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What is your Favorite Winter Bird?

Canada has a wide range of bird species. In British Columbia, we may host bird species for a longer period or at different times of the year, than other parts of Canada.

Give the Gift of Hope!

Giving Tuesday is a day dedicated to giving back, supporting the causes that matter most to you. As a wildlife lover, you can give the gift of hope and help injured wildlife from rescue to release.
Right now, we have dozens of animals in care that need your support. Birds like this young Swainson’s Thrush who was admitted to Wildlife Rescue after flying straight into a window. Although birds have excellent vision, surpassing humans in many ways, window strikes are common as birds see open sky and trees reflected in the glass. Hitting a solid pane of glass at full speed can be fatal.

Preparing Your Yard for Fall Friends

Your yard provides a rich resource of food and shelter to wildlife all year round. In the fall it can be more so as food and a safe place to live become harder to find. While you might want to tidy up your yard before the winter months, here are a few reasons why it is good to hold off.

If you leave your plants to go to seed, you will be providing a food source for wintering birds. If you leave the plants after they go to seed, the old plant stems can provide shelter to a variety of wintering insects including bees. The dead stalks can be used as building materials for birds building their nests in the spring.
If you leave your lawn long, you provide shelter for wintering insects which in turn will feed newly hatched birds in the spring.
If you leave a few little leaf piles, these can provide a safe place for animals like frogs to hibernate. Rock piles can provide this as well, especially near water.
If you have brush piles, they can provide protection for small mammals such as marmots, chipmunks and hares.
If you have a pond that ices over in the winter, keep a hole in the ice so animals are able to access the water. You can make a hole in the ice without cracking it by placing a container of hot water on the ice to melt it. This method ensures that the animals can access the water without the danger of them falling through the ice.

Your yard is a precious resource for so many species of wildlife, thank you for taking care of it.

If you see a bird that has exposed bone or blood, bugs or insects covering it, no feathers, or a bird that is sleeping, human intervention is required. Call Wildlife Rescue’s Support Centre at 604-526-7275. To help us return your call quickly, please leave your contact information and observation. We will make sure the bird is treated with kindness and compassion.

If you would like to help with the many efforts of the Wildlife Rescue Association, please click here to learn more.

Sora waterbird with a Candy-Corn Bill Survives Cat Attack

The Sora is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae, sometimes referred to as the sora rail or sora crake. This small chicken-like bird is chubby with uniquely long toes that help it to tackle floating vegetation when searching for food. Soras are grayish-brown with white-edged feathers, a dark throat patch with vertical white lines, a black mask from the bill to the eye and a white patch under the tail. The bill is bright yellow which might make you think of Hallowe’en candy corns.

Great Blue Heron Survivors Released to Rookery

Thanks to the efforts of Wildlife Rescue staff and you the young herons were raised under supportive care at Wildlife Rescue hospital. One heron was much older than the other and developed his skills quickly and therefore was released a few weeks earlier and the other joined him a few weeks later.

Group of California Quail Ready to Return Home

The large group of quails has been growing and developing slowly over the last few weeks and has gained weight and are starting to show signs of flight. They are not in the final stage of their pre-conditioning release and in a large enclosure that mimics their natural environment.

Navigating Bats in Your Community

Wildlife Rescue Support Centre has been busy answering curious finders and coordinating the increased appearance of bats in the last 3 months. Although the majority of the 208 of calls are inquiries only about bat safety and protocol, Wildlife Rescue has seen a surge in the number of bats who need supportive care and treatment.

Western Small-Footed Bat Unique to Wildlife Rescue Hospital

This is a unique species at Wildlife Rescue and has not been its care in the 40 years of operations. It is not known to live within the lower mainland but instead in the dry interior valleys of B.C. Working with the regional biologist and bat specialist we are assessing what and how the bat has come to the lower mainland and if this species will continue to expand their habitat or it is a lone individual in the wrong place.

Pacific-slope Flycatcher Trio Orphaned After Fallen Nest

Recently, three baby flycatchers were brought to Wildlife Rescue after an onlooker noticed the fallen nest and no parents nearby. These orphaned nestlings were severely dehydrated and required immediate care. Pacific-slope Flycatchers nest with their parents for 14-15 days and are incapable of self-feeding.

Learn to Co-Exist With Bats!

Bats contribute to our environment in both invisible and visible ways. At night, they are our pest control, since one bat can eat as many as a thousand mosquitoes in an hour. Not only do they control pest populations (which aids the agricultural industry), bats can also pollinate plants. It has been estimated that a hungry bat can devour up to 3,000 insects in one night! Not only does this reduce the need for farmers to use pesticides, but it also helps manage the overpopulation of certain insect groups (including mosquitoes).

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