Let's Talk Birds
Saturday, May 31, 2003, from 12pm-3pm
Birds of a feather are supposed to flock together. But when a member of the flock is injured, they create a dangerous atmosphere for the rest of the group. An injured bird makes the others more vulnerable to predation and slows the group down while traveling.
Birds who pose a threat to the flock are outcasts; forced to leave the feeding ground, unlikely to ever find a mate, and forbidden to travel with the healthy members of the flock. To humans, this seems cruel, but in nature, it is just a means of survival. These injured birds are lucky to live in a world with compassionate creatures such as ourselves. We can fix their wounds, rehabilitate them to return to the wild, find new homes in captivity, or, if needed, humanely end their misery.
In the fall of 2002, the Cayuga Nature Center received a call from the Wildlife Clinic at Cornell University. A Great Blue Heron had been hit by a car and was rushed into the clinic where the fate of the bird lay in his destination.
Cayuga Nature Center was asked to take in the heron; he would need a wing amputated and would never be able to return to the wild. The surgery would be complicated and the clinic needed to place him in a rehabilitation program before he received the surgery. If a home could not be found for him, he would have to be euthanized without undergoing the surgery. Unfortunately, we did not have the facilities to house the heron and had to decline the request.
Over 290 wild birds were brought into the CU Wildlife Clinic in 2002; only 29 of them were successfully rehabilitated and released and 89 were placed in permanent safe-havens. The remaining 172 birds were humanly euthanized. (Records from Dr. Sarah Childs, CU Wildlife Veterinarian in Residence) The clinic has partnerships with many rehabilitators, sanctuaries, and zoos, however, there are no local facilities currently equipped to house permanently injured waterfowl.
Cayuga Nature Center has a new mission to create a safe-haven for injured waterfowl, Birds of Rhiannon, a publicly accessible walk-thru aviary. This year-round aviary will be equipped with a pond, waterfall, and natural landscaping. The double door safety entrance will open to a fenced area, where the public will be able to view the birds in their created natural habitat.
Over the next year, Cayuga Nature Center will try to make this aviary a reality. We invite any interested members of the community to come and learn more about the aviary at our bird exhibition, "Let's Talk Birds". on Saturday, May 31, 2003, from 12pm-3pm. The proceeds from this event will go towards the creation of the Birds of Rhiannon.
With the generous support of The Fingerlakes Cage Bird Association, Dr. Michelle Bamberger, DVM of Vet Behavior Consultants, Cornell's Lab of O., Pet Depot, and many others, this event will feature live birds, vendors, prizes, kid crafts, bird friendly refreshments and much more.
Prices are: $4 Adults, $2 Children, free admission for CNC members. In addition, you may donate a 5 lb bag of wild birdseed in exchange for one free adult admission, and/or a suet block donation worth one free child admission. Purchases may be made at Ithaca Feed & Pet Supply, Pet Depot, and other local pet supply or feed stores. See in-store flyers for details.
For more information contact Erin Jeannotte at CNC: (607) 273-6260
or by email at:
info@cayuganaturecenter.org.