Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter

June 2019

Celebrating 43 years of excellence in

wildlife rehabilitation and research

Photo: Hank Davis Compiled by Tri-State staff and volunteers

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS VOLUNTEERS!

On Sunday, May 5th, we hosted our Open House at Tri-State. Close to 500 guests attended this year’s annual
event. It is the only day of the year that the public gets a chance to take a look at what goes on behind the
scenes.
A deluge of rain did not keep attendees away, and it did not keep our incredibly dedicated volunteers away,
either! Open House could not be the successful public event it has become if not for over 60 volunteers who
made it all possible. From planning, to setup, to leading tours, to making and selling merchandise, and just
about everything in between, we are grateful to each of you for your time and your talents. Thank you!

Rob & Corky taking care of business Linda leading a tour

Noel & Bobbie hawk baked goods Jim educating folks of all ages
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Lyndsay leads a tour group in the Annex Maryanne talks patient surgery

David, Marsha, and Valnéa greet guests Fran explains the baby bird nursery

UD students help with crowd control Jenny takes questions from a tour group
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Dennis delivers his amazing spiel Teryl Ann hands out goodie bags to guests

June signs up a new member Cindy talks to guests

Marian in injury-prevention mode Gail manages volunteer-made merchandise

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SPEAKING OF REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY

Our outreach volunteers are in high gear, attending 18 community events this spring so far. Here’s a peek at our
outreach table and several fabulous volunteers who were out and about educating the public. Thank you for all
you do to spread the word! You make a difference!

Valnéa and Jean attend an Earth Day celebration Tom, Bobbie, and Dennis attend the Furry 5K & Fun
at Delaware National Guard. Photo by Jean Event at Glasgow Park. Photo by Dennis Davis
Hedrich

Maryanne (left) and Ray (right) recently spent their time talking to
folks who came to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge for a world
migratory bird day celebration. Photos: Chincoteague National Wildlife
Refuge staff & Ray Bryant.
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THEY’RE HERE!
The summer interns are arriving, and the clinic is flying high. It is always such a pleasure to welcome interns to
the flock during our busiest time of the year. Not only will they be learning amazing things about wild bird
rehabilitation, they will get to work side by side with our volunteers, who are experts in bird care. So when you
see someone in a yellow intern shirt, please introduce yourself. We’re sure you will make them feel welcomed.

A ‘CELEBRITY’ PATIENT GETS REHABILITATED AND RELEASED AT TRI-STATE

A Bald Eagle was standing on a
very busy highway near
Downingtown, Pa. A Good
Samaritan on a motorcylce
stopped to see if he could help.
Traffic had stopped while a
crowd gathered. The Good
Samaritan took his flannel shirt
off and was able to wrap it
around the eagle that did not
struggle. Tri-State was called
and one of our volunteers, Jim,
drove to the rescue site to
retrieve the injured and
stunned eagle. Jim then
transported the adult female to
be admitted to our clinic for
professional care. The raptor
required suturing on one wing
and her abrasions cleaned
CLICK on the picture to watch the newscast of the Bald Eagle rescue
under anesthesia. featuring volunteer Jim who retrieved the raptor. Video courtesy of 6ABC

After several days, she made a full recovery and was released on-site at Tri-State. People often ask why we
don’t always transport healthy birds back to their territory for release. It is because once they are recovered,
healthy, and active, there is a risk of injury during transport, so it is often safer for them to fly back on their
own. Remember, these birds are wild, and healthy adult eagles have a massive amount of strength and power.
Don’t worry…she is most likely back in her territory; it’s only about 25 miles as the eagle flies. Thank you to
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everyone who helped with the rescue and care of this impressive beauty. It can be unnerving having a celebrity
patient in our care, as we receive increased phone calls, emails, and requests from the media and the public.
Our front desk volunteers showed fantastic grace under pressure, and couldn’t have handled the tsunami of
calls any better – thank you! It truly takes a community to help with the 3,000 patients we receive every year.

