To Those Who Touch Lives...
On a dreary day in late March, a cold drizzle threatening to give way to an all-out downpour, I spotted a familiar face at a congested intersection—Ken, the architect who generously volunteered to design our new facility. This time, he wasn’t at The Bird Rescue Center (BRC), blueprints in hand. He was calmly directing traffic at the scene of an accident—a volunteer for our local police department. In that moment I was reminded that so many of our volunteers have busy, important lives away from our little Quonset hut. They are business owners and medical professionals, arborists and teachers, electricians and students, retirees and parents. All different, yet all sharing one thing in common: they choose to give their time to touch the lives of wild birds in desperate need of a second chance.
That reminder couldn’t have come at a better time. Our hospital would soon be filled with tiny, fragile patients. Behind every one would be a story—and behind every story a team of people to make their recovery possible. People like Ken. Like Merlin, an arborist who climbs towering trees to return baby raptors to their nests. Like Dave, a sixth-grade teacher who volunteers his time to teach young and old alike about raptors as they marvel at the bird of prey on his fist. Like Elaine, who well into retirement regularly transports parents to and from other facilities so they can receive the best care from the best specialists when they need it most.
And people like you. I write today with the hope that you will choose to make a gift to save wild birds this Baby Bird Season.
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Your donation powers expert medical care, specialized diets, shelter, rehabilitation and healing time that our birds need to survive—and to fly free again.
You help birds like the young Great Horned Owl who came to us at the beginning of last year’s Baby Bird Season after becoming entangled in barbed wire. We believe it was her first flight from the nest—untested wings landing her in serious trouble. Although she was aggressive and vocal, her condition was grave. She had sustained significant trauma to her wings, legs, and torso and had internal bleeding. Her feathers were a mess and even her beak was damaged and misaligned.
Perhaps the worst part was the kind of injuries she sustained while wrapped tightly in barbed wire. The wire had restricted blood flow and oxygen, causing wounds and nerve damage that could become permanent or even fatal. Ironically, now that blood flow had been restored, damage could progress even further. In the days that followed, we began to find just that—new wounds, ranging in size from less than a dime to larger than a silver dollar. Her injuries had the potential to impact the critical muscles, tendons and ligaments required for flight. Healing would only begin afer these wounds reached their full extent. Time would tell her fate. We were dedicated to giving her that time.
She spent six weeks in intensive care. Our staff and volunteer raptor team monitored her carefully, treating her wounds, replacing the bandages she became adept at pulling off, and watching hopefully for any signs of improvement. Scar tissue had to be surgically removed to restore wing mobility. Her beak was carefully trimmed to allow it to realign. Slowly yet steadily, her injuries healed, and her feathers began to recover. Eventually, she graduated to flight conditioning—though we had to help her shed a little weight from her healthy hospital diet!
The Bird Rescue Center team came together to help restore this single pair of wings to the wild, even as our hospital filled with hundreds of other parents. A virtual army of volunteers kept daily operations running—feeding orphaned babies, prepping diets, cleaning enclosures, answering the phones—so our medical team could focus on the most intensive cases like hers.
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After months of care and quiet healing, the best part of the work was realized. On a warm August evening, that feisty young Great Horned Owl got her second chance. Toward the end of a stunning sunset, with the sky still aglow in fading shades of pink, orange and yellow, she spread her wings, flying straight and strong, fading into the forest edge. Free at long last!
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It takes a community to make stories like hers possible. You make stories like hers possible.
You touch the very life of BRC, leaving an indelible mark.
Your gift makes a difference. It turns pain into flight. Chaos into hope. Injury into second chances. And with more than 1,000 birds expected again this Baby Bird Season, we need your help now more than ever.
Please give today—in whatever amount you are able—and help return even more wild birds to our skies.
With all my heart,
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Ashton Kluttz
Executive Director
PS Every bird who soars again does so because someone like you stepped up. I hope you will consider being that someone today. Your gift will touch lives, giving our native wild birds a second chance.