Ask Lynn

by Lynn Miller, B.Sc., Dipl. Ecotox., PhD candidate, Co-Founder of Le Nichoir; Board of Directors International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council

The following questions and answers were first published in the Hudson/Saint-Lazare Gazette and are reprinted here with permission.

Question from Denis in Saint-Clet, QC

We have had a heron hunting for frogs in the drain in front of our place for the past few days. Last year we had a similar situation and unfortunately we eventually found the bird dead beside the road. What are my options should this bird need help?

It is that time of the year when young herons are busy leaving the nest and rying to make their own way in the world. In doing so, they face many trials, not the least of which is learning to hunt. So this is a very stressful time for these young birds. While in the nest young herons are fed fish by their devoted parents. You have to be devoted to barf up partially digested fish to youngsters armed with sharp beaks and a poor aim! But well fed they are and so much so that they are often heavier than their parents when they leave the nest.

In dealing with a situation involving a potentially injured or ill bird there are several questions that need to be asked, including, does it need help? This may sound crazy but you cannot believe how often we are fooled by an apparently healthy and normal bird. Before you approach the bird, look at it quietly. Are both its wings sitting evenly and is it using both legs? Any injury to the wings or legs is quite obvious in herons. Next, quietly approach the bird. If it does not move off very far it may indeed have a problem. Having decided that you need to intervene for this bird's sake, it is best to be well prepared before you tackle catching the bird. Herons hunt by stabbing their prey with their very efficient long beak. This action is innate and one that is also used as a defense mechanism. It is this defense mechanism that can lead to injuries for the would-be rescuer. Use a large towel or blanket to throw over the heron making sure that you also cover its head. Grab its head first and while holding the head gently with one hand, gather up the body with the other, pop the whole bird and blanket into a large box or dog crate. It is rather like trying to manage a set of live bagpipes, which means it is probably better to have two people do to this operation. Then transport the bird to your nearest rehabilitation centre. Since this can be a fairly dangerous operation, the team at Le Nichoir (450 458 2809) may be able to help you.

I mentioned earlier that youngsters may be heavier than their parents when they finally fledge. It is this normal circumstance which I suspect contributes to several youngsters ending up in a rehabilitation centre. Many environmental toxins are fat soluble and may become concentrated in the fat stores of the fish that are on the heron's menu. Eat enough of these fish and the birds also end up with a toxic burden. To survive, young herons need to practice fishing. During this time, it is a great bonus to have a significant amount of stored fats to ensure that you don't become emaciated while learning to fish. The irony is that the better the parents are at fishing and caring for their youngsters, the more stored fats their youngsters fledge with, and potentially the higher level of toxic materials deposited in that fat. By mobilizing fat rapidly during a period of starvation, the bird will experience a toxic pulse at a critical time in its development which may make it vulnerable to other problems.

Question from June in Hudson, QC

How do you run a rehab centre? How much funding does the government provide?

The short answers - on a wing and a prayer and, very little.

I have been asked this question so many times, especially the question about funding sources and the assumption we get government grants. So, let me give you a peek into the workings of a rehab centre, specifically Le Nichoir. So what do you do when you find a bird in need of attention? Enter Le Nichoir. The phone call that you make to the centre will hopefully be answered immediately, unless the staff are busy as baby birds can be very demanding patients. If the bird needs human help, you will be invited to bring it to Le Nichoir. On admission, we try to gather as much information as possible, especially since the centre is obliged to submit an annual report to both the Provincial and Federal governments. To be allowed the privilege of doing rehabilitation, Le Nichoir pays an annual fee to the Provincial government. Ironically, Provincial government officials refer calls to the centre but provide no financial help. The Federal government has made a small student grant available annually. Generally, this represents six weeks of wages at the minimum salary with the remainder made up from the centre's budget.

The bulk of the money is raised from the annual dinner auction held in the spring. A few volunteers put in a very great number of hours to bring this about, and what an evening it is! Of course it could not occur without the incredible generosity on the part of all the donors, and the goodwill of everyone involved in Le Nichoir. Another source of income for Le Nichoir is through the donations of those people either visiting or bringing birds to the centre.

