Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter

January 2018

Celebrating 42 years of excellence in

wildlife rehabilitation and research

Photo: snyders/moonbeampublishing Editor: Loretta Carlson

WELCOME TO 2018, VOLUNTEERS!

We extend a big THANK YOU to you, our loyal volunteers. Tri-State’s successes would be impossible without
your tireless work on behalf of the community and our native birds. We’re looking forward to working with you
in 2018.
Each year when the calendar turns from December to January, many of us resolve to improve ourselves by
mastering a new skill or kicking a bad habit. As you enter 2018, why not consider making some bird-centric
and Tri-State-centric resolutions to enrich your life and the lives of those around you?
• Go birding with a friend! An
easy way to start is by
participating in the Great
Backyard Bird Count. (See
the article below for
details.)
• Try to take more walks in
the woods and listen to the
singing birds. We see so
many injured and ill birds at
Tri-State, so a walk in the
woods can reconnect us
with wild birds in their
native habitat.
• Make a list of all the birds
you have worked with at
Tri-State. Ask supervisors if
you can work with a new
species this year. 2017 Volunteer Appreciation Celebration Photo by Russ Carlson

• Talk with the volunteers you work with every week about something other than Tri-State activities. You
may discover you have more in common with your fellow Tri-Staters than a love of birds.
• Try a new activity. Do you focus on bird care? Why not pitch in with the Landscape Team? (See also Not
for the Birds article below.) Do you primarily volunteer at Marketing and Development community events?
Why not sit in on an Information Session and learn more about bird care? Talk to Julie Bartley, Andrea
Howey-Newcomb, or another Tri-State staff member for more ideas.
Finally, did you notice the beautiful photo of the Yellow Warbler in the masthead? We thank Kirsten and Hal
Snyder for allowing us to use their photo and to the other talented photographers who submitted entries to
our annual photo contest. Learn more about Yellow Warbler in this month’s Featured Bird article.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 2

TREES FOR THE BIRDS

Please consider donating your Christmas tree to Tri-State—without the tinsel and decorations, of course. We
need about twenty trees—all sizes and types of evergreens—as wind breaks in the outside cages. Drop them
off near cages 14, 15, and 16. Thank you.

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

For bird-care volunteers who want to try something different, here are two non-bird-care activities that you
might want to consider:
• Join the Craft Committee: Our Craft Committee is always eager to welcome new members. If you knit or
crochet or if you enjoy creating other crafts that we might use as fund-raisers for Tri-State, please contact
Julie Bartley.
• Join the Transporter Team: We are always looking for volunteers willing to drive birds to the clinic and/or
to meet downstate transporters from Dover and Sussex County. Some transporters also feel comfortable
retrieving birds, but we are grateful for the help of volunteers who transport only. If you are interested in
joining our transporter team, contact Julie Bartley to be added to our transporter list.
Winter Weather Volunteers: When the snow and ice fly, our scheduled volunteers are sometimes unable to
come in for shifts. We also may need help clearing snow from our walkways and cages. If you own a 4-wheel
or all-wheel-drive vehicle and are willing to come in on short notice in bad weather, contact Julie Bartley at
(302) 737-9543, extension 102, or jbartley@tristatebird.org.

RECENT RELEASES
On November 28, a Maryland state highway worker setting up road barriers in Federalsburg found an injured
Eastern Screech Owl. Maryland DNR agent Rick Walls picked up the bird and then met Tri-State volunteer Paul
Eldridge, who transported the juvenile to our clinic. Based on the owl’s head trauma and neurologic symptoms,
we assumed a passing vehicle had hit it. Although the bird also had mild bruising over its keel, radiographs
confirmed it sustained no orthopedic injuries. We administered pain medication, treated the owl for parasites,
and cleaned its feathers. By the next day, the owl was alert and active and demonstrated excellent control as
it maneuvered silently and skillfully around the flight cage. Volunteer Maryanne Yingst released the Eastern
Screech Owl back in Federalsburg on December 1.
Among the most common stories we
hear are those about songbirds hitting
windows. On December 1, a Blue Jay
flew into the window of a home in
Landenberg, sustaining a bruised keel
and a small puncture wound in the
middle of its breast. We cleaned and
bandaged the puncture wound and
administered pain medications. By the
next day, the Blue Jay was active,
perching, and eating well. On
December 3, Dr. Cristin Kelley cleaned
and debrided the breast wounds while
the bird was under anesthesia, sutured
them, and applied a fresh bandage.
On December 4, with the bird flying
beautifully in an outside cage, the
presenter returned to the clinic and
then released the Blue Jay back in Staff Photo
Landenberg.
Monthly Flyer, January 2018 3

After more than three months in our care, a long-term patient finally recovered and was released back to his
home territory. The thin and severely dehydrated American Goldfinch came to us on September 9 suffering
from Finch Eye Syndrome (FES) and a wound on its skull. We started the adult male on a course of antibiotics
and pain medications, and Dr. Cristin Kelley cleaned and sutured its head wound while the goldfinch was
anesthetized. The bird was soon eating, perching, and flying in its basket, so on September 16, we moved the
goldfinch outside. This bird was in for a long recovery, however, because the wound on its head was slow to
heal and required multiple treatments and surgical interventions. As can happen with long-term patients, this
goldfinch also sustained some feather damage, further delaying his release. By mid-December, however, his
wound healed fully, new feathers grew in beautifully, and his flight skills were excellent. The presenter picked
up the American Goldfinch on December 13 and released him back to her property in Yorklyn, Delaware.
Another suspected impact victim, White-throated
Sparrow 17-3248, came to us from Landenberg on
December 9. The adult songbird was quiet on
admission and had sustained a left clavicle fracture
as well as trauma to the left shoulder. We started
the bird on a course of pain medications and
prescribed cage rest. Soon the feisty escape artist
was attempting flight and enthusiastically self-
feeding and enjoying time in a bath pan. By
December 13, although its wing carriage improved
and its other injuries were healing, the sparrow
Staff Photo dropped its tail feathers, necessitating additional
time in our care. By December 25, its test flight
demonstrated both excellent stamina and lift. With its feathers, feet, and body condition all excellent, the
White-throated Sparrow was ready for release on-site at Tri-State.
OTHER RELEASES IN DECEMBER
In December, we also released a Bald Eagle, a Red-throated Loon, a Ring-billed Gull, a Canada Goose, a
Mallard, Northern Cardinals, a Mourning Dove, and a Dark-eyed Junco.