“Celebrity” Bald Eagle undergoes surgery under anesthesia for a wing laceration. Photo: Staff

Click on the picture below to watch a video of the healed and healthy Bald Eagle take flight back
to the wild where she belongs.
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A CANADA GOOSE GOES BACK TO ITS GOSLING

A homeowner did the right thing by calling us when she observed a Canada Goose with an arrow through its
body. Several Tri-State volunteers and concerned citizens helped capture the injured bird and then transport it
to our clinic for care. Unfortunately, cases like this are not that uncommon; fortunately, there are an
abundance of Good Samaritans who care and act. Our wildlife veterinarian removed the arrow while the patient
was under anesthesia and dressed the wounds. The recovery phase went well with the assistance of trained
volunteer caregivers, and, once it was strong and healthy, the goose was returned to its family where it
belongs. Thank you to everyone who played a role in turning a tragedy into a positive outcome! Photos with
gosling courtesy of Marian Quinn.
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MOVING FORWARD WITH A NEW MISSION AND VISION (STATEMENTS)

Volunteer Board members and staff recently convened to update our mission statement and to create a vision
statement. The three-hour session was very productive and collaborative. At last month’s Board meeting, Tri-
State’s Board of Directors adopted the following two statements:

The mission of Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research is to provide professional, compassionate rehabilitation to native
injured and orphaned wild birds and contaminated wildlife, and to promote their stewardship through education and
humane research.

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research envisions a world where informed communities demonstrate respect and care for
native wildlife through responsible stewardship.

Photo courtesy of ABC News

YOU WILL FIND THESE STATEMENTS ON OUR NEW WEBSITE—READY TO LAUNCH SOON!
Beginning this past February, University of Delaware students from the college of Management Information
Systems (MIS) partnered with Tri-State on a semester-long project to solve a business problem. The problem
was that our website was archaic, hard to navigate, and in need of serious help. The solution? Five students
chose to work with us in researching a new platform and building a fresh, informative, educational, and
easy-to-navigate website at no financial cost to Tri-State! Here is a sneak peek at what’s coming soon:
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Remember when you started as a volunteer at

Volunteer Services
Number of Hours
Served
Number of Volunteers
Highest Number of
Hours Served
(Monthly/Individual)
Tri-State? We bet many volunteers would like to
read about your memories and experiences when
you began volunteering here (we know we
would!). If you’d like to share a story with other
May 2019 volunteers who receive the monthly flyer, please
contact Anita, Marketing Associate, at
2,104.75 amoos@tristatebird.org, or call her at
302-737-9543 extension 117. You can also see
121 Melody, Volunteer Services Manager, in her
office or at mwhitaker@tristatebird.org.
We’d love to hear from you!
142.25

JUNE VOLUNTEER ANNIVERSARIES—THANK YOU FOR BEING A MEMBER OF

TRI-STATE’S FLOCK.
WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

31 years: Lisa Robinson 26 years: Fran Petersen 23 years: Karen Wenner-Pedersen

16 years: Anne Kisielewski 15 years: Jan McCullough 14 years: Betty Jane Anderson and Cindy Ahern
13 years: Katie Bartling and Patti Root 3 years: Megan Estrada, Tyler Stephen, Christine Weber
2 years: Susan Bennett, Tim Marshall, and Patrick Meginniss, Audrey Yang 1 year: Charles DuPont

*Please Note: if your anniversary date is wrong or missing, please help us correct it
by emailing corrections to mwhitaker@tristatebird.org, thank you!

In this photo, long-time volunteer Tom

is preparing a diet for a Red-shouldered
hawk in our care. Tom is also a specially
trained Bird Care Assistant (BCA) and
assists clinic staff with patients requiring
more specialized care. Prepping raptor
diet may not be the most glamourous
job, but it is essential to provide species
appropriate diets. On the menu this
evening is chopped quail!
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PLEASE KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR BABY BIRDS OF ALL SPECIES!

Tri-State aims to foster healthy baby birds that we receive into wild
families whenever possible. It’s better for babies to be raised by parents
of their own species than by humans! Please let us know if you spot any
wild baby birds, whether that be a nest of songbirds, a fledgling songbird,
baby raptors, or baby waterfowl.

For baby raptors, contact Aimee Federer at afederer@tristatebird.org

For baby songbirds and waterfowl, contact Jessica Hicken at

jhicken@tristatebird.org

Northern Flicker photo courtesy of volunteer Marian Quinn

WATCH OUT FOR WILDLIFE!

Just a friendly reminder to watch out for wildlife when arriving or
leaving from a shift in the clinic. Being nestled in Middle Run
Valley natural area, we want to be aware and respectful of our
‘wild’ neighbors. Please be cautious and courteous to wildlife
crossing, here and everywhere you travel, thank you!

A beautiful black rat snake crossing the road by

our gate in the evening.

AND FINALLY…