By far the greatest expenses are always salaries, and the hardest portion of the budget to raise. Other expenses include food, not just your ordinary food items, but exotic ones such as; frozen mice, known as mice-icles, frozen fish, aka fish-icles, live fish, dried kitten chow which, when ground up, is the best base for many bird diets, fruit, seeds, meal worms and several R.C. Hagen bird products. Le Nichoir also needs to buy veterinary products and services, insurance, pay Hydro and Bell. This is just a partial list but you get the picture. Early each year the team of volunteers who organize the centre, get together and plan where the money will be spent and what projects will be undertaken. Each year is different and it is sometimes hard to cover all bases, but so far, this centre has pulled it off!

Admitting birds, caring for them, responding to the public, raising funds and keeping the centre vibrant is one part. The other is knowledge. By attending conferences, workshops and belonging to chat lines on the internet for rehabbers, we are able to keep current with advances in many areas including; nutrition, disease management, legal concerns, public education and staff training. But this all takes time and often a toll on the volunteers. Once winter rolls around and the birds have headed south, we too try to take a break. Not for long as there is always something that needs attention.

Question from Michele in Hudson, QC

What do you think about maintaining my bird feeders over the summer?

Bird feeding is a very popular activity and one that certainly helps our neighborhood birds, especially in winter. The question of feeding through the summer is, to my mind, a personal one.

When we feed in winter, we support our local birds with high energy snacks. In doing so, we help birds to survive through very difficult times by adding to their caloric intake. The foods we offer do not make a complete diet and our backyard birds will still eat a great range of foods that they forage for in our gardens and surrounding areas. Most song birds are highly insectivorous for a great part of their lives, and are in fact, totally insectivorous when young. Research has even indicated that those species we thought of as herbivores have surprised us by the large percentage of insects they need to consume to ensure healthy growth. Once adult, they include a wider range of foods in their diets. So cedar waxwings will start to forage for fruits, hummingbirds will drink nectar and woodpeckers and cardinals will actively seek seeds and nuts. The most important part of their diet is still the wide range of insects they will consume over the course of their day. Insects provide the required level of proteins and fats to help maintain their health and high metabolic rate. The seeds and suet we offer are rather like the quick energy fixes we get from a chocolate bar. Neither is a whole diet, although I suspect some teens think so!

Summer feeding is not necessary for the nutritional needs of the birds we encourage in our gardens. Instead, it provides us with a source of pleasure. The opportunity to care for and observe the birds in our gardens at close quarters is a joyful one. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to feed our local chickadees, especially knowing that these ones are probably the great, great, great grandkids of the ones I was feeding years ago. They do not need the sunflower seeds I put out for them in summer, but the quick snacks mean they need to forage a little less for that energy source. They reward me with their songs and presence. A colleague told me this delightful story of an older gentleman in her region who fed the birds all year long and had done so for many years. He fell ill and was bedridden for several days. His feeders finally emptied. One enterprising chickadee flew through an open window into his bedroom and tugged on his hair. How is that for a reminder? Coincidence?

If you choose to feed your birds in the summer, seeds such as black sunflower and niger are good choices. A peanut feeder is also another useful food source, offering woodpeckers a summer snack to replace the high energy suet used in winter. Nectar can be supplemented with sugar solutions for the hummingbirds and orioles. One other consideration, if you need to stop feeding your birds, for instance you are moving, try to do so during the summer. This will have a minimal impact on your birds as they adjust their feeding routines accordingly. If you have to stop in winter, the calories you add to the diets of the birds will be missed and maybe at time of the year when every calorie counts.

Question from Debbie in Hudson, QC

A Canada Goose has obviously been wounded, its wing hangs down on one side and is unable to fly. If we approach it, it heads into the lake and we don’t know how we can catch it. Do you have any suggestions?

