Keweenaw Wild Bird REC

09/04/2026

Yes!!! Awesome graphic and info!

How to temporarily house an injured wild animal, while you find a trained wildlife rehabilitator to help!

We used a cardboard box in this example, but the same idea applies to other containers - just make sure the basics are still covered! Containers need to be secure, with sufficient air flow, and an absorbent cloth on the bottom to provide grip and keep animals dry.

However you contain the animal, make sure you keep them dark, quiet, and warm, away from people and pets. And remember - don't offer food or water unless you get the all clear from a trained wildlife rehabilitator. It's normal to want to offer food and water, that's human compassion! But the wrong food can be deadly, and animals can drown or get wet and hypothermic if water spills. It is much easier for rehabilitators to reverse a calorie deficit or minor dehydration than to correct metabolic issues, gastrointestinal issues, or aspiration pneumonia, which are all potential consequences of offering food and water.

Find a wildlife rehabilitator using IWRC's International Wildlife Rehabilitator directory: https://theiwrc.org/help

Help us spread the word so everyone can learn when and how to intervene if they encounter wildlife in need! A reminder that you can share this post, or you can head over the https://theiwrc.org/resources/shareables/ to download any IWRC infographic to share as you'd like - we just ask that you keep the image as-is, or reach out to us first to collaborate if you want to make any changes (like translation - we're always looking for volunteers to help with translation into new languages!).

BIG thank you to our volunteer, Alesha of Creative Fae Studio who helped us create this graphic ❤

09/02/2026

Back for a day in between trips. 😆

Great way to wrap up the season with the release of the mallard and teal! 🎉

Fortunate that the wing wraps repaired the angel wing on the mallard. Gave a week after repair to make sure they didn’t revert, and all good!

 Check out pictures in the comments of the beautiful coloring of the teal and up close of the mallard and teal. They got right to work munching away and there are recent sightings of both teals and mallards at this location so they should make friends soon. ❤️

I’ll be back the evening of September 7. I will shift gears to my school year job of substitute teaching so we will do our best to help fall migrants that get into trouble but availability will decrease as summer wraps up and fall kicks into gear.

We truly couldn’t have helped all the birds we were able to this season without each and every one of our supporters. Best community ever ❤️

Thanks to all that keep our mission flying and quacking 🦆 ❤️ 🦆 ❤️ 

08/30/2026

Released the Common Merganser chicks into a multi-family unit yesterday. They ate their weight in gold in live fish while in care so we are glad they can eat the free ones in Superior now! 😆 Hoping for the best for them and glad they got a second chance at a wild life!

We also had a couple cedar waxwing fledglings in care that we released into a flock yesterday amongst a very high berry laden area, so they were happy! 🫐❤️🫐

The mallard gets his bandages off today in attempts to correct his angel wing. Fingers crossed it has worked and he and his little teal friend will get released. They will stay in care to make sure the repair worked as sometimes the wing tips can revert.

Lastly, heading out for some R&R before heading back to school. I’ll be out of town 8/26-9/1, back for a day then gone again 9/2-9/7. The ducklings will be well cared for. It’s important that family comes first, and after a few years of my human fledgling asking me to go to the Minnesota state fair, I’m finally going.

Utilize the licensed rehabber list while I’m away:

https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/wildlife-permits/wildlife-rehabilitation-permit-information/directory-of-licensed-wildlife-rehabilitators

In the meantime, get those windows treated to prevent window collisions, slow down when you see birds ahead in the road, keep cats indoors or contained outdoors, and be good stewards to our wild neighbors.

Thanks to all that keep our mission flying! 🥰🥰🥰

08/28/2026

Yay!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Between GoFundMe and other donations, the aviary roof repair has been fully funded and will be completed sometime in September 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Thank you!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

08/25/2026

Thank you Dolly 🥰🥰🥰

Oh, Dolly. We’ll miss you so, so much.

We probably don’t have to tell any of you about the impact that Dolly Parton had on humanity. You all probably know about the Imagination Library, and about her contributions to children’s healthcare, and about her charities that made East Tennessee go from being one of the most destitute regions of the U.S. to a thriving, educated community, even in the wake of wildfires and other natural disasters.

But what does this have to do with wildlife rescue? A lot, actually. One of our most successful wildlife rehabilitation and education programs, the American Eagle Foundation, is headquartered at Dollywood and largely funded by her generosity. AEF began rescuing eagles and other birds of prey when they were significantly endangered in 1990, and they had a hand in bringing these birds back from the brink. To this day, visitors to Pigeon Forge get to see our native Tennessean raptors up close and learn to appreciate and protect them.

In 2021, I visited Dollywood and noticed that the Daredevil Falls attraction in particular was covered in nandina, a highly invasive plant that is toxic to native birds. I sent an email about the landscaping, expecting it to be ignored, but got a response from the groundskeeper saying that conservation is an important part of their values as a company, and that they intended to replace their landscaping with more native plants. To my surprise, when I returned the next year, the nandina was gone and there were native plants sprawling across the property, feeding birds and butterflies. I’d never expect a theme park to actually care like that, but their values as a company were evidently more than just platitudes.

Please take a moment to remember Dolly by contributing to the Dollywood Foundation, The American Eagle Foundation, or the charity of your choice today. May we all aspire to leave just a fraction of the impact on the world that this one much-loved person made.

08/23/2026

Grab some plants! Fall is an excellent time to plant natives!

08/22/2026

Always great to start a Saturday with a release! ❤️

This purple finch came in with probable mycoplasma, otherwise known as finch eye disease. This is a common  communicable disease that is usually passed amongst birds at bird feeders.

This is a great reason to plant native in lieu of feeders, and if you must continue putting feeders out, make sure that they are routinely cleaned and sanitized.

So happy that this guy responded to treatment and got another shot at a wild life! 🎉🎉🎉

Thanks to all that keep our mission flying! 🥰