Woodpeckers seem to have a knack for getting themselves into trouble, especially those who live in close proximity to homes and businesses. Many woodpeckers make themselves right at home in our backyards, placing them perilously close to one of the biggest threats to birds - windows.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of birds are injured or lose their lives by flying into plate glass windows. Birds do not see the glass, but rather they see a reflection of the landscape - typically the sky or trees. The bird thinks it is flying skyward or into the forest, but instead it hits glass.
One recent woodpecker patient here at VINS had a very unlucky encounter with a window. This patient, a Hairy Woodpecker, arrived in extremely rough shape. He had severe head trauma and was unable to hold his head upright. His feathers were puffed up and he had his head tucked under his wing - both signs that he wasn't feeling well.
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This guy was truly down-and-out, and we weren't sure he would be able to make a full recovery. We treated him with homeopathic medications for head trauma as well as an anti-inflammatory to help with any swelling and pain. He was very wobbly for a long time - his head bobbed from side to side, and he was generally unsteady.
He slowly improved and we decided to give him a chance to spread his wings in our songbird aviary. It took several days for his equilibrium to return, but he eventually gained the ability to make short flights across the aviary. And a few days after that, he was zooming around the enclosure making the classic Hairy Woodpecker call. What a joy to see this guy flying and calling with no hint of a head bob or unsteadiness! Watch this video of the healed and healthy Hairy Woodpecker in VINS' songbird aviary.
So we sent him on his way! He returned to his original home, where, we understand, his mate had been waiting for him the whole time.
To learn more about how you can safeguard your windows or how to help a bird that has hit a window, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's webpage dedicated to keeping birds safe around windows or call VINS' Wildlife Services Department at 802-359-5001 ext. 212.
Spring has arrived in New England, and for VINS this means the arrival of "baby bird season." Right now, birds are busy finding mates, establishing territories, building nests, and, for the lady-birds, laying eggs. While many birds successfully raise their young to adulthood, there are some whose babies find themselves in need of a helping human hand.
Each spring, we wonder when the first baby bird will arrive in our Wildlife Services Department and what species it will be. This was a particularly long winter, so we expected that the babies would show up a bit later than in past years.
(Watch a video of our first baby of the year.)
Well, we got our answer nearly two weeks ago. Our first baby, a tiny mourning dove, arrived on April 25. This little one was found on a sidewalk - likely the result of an overactive tyke who wandered a bit too far over the edge of his nest. Other than a bit of bruising on his abdomen and a small amount of blood on his wing, both injuries likely sustained during his tumble out of the nest onto concrete, this little dove was in good condition.
Our main priorities with any nestling baby bird are to 1) make sure the bird is warm, and 2) get some food in the baby's belly. This baby was nice and warm when he arrived (not too hot and not too cold, but just right), so we got him settled in an incubator to maintain his temperature and served him his first meal. He's been eating and growing ever since!
Baby birds grow very quickly, so he went from the helpless baby you see in the photo above to the awkward yet active youngster featured in this video to the fully-feathered teenager in the photo to the left in less than two week's time. In the video, the baby is making his first attempt at eating solid food and drinking water on his own. We have a bottle rigged with a soft opening that mimics his mother's mouth. He sticks his head in the bottle, opens his mouth and takes in the mix of seed and starter. It's takes time for him to learn that he must actively eat and drink rather than just opening his mouth and waiting for the food to fall in! You can see when he's offered water that he opens his mouth, expecting the water to jump in! Nearly a week has gone by since the video was taken, and he is a master-drinker now - though he's still working on eating solid food without the bottle. Oh, baby!
Each year, hundreds of thousands of birds are injured or lose their lives by flying into plate glass windows. Birds do not see the glass, but rather they see a reflection of the landscape - typically the sky or trees. The bird thinks it is flying skyward or into the forest, but instead it hits glass. +0+00+19-05.jpg)
This guy was truly down-and-out, and we weren't sure he would be able to make a full recovery. We treated him with homeopathic medications for head trauma as well as an anti-inflammatory to help with any swelling and pain. He was very wobbly for a long time - his head bobbed from side to side, and he was generally unsteady. 
