milligan. The duck was thin but
Staff Photo
feisty and eager to swim in the tub. We offered supportive care to both ducks
and drew blood samples on admission, as we do with all birds, and just before release. We take a final blood
sample from all diving ducks and seabirds because they need to have a higher level of red blood cells than other
birds to survive in the wild. With good bloodwork results and excellent waterproofing, both ducks were ready for
release within a couple of days. We also released two other ruddy ducks in February.
OTHER RELEASES IN FEBRUARY
In February, we also released red-shouldered hawks, a red-tailed hawk, a snow goose, a common loon, a
mallard and a mallard cross, ring-billed gulls, a tufted titmouse, northern cardinals, house finches, and an
American goldfinch.
FEATURED BIRD: ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
Named for the feathering on its legs, the rough-legged hawk
is one of only three American raptors whose legs are
feathered all the way to the toes. The others are the
ferruginous hawk and the golden eagle.
At 18 to 24 inches long, this large hawk has dark and light
forms. The dark morph is black-brown overall with a barred
dark gray tail. The light morph has a white head and brown
mottling on its neck and chest and a gray-white tail with a
dark subterminal band. Both forms have broad wings, broad
tails, small bills, and small yellow feet. Males are typically
darker than females. Juveniles resemble females with less
distinct banding on the tail.

Note feathering on the legs.

Photo by Roy Priest

This hawk primarily eats small rodents and large insects and plunges feet-first to
catch its prey. Hunting from the air or elevated perches, the rough-legged hawk
can be distinguished from other accipiters by its tendency to hover in flight.
During breeding season, rough-legged hawks live in the coniferous forests and
tundra of the Arctic, breeding on cliffs or in trees. Forming monogamous pairs
and remaining together for many years, rough-legged hawks raise two or three
young in years when food is scarce, and as many as seven when food is plentiful.
The female incubates the eggs for twenty-eight to thirty-one days. The young
raptors leave the nest when they are about forty days old and then spend three
to six weeks in the Arctic before migrating south for the winter. During the winter
this hawk can be found soaring above open grasslands and fields.
Dark morph
Photo by
snyders/moonbeampublishing

Read more about the rough-legged hawk at the Cornell Lab of Ornithologys All
About Birds Web site, www.allaboutbirds.org, as well as in Birds of North America,
published by the Smithsonian Institution, or your own favorite birding book.

NWRA SYMPOSIUM IN PRINCETON IN MARCH

This years National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) symposium will be held in Princeton, New Jersey,
from March 10 to 14. This is a great opportunity to learn more about wildlife rehabilitation and meet other
wildlife rehabilitators. Three concurrent sessions will run for four days on topics from songbirds to turtles to

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

mammals and more. Current and former Tri-State staff members will present posters and lectures, including
Twenty-Five Years of Banded Bird Encounters by Dr. Erica Miller and Aimee Federer and Beyond Raptors and
Parrots: Training Techniques for a Diverse Avian Collection by Jackie Kozlowski. Sarah Tegtmeier, Andrea
Howey-Newcomb, Brie Hashem, and Sam Christie will also present talks on behalf of Tri-State. For more
information, visit www.nwrawildlife.org/content/nwra-symposium-2015.
NEW WAY TO WORK WITH VOLUNTEERS
As you may have heard, Tri-State Bird Rescue has introduced a new system called VOLGISTICS to help us better
manage the volunteer program. Volgistics will enable you to sign up for shifts from your home computer, your
smart phone, or the computer that is set up in the Volunteer office.
Please go to our websitewww.tristatebird.organd click on the Volunteer tab. On the drop-down menu, click
on Volunteer Registration to open the application form. Fill out everything you can and submit the form. Once
you receive the confirmation e-mail indicating that we've received your application, you will be able to log back
in to schedule shifts by clicking on the Volunteer Log-in button. If you have any questions or problems, contact
Julie Bartley at (302) 737-9543, extension 102.
Note: We will remove the March calendar in the volunteer office at the end of the month and replace it with a
Volgistics calendar. Whether you work in the clinic or do laundry, stuff envelopes, or repair cages, you must
register and enter all volunteer hours in the Volgistics system.
PLANNING FOR THE OPEN HOUSE
Tri-States Open House is right around the corner. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday,
May 3, we will open up the Frink Center for Wildlife and our new Wildlife Response
Annex for self-guided tours.
Beasley Reece, lead sports anchor for CBS3 and the CW Philly, will join us from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m. The big tent will feature kids activities, food, Tri-State merchandise sales, and
more. Phung Luus trained parrot Indy will accept cash from your hand and place it in a
donation box. Tri-State also will gratefully accept donations of paper towels to help line
nest cups for our tiniest and most fragile baby birds.

Beasley Reece
Photo courtesy of CBS3

See you at the Open House on May 3!

JOIN US FOR INAUGURAL VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION CELEBRATION
We hope you will join us on Sunday, March 22, at 2 p.m. in the Wildlife Response Annex for our inaugural
Volunteer Appreciation Celebration. Come bask in the glow of our deep appreciation for all you do for Tri-State
throughout the year! Festivities will include food, drink, a free-flight bird show by Phung Luu and his flock, and
our annual recognition awards. Please RSVP to Julie at jbartley@tristatebird.org or (302) 737-9543,
extension 102, so we can have an accurate count for food, drink, tables, and chairs. Thank you, and see you on
March 22!
VOLUNTEER ANNIVERSARIES FOR MARCH
23 years: Diane Korolog 19 years: Elaine Sams 15 years: Nancy Pikulick and Marion Stelzer
13 years: Cheryl McCann 11 years: Donald Bauman 10 years: Joan Beatty and Susan Rivenbark
9 years: Rosann Ferraro, James McVoy, and Patti Root 8 years: Linda Amundsen 7 years: Gina Loughery
5 years: Connie Alexander, Helen Collison, Kim Frey, Christine and Madeline Kortze, and Lisa Tice 4 years:
Corky Connor, Kathy and Emilio Oliva, Debra Palermo, Susan Taylor, and Kathy Wiwel 3 years: Lyndsay Ayers,
Lee Anne Black, Maryanne Dolan, Kate Garchinsky, Kathy Roberson, and Judy Stout 2 years: Joyce Bambrick,
Valerie Landrum, Bonni Trombetta, Kim Venture, and Sharon Wushensky
Note: The nasty storm on February 22 forced us to cancel the planned transporter training. We have
rescheduled for Sunday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monthly Flyer, March 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS
Volunteer Information Sessions. All those interested in volunteering at Tri-State must attend an information
session before they can register for a bird care workshop. These one-hour information sessions give prospective
volunteers a good overview of our operations and expectations.
March Sessions: Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m.; Saturday, March 21, 11 a.m.;
Thursday, March 26, 6 p.m.
April Sessions: Thursday, April 2, 6 p.m.; Saturday April 4, 11 a.m.; Thursday,
April 9, 6 p.m.; Saturday, April 18, 11 a.m.; Thursday, April 23, 11 a.m.; Saturday,
April 25, 11 a.m.
Adult Bird Care Workshops. Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m.1 p.m.; Sunday,
April 12, 9 a.m.1 p.m.; and Saturday, May 9, 9 a.m.1 p.m.
Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, Sunday, March 22, 2 p.m. See the
article above for details.
Phung Luu and Indy will be
at the 2015 Open House.
Photo by Russ Carlson

Open House. Sunday, May 3, 2015. See article above for details.