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MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter
June 2018
Former Tri-State patient Conrad the Blue Jay also made a special appearance
at the John James Audubon Center exhibit.
Guided tours of the Frink Center and
Wildlife Response Annex were a big hit
once again. Special educational
presentations by local experts drew an
additional audience to the annex
throughout the day. Owl pellet dissections,
face painting, and a DIY photo booth
added to the fun for our youngest guests.
The I Don’t Give a Fork food truck
returned to feed our hungry guests along
with Sweet Josephine’s cupcakes. New
Castle County’s Mounted Police unit even
made an appearance on their Clydesdales
to round out the day’s activities.
Thank you to all the dedicated volunteers
who gave up their Sunday to host this extraordinary day. With your help,
Open House raised more than $10,000 for Tri-State. Mark your calendars
now and clear your plans for Sunday, May 5, 2019, when we’ll welcome the
community back for another Open House.
Open House photos courtesy of Russ Carlson
RECENT RELEASES
Before the babies descended upon the clinic, raptors ruled throughout the winter and early spring. One such
patient was Red-tailed Hawk 18-318, which spent a little over a month in our care. A woman drove the bird to
Newark from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, after a passing vehicle struck it. The hawk sustained head and eye
trauma, and radiographs also revealed an old, healed leg fracture. With pain medication and supportive care,
the Red Tail’s injuries began to heal, but the bird was slow to begin self-feeding. Once we moved it outside,
however, the hawk not only began eating well, but also flying well. By the end of April, it was ready for
exercise in a flight cage. By May 8, its injuries had completely resolved and it was flying beautifully. We
released this Red-tailed Hawk on-site at Tri-State.
Monthly Flyer, June 2018 3
Peregrine Falcon 18-723 (left) with its foster family. Photo by Erica Miller
Once on the brink of extinction due to pesticide poisoning, the Peregrine Falcon has made an impressive
recovery. Although the species was removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999, wildlife officials
continue to monitor its nests and sometimes take extraordinary precautions to protect young falcons, which
are called eyases. Recently, New Jersey Department of Fish & Wildlife (NJDFW) removed a falcon chick from
its nest because it was not thriving. The nestling came to Tri-State on May 16, where it received supportive
care and close attention to encourage it to eat. Staff wore a hood and gloves whenever they fed the falcon to
ensure it did not imprint on humans. Two days later, the eyas was eating and processing well, and it was
bright, alert, and vocalizing. On May 21 former Tri-State veterinarian Dr. Erica Miller and NJDFW officer Ben
Wurst placed the young falcon in a foster nest.
OTHER RELEASES IN MAY
In May, we also released Great Horned Owls, Barred Owls, Eastern Screech Owls, Bald Eagles, a Black Vulture,
a Red-throated Loon, Canada Geese, Mallards, a Herring Gull, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, a Wood Thrush,
an Indigo Bunting, a Cedar Waxwing, a Pileated Woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, a Lincoln’s Sparrow,
Eastern Bluebirds, White-breasted Nuthatches, Gray Catbirds, a Carolina Wren, a House Wren, House Finches,
a Tufted Titmouse, a Northern Cardinal, American Robins, Common Grackles, and Mourning Doves.
Monthly Flyer, June 2018 5
Nursery Interns
Candace Casey is a recent graduate of the University of Delaware with a bachelor of science degree in wildlife
ecology and conservation with a minor in resource economics. For the last year she has also worked as a
teaching assistant for an Economics of Agriculture and Natural Resource class. When she’s not working or in
school, Candace loves spending time with her dog and turtle, reading, and, recently, dabbling in wildlife
photography.
Megan Estrada is a 2018 University of Delaware graduate with a degree in wildlife conservation and ecology.
Megan was born and raised in New York. She has always had a passion for animals and looks forward to
pursuing a career in wildlife rehabilitation. Her favorite pastimes include hiking, making music, and playing
volleyball.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 6
Full-time Interns
Martin Ortiz, our senior outside intern, is a 2016 graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in
animal science. He is from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and hopes to use this internship experience to help
achieve his long-awaited dream of becoming a veterinarian. When Martin is not helping animals of all species
and sizes, he is enjoying music, video games, films, and long nature walks with his dog Archer.
Naveen Gooneratne was born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and is a rising sophomore at Connecticut College
where he is studying conservation biology. Naveen has been interested in ornithology since the sixth grade
and continues to study birds in the hopes of finding a career that will contribute to their protection and well-
being. In his free time, Naveen enjoys birdwatching, practicing drum-set, and playing volleyball.