FEATURED BIRD: YELLOW WARBLER

A vocal and brightly colored bird, the Yellow Warbler is
among the easiest of North America’s fifty warbler
species to spot. During the summer, the male Yellow
Warbler sings a sweet whistled song from prominent
perches. And although the females and immature
birds are not as bright and do not have reddish
streaks on their underparts as males do, their overall
warm yellow tones, unmarked faces, and prominent
black eyes make them easy to identify.
At about five inches long, this bird is slightly larger
than the American Goldfinch. The Yellow Warbler hops
near the tops of tall shrubs and small trees, foraging
for caterpillars and other insects. It also captures
insects in midflight and while hovering near leaves and
plants.
Breeding in shrubby thickets and woods, particularly
near water and in wetlands, the Yellow Warbler forms
monogamous pairs that sometimes last more than one
breeding season. As it establishes its territory, the
male may perform a courtship ritual in which it flies
with exaggerated wing beats away from a female he is
Photo by Hank Davis
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 4

courting or a male he is competing with. Mated pairs have one or two broods each year, each with one to
seven eggs. The female incubates the eggs for ten to thirteen days. Both parents feed the young until they
leave the nest at nine to twelve days old.
Spending the winter in the mangrove forests of Central and South America, Yellow Warblers are among the
most numerous warblers in North America. However, their populations decreased by 25 percent between 1966
and 2014, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Learn more about the Yellow Warbler at the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 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.

VOLUNTEER ANNIVERSARIES FOR JANUARY

36 years: Joyce Goldbacher and Linda Patton 35 years: Barbara Druding 30 years: Lisa Robinson and
Gloria Worrell 29 years: Charlotte Smith and Pat Wolters 26 years: Diane Korolog 23 years: Rachael
Coffey 16 years: John Grodzicki and Noel Milligan 15 years: Joan Gardner and Marion Lockerman

NUTS AND BOLTS CLINIC REMINDERS

Volunteers
• For the safety and comfort of our patients, please leave your cell phone in the volunteer office while
working a shift.
• If taking or making a call on your cell phone, please do so in the volunteer office, out front, or in the
parking lots.
• Remember to keep your voice down when in patient areas.
• Please place coats and larger items on the hallway hooks and leave the cubicles for smaller items.
Note: If you are missing a coat, please check the hooks in the hallway. At the end of February, we will
donate any unclaimed coats to Goodwill.
Staff
• Take every opportunity to tell our volunteers how amazing they are.
• Offer more educational presentations to volunteers.
• Add more mentors to our program for new volunteers.

JOIN THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

At Tri-State, we see many birds—most of them
injured, ill, or orphaned. The Great Backyard Bird
Count (GBBC) provides an opportunity for you to
see healthy birds in their native habitat, whether
that’s your backyard, a local park, or one of the
many wildlife refuges in our tri-state region.
The GBBC is an online citizen-science project for
collecting and displaying data on wild birds. Each
year, the GBBC creates a snapshot of the
distribution and abundance of birds over a four-day
period in February. You spend as little as fifteen
minutes counting birds on one or more of the
designated dates, then report your findings at
www.birdsource.org/gbbc/. Online resources
include tips on identifying birds and materials for
teachers and students.

Dark-eyed Junco (left) and Carolina Chickadee sample seed at a

backyard feeding station. Photo by Russ Carlson
Monthly Flyer, January 2018 5

When you take part in the GBBC, you will not only be enriching your own knowledge of birds, you also will be
helping provide data to the ornithologists who study bird populations, migration, and conservation throughout
the year. Why not join the more than 100,000 people around the world who have participated in the GBBC
since its inception in 1998?
The GBBC dates for 2018 are Friday, February 16, through Monday, February 19.

UPCOMING EVENTS
2018 Information Sessions. Do you have friends or family members who think they may be interested in
volunteering for Tri-State, but who want to make sure it’s the right choice for them? We have the perfect
solution: a one-hour Information Session that gives prospective volunteers a good overview of our operations
and expectations. All those interested in volunteering at Tri-State must attend one Information Session before
they begin their volunteer experience.
Winter Information Sessions: February 24 and March 10 and 24. All sessions will take place on Saturdays
at 11 a.m.
Spring Information Sessions: April 7, 14, 21, and 28, and May 12, 19, and 26. All sessions will take place
on Saturdays at 11 a.m.
Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, Sunday, April 8, 2 p.m. Please join us for our annual celebration of
you and learn who has merited the coveted volunteer awards for 2017. Check the February issue of the
Monthly Flyer for details and be sure to save the date. We want to see you there!
Open House. Sunday, May 6, 2018. It’s never too early to start thinking about Tri-State’s annual Open
House. Stop by to see Rebecca Stansell in the Development office or contact her at rstansell@tristatebird.org
or (302) 737-9543, extension 110, to learn how you can help with this important community event.