Hi, bird-lovers,

I'm a licensed rehabilitator, who specializes in birds, particularly
critical care and field triage. I'm also a long-time regular volunteer
at the Seattle Aquarium, working with the birds and mammals.

The Tweeters thread about the Cedar Waxwing got me thinking--while Kristi
and I have been having an e-conversation about him, I thought some people
might be interested in this information also. Apologies if I am speaking
"out of turn."

Is it worth intervening if you find an injured bird? In almost all cases,
I would say, "yes." My rehab group does not discriminate based on
species; all birds get the same attention, if they're starlings, doves,
sparrows, American Bitterns or Northern Harriers. Personally, I'd save
all of'em, if I could.

That having been said, WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIND AN INJURED BIRD?
Well, there are a few things you can do:

It's hard to diagnose an asymptomatic bird--and, you can do much more
damage than good if you try to take care of it without knowing what's
really wrong. Here's what I suggest:

1. If you are able to capture the bird, place him in a cardboard box
with a small towel on the bottom of the box. Make sure there are enough
air holes in the box to get a fresh air supply.

2. IDEALLY, the best temporary "cage" is a laundry basket lined with soft
screening--it's what we rehabbers use (well, for the passerines, anyway).
We line the sides of the basket in screening, using a hot glue gun. The
basket is covered in a large piece of soft screen, and clothes-pinned to
the basket--two clothes pins to each side. Then, take a towel and cover
HALF the top of the basket with a towel. This is an ideal, safe
haven/protection for the bird, but, this will cost you time, money, and
storage space, so I don't recommend doing it if you're not going to be
rehabbing birds regularly.

3. DO NOT try to feed the bird. He can survive for a while without
food, and trying to feed him will usually make things worse.

4. Put the box halfway on/halfway off a heating pad, with the
heat turned on to LOW (VERY important).

5. Handle the bird as little as possible. Once he's in the box, let
him rest in the warm darkness. Really, it's the best thing to avoid
stressing him.

6. If the bird is strong enough, you can try feeding him ROOM TEMPERATURE
pedialyte (electrolyte solution) from a CLEAN eye dropper. If you've
never hand-fed a bird, DO NOT TRY opening the bill and force-feeding (you
can really injure the bird this way). For an adult bird, just put a drop
or two of electrolyte solution on the bird's lower bill, AVOIDING the
nares (the nose holes--don't block them up. If the bird is strong enough,
he'll drink from the dropper, drop by drop.

7. Get the bird to a wildlife rehabber right away. They can
probably save him.

8. There are a LOT of wildlife rehab centers in Washington. I know of
many in Western Washington. You could call the county animal control and
ask them where/who the local wildlife rehabbers are. Also, try calling
the humane society. They usually know who are the proper rehabbers to
call.

I hope this has been of some use to some of you--

-Jacki Bricker