Hats off to our dedicated wildlife rehabilitators

Because of my early love for animals and my time on our small family farm, one of the first careers I considered was becoming a veterinarian. Coincidentally, my wife had the same thought and even spent a day shadowing a veterinarian. Independently, we came to the same conclusion — it takes a special kind of person to work with sick and injured animals. Beyond the medical knowledge and technical skills, it requires emotional strength to face heartbreaking situations on a regular basis. My compassion for animals may run a little too deep for that kind of work. Seeing abused, neglected, sick, or injured animals day after day would be difficult for me to handle, and I suspect I would struggle to get those images or experiences out of my head at night. I would also struggle with some of the ways people treat their animals, whether through neglect, exploitation for entertainment or unnecessary cosmetic procedures. I recently watched a woman on Dateline describe catching frogs, bringing them home and dressing them in Barbie clothes. She thought it was cute and funny. I did not. Of course, there is another side to the profession. Few experiences can be more rewarding than helping a suffering animal recover and reunite with a loving family or be released back into the wild. I eventually realized that my role was not to treat animals directly, but to advocate for them. That realization has only deepened my admiration for veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators. Like veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators work with animals that are sick, injured or orphaned. They often spend weeks or months caring for wildlife while knowing that not every animal can be saved. To learn more, I was excited to speak with Rachel Shamy, a wildlife rehabilitator, orphaned animal foster volunteer, rescuer and educator with Nature's Nursery. I think every time I saw Rachel she had some adorable young animals with her that she was rehabilitating. I began by asking how she got involved. "I started volunteering with Black Swamp Bird Observatory and helping with bird banding in spring of 2016. After rescuing a nestfull of baby northern house wrens whose mom didn't come back and was taken to Nature's Nursery and rescuing a female cooper's hawk (on my own) I was hooked, it's what I wanted to do. So, I started volunteering with Nature's Nursery in 2017 and shortly after focused on learning to foster baby birds from our co-founder and director," she shared. Because of migration and nesting season, spring is one of the busiest times of year for wildlife rehabilitators. Shamy described some of the hazards, "We see a lot of window strikes on building windows, homes and even from windshields. We also see a lot of severe storms that displace nests, leaving them on the ground and the babies cold and wet. If the nestlings appear healthy, the nest can often be put back up in the same tree using a hanging basket or bucket, and the parents will usually continue caring for them. If the babies are cold, injured or some have died, get them indoors, keep them warm and call a wildlife rehabilitator." Shamy said that one of her most challenging patients was a chimney swift. "Chimney swifts eat on the wing, so they could never learn to eat on their own from me because I don't fly! In addition, swifts go down into a chimney at night to roost." She admitted that emotional side of rehabilitation can be difficult, especially early on. "At first, it's really hard, every loss is so personal. But as you continue to master your skills, if you know you did very best and it doesn't survive, it is heartbreaking, but you can keep going knowing you gave it your all. There are certain birds though, maybe because of extreme time and measures taken, that the loss hurts more than others." The successes, however, make the effort worthwhile. Speaking about her first female common nighthawk, Shamy recalled, "I was coached by another rehabber and then due to what I felt was best and the drive involved, I had him release her. He was able to tell me exactly what happened, that she shot up through the woods 100 feet in the air and met with the others that were calling — and he caught it all on video. I cried." When asked what she wishes more people understood about wildlife, she said, "They are free and wonderful for us to enjoy, but they need to have their wishes respected for their safety and nesting or roosting concerns. Watching their behavior and enjoying it is great, but if that bird is upset, move farther back until they are not stressed anymore." One of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to release a bird immediately after a window strike. "Any concussion can cause brain swelling and that bird should be treated for it as soon as possible. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds are used to help the brain swelling in birds. Studies show many birds die up to two to three days later, so trying to continue to see if the bird is 'OK' by seeing if it can fly away is not how to help the bird. It could likely die a few days later after flying off," she explained. Another common mistake is assuming every young bird on the ground needs rescue. A healthy fledgling is often fully feathered, alert, able to stand and grip with its feet and may continue to be fed by its parents nearby. Younger birds that are still partially feathered or unable to stand are nestlings and generally need help. If possible, they should be returned to the nest, as parent birds readily accept their young despite the common myth that human scent will cause rejection. Shamy also emphasized that people who install nest boxes have a responsibility to monitor them. Without proper management, invasive species such as house sparrows can turn a nest box into a deadly trap. For those interested in wildlife rehabilitation, Shamy offered this advice: "Finding the closest wildlife rehabilitation center to where you live that does songbird rehab is a good place to start. Unfortunately, they can be few and far between (we serve an 11-17 county area due to lack of rehab centers). Sign up to be a volunteer. They should be able to teach you what you want to learn to do to help our birds and just maybe you could go out on your own with your own federal permit out of your home if that's something you felt you wanted to take on." What I have learned from Rachel is that caring for wildlife is far more complicated than most people realize. Licensed wildlife rehabilitators undergo specialized training, operate under state and federal permits and understand the unique dietary, medical and behavioral needs of each species. While our instinct is often to help, getting an injured or orphaned animal to a licensed rehabilitator usually gives it the best chance for a successful return to the wild. Black River Audubon's monthly field trip will be Saturday, June 20, at 9 a.m., at the Litchfield Wetlands Nature Preserve, 3005 Avon Lake Road, Litchfield. Meet up at the parking lot. Public amenities include 1.7 miles of ADA-accessible crushed limestone trail, a 200-foot-long boardwalk, wildlife observation areas and a 30-car parking lot.