Your Garden Can Help Wildlife!

Now that spring is well on its way, many of us are looking to get started on the season's gardening so that we can enjoy a beautiful outdoor space all summer. You can get your backyard ready for yourself and... Read More

Hummingbirds a Frequent Sight in the Winter!

Hummingbirds – a crowd favourite, miniature acrobats that dart and dip, hunting for high-energy foods.

Although these tiny birds weigh less than a loonie (averaging between 3 and 6 grams), hummingbirds need to be almost constantly eating. Hummingbirds flap their wings 50 times or more per second in order to maintain their signature hovering flight. Undoubtedly, this requires an immense amount of energy. In order to fuel their flight, hummingbirds consume half their body weight in pure sugar every day!

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Birds, Bees and Heat Exhaustion

Essential to our environment, birds and bees are valuable contributors to our ecosystem. In fact, both species pollinate native British Columbian plants, flowers, and fruits while maintaining local plant diversity. With wild bee species declining at an alarming rate, it is no surprise that eight wild bee species are on Canada’s species risk registry, with three considered endangered after a large population loss. The recent heatwave and ongoing wildfires have created a hostile environment for wildlife, and already unstable species (like many birds and bees) are suffering because of this.

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Protect Your Local Killdeers

Due to their friendly nature, Killdeer are unafraid of inhabiting urban areas – which can lead them to great harm. Sports fields, golf courses, and lawns are open spots that Killdeer love. Unfortunately, these man-made open fields often use pesticides and frequently mow to keep the grass at a satisfactory level, which can harm fledglings a great deal. Pesticides, when ingested, are dangerous – and the loss of insects because of insecticides can lower their chance of survival. When Killdeer lose insects, they lose a vital food source. As well, Killdeer often nest roadside, leaving them vulnerable to vehicle collisions.

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Glue Traps Pose Challenges to Wildlife

Glue traps are a pest control measure using glue as the method of trapping. The pest gets caught in the glue and then the trap is thrown away. There are two different types of glue traps; flypaper and glue-tray mouse traps.

While they seem simple, glue traps are one of the most inhumane methods of pest control. The animal, once caught in the trap, usually dies of starvation and dehydration over several days. The traps can also snare other wildlife. Since flypaper traps insects, insect-loving birds can become entangled in the flypaper while attempting to feed.

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Waterfowl Wildlife Prone to Human Disturbances

Double-crested cormorants make their nesting homes on the coastlines of southern BC. They are an iridescent greenish-black, with a bright yellow beak, and white tufts over their eyes during the breeding season. They like to hang out on rocky shorelines and dive for fish.

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Salmonella Outbreak in Siskins

It is an irruptive year for Pine Siskins! Each Winter, these nomadic finches range widely and erratically across North America, their migrations heavily food driven. These past few months, dense flocks of siskins have been seen across the Pacific Northwest. It is believed that the staggering numbers of Pine Siskins are due to a shortage of food in the northern range of siskins in Canada’s boreal forest. 

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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. 

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Helping our Feathered Friends in the Winter

 

This time of year, wildlife needs your help more than ever. Whether it is because they are late migrators, cold winter snaps, or they just do not have enough body fat to stay warm.
We can do our part and help winter wildlife thrive in the winter months!

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Happy International Volunteer Day!

Today is International Volunteer Day and Wildlife Rescue Association of BC is grateful for the volunteers and their hard work, commitment and service they share with wildlife 365 days a year. Wildlife has a second chance at life because of you! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

There are many components and tasks that volunteers take on from answering the phone, receiving the injured animal, providing health checks, caring for the wildlife, releasing wildlife and transporting injured and orphaned wildlife to name a few. The work is continuous and difficult at times but volunteers get the job done gracefully. Today we honor a few of our volunteers and their experience as Wildlife enthusiasts and volunteers.

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