Melissa Jernakoff is from Wilmington, Delaware, and she is currently an environmental science major and
animal behavior minor at Wheaton College (Class of 2021) in Norton, Massachusetts. She is very interested in
environmental chemistry and ecology, as well as birds, and she hopes to one day do research of some kind.
She plays D3 field hockey at her school, and in her free time she loves to go hiking and camping.
Parker O’Neil, a recent graduate from Concord High School, is a third-generation birder and has been
volunteering at Tri-State for two years. She is incredibly excited to have been selected to be an intern at
Tri-State this season and cannot wait to work with the other interns and volunteers.
Carrie Schiebel is a Delaware Tech graduate with plans to transfer to West Chester University for ecology and
conservation biology in the fall. Originally from Virginia, Carrie now lives in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. In her
free time, she enjoys volunteering at a local animal rescue and playing video games.
Volunteer Interns
Carolyn Altig just finished her freshman year at Shippensburg University as a biology major. She is from West
Grove, Pennsylvania, and has always had an interest in animals, reading, and learning new things.
Sofia Bialkowski is a junior at the University of Delaware who is studying pre-veterinary medicine and animal
bioscience and agriculture and natural resources with a minor in wildlife conservation. She is from Long Island,
New York. In her free time, Sofia enjoys hiking, crafting, and playing with animals.
Katie Bradley is a senior wildlife ecology and conservation major at the University Delaware. She has been
passionate about nature and wildlife since a young age and enjoys spending her free time outside gardening
and hiking.
Alexander (Alex) Dilworth is a first year wildlife conservation and ecology major at the University of Delaware.
He is from Cochranville, Pennsylvania, with an interest in a future career in wildlife rehabilitation.
Marcos Fernandez has completed his first year at Prescott College where he is working toward a bachelor of
science degree in environmental studies. Marcos lives in New York City and is passionate about hiking, biking,
and rock climbing.
Caitlin Frenck will be a senior at the University of Delaware with a triple major in wildlife and ecology
conservation, animal sciences, and agriculture and natural resources. A Newark, Delaware, native, she hopes
to become a wildlife biologist or a wildlife ecologist.
Ian Henderson is a recent graduate from Temple University's College of Science and Technology with a degree
in biology (and a focus in invertebrate biology). His primary area of study is arachnids, but he also has a
marked passion for avian ecology.
Monthly Flyer, June 2018 7
Larissa Kubitz is a junior at the University of Delaware studying pre-veterinary medicine and agriculture and
natural resources. She is from Oley, Pennsylvania, and became interested in birds after studying abroad in
New Zealand.
Natalia Ochoa is currently pursuing a major in pre-veterinary medicine and a minor in wildlife conservation at
the University of Delaware. Originally from Indiana, she moved to Delaware three years ago. Her main hobbies
include playing guitar, gardening, drawing, and hiking.
Jessica Paoletti is a sophomore at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, majoring in biology. She hopes to
work with wildlife in the future.
Madison Plunkert has just completed her first year at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she
studies biological sciences with a concentration in ecology evolution. She enjoys playing her violin, reading,
and hiking on the trails near her home in Baltimore County. Madison hopes to one day teach and conduct
research in the field of evolutionary biology.
Meaghan Young is from Bayville, New Jersey, and graduated from the University of Delaware in December
2017 with a bachelor of science degree in pre-veterinary medicine and animal biosciences and agriculture and
natural resources. She is currently taking a gap year and will be applying to veterinary and graduate schools
for the coming year. Her main interests involve animal health, research, and veterinary medicine.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Yard Sale, Saturday, October 6, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s never too soon to start scouring your attic,
basement, and garage for items to donate to Tri-State’s annual community fund-raiser. And, of course, if you
would like to join the planning committee or sign up to volunteer, let Julie Bartley know. Contact Julie at
jbartley@tristatebird.org or (302) 737-9543, extension 102. Watch for more details in upcoming issues of The
Monthly Flyer.
Benefit for the Birds, Friday, November 9, 6 to 10 p.m. The 2018 benefit will return to the Chase Center
on the Riverfront in Wilmington. We have begun making plans, and we would love to have your help. Contact
Chris Chapdelaine at cchapdelaine@tristatebird.org or at (302) 737-9543, extension 109. Look for more details
in upcoming issues of The Monthly Flyer.