It is so hard to watch this happening and simply stand by. Unfortunately, as much as you want to catch the goose it is determined you are not going to. The lake offers it safety and a rapid retreat happens as soon as it feels threatened. Also a frontal assault reinforces that you are a threat, so instead, set up a feeding station. There are a few considerations. The end goal is capture with the bird caught in either a wire cage or trapped in a fenced area. It also needs to be where the bird has easy access and the food is visible. If necessary start feeding it closer to the lake and slowly move the food source to your chosen site. Cracked corn, mixed grains and even wild bird seeds are suitable foods. If you have snow already covering the grass, any greens are a great treat. Spinach and lettuce also show up well as a cue to the bird that food is available.

The trap can be a wire dog crate and Le Nichoir has one that can be borrowed. Food is offered at the doorway and then moved into the cage once the bird is comfortable with the arrangement. These open wired crates are great because they don’t look like a trap. When you set the crate up you also need to consider a place that you can hide for the final day. The door of the crate should have a long rope tied to it such that it can be pulled shut once the goose is in the trap. The other method that can be used is a fence corner and a gang of friends. The food can be placed in the corner and once the bird is acclimated to the site, you invite your friends for coffee. They have to earn it and that means tackling the goose while making sure it does not escape. Geese are fast learners and if you blow the attempt, it may be very hard to entice the now wary goose back to your food sites.

It can be quite daunting tackling a large and very obviously frightened bird. Geese will use their wings to defend themselves, so this is the action we need to restrict. Use large towels or blankets to throw over the bird. Hold the bird down while you get yourself organized. Tuck the towel around and under its body, pinning the wings to its body. Hopefully you now have a very grumpy goose in hand. Don’t worry about its head, the hissing is scary but only a threat. If it does bite it does not break the skin, but you might end up with a ‘love bite’ bruise! It can then be transported in any large box or crate. Finally you need to get the goose to a rehab centre.

The easiest catch I have ever heard of was a goose crash landing in a horse paddock and was then herded into a stall. She had one pellet visible on X-ray, recovered and was released a week later.

Question from Monique in Hudson, QC

I wanted to buy a heated bird bath but have had so much conflicting information. Is there a real problem with birds getting wet during winter?  Also, what bird bath is best for me to buy?

Watching birds enjoying a bird bath in summer brings me a great deal of pleasure. Being able to also provide a safe and reliable source of clean water means the birds in my own area can depend on this resource. But once the freezing weather begins we often stop offering water, hoping the birds find a source elsewhere. The lake, streams, puddles and eventually snow provide that essential water resource. However, having a heated water bath provides a real winter time treat for the resident birds. Unfortunately, this can bring some hassles.

Cleanliness is very important. It is so easy in summer to use the hose and scrub brush weekly to keep the bird bath in top shape, with rinsing and topping up in between. But on the freezing days during winter, we have to be ready to commit to the time and effort required to go out with buckets of water to achieve the same. That is not a fun prospect in -20 degrees weather.  Bleach is a very safe cleaning agent to use around birds, so it is a good idea to do a weekly cleaning. Use a bucket of warm water and bleach to help keep bugs such as coliformes under control. After sluicing the bird bath with the bleach solution, you can then rinse it well with fresh water. I find my watering can a great tool for this job.

We have often had reports of birds becoming soaked after bathing in the bird bath. This is a real risk and can be minimized by adding some large rocks to the water. This will help in two ways.  The first is that adding rocks that allow the birds to perch on them and hopefully poop on them and not in the water. This should help keep the water from being contaminated between water changes and cleaning routines. The second is that the birds cannot actually bath in the water. This will avoid the possibility of creating ‘birdscicles’ in very cold weather. One mechanism that may create this problem is that with evaporation, the mineral content of the water will rise such that these minerals can lodge in the feather structures and destroy the water repellency of the feathers.

With West Nile Virus now a part of our local scene, we also need to ensure bird baths are kept mosquito larvae free in summer. This means rinsing the water baths at least every three days. Minimising standing water sites around our homes is the best way to keep these critters under control. Mind you, in this area it really is a loosing battle since we are surrounded by various water bodies, some of which are mosquito heavens.

Question from Danielle in Hudson, QC

Migration means heading north in spring and south in fall, so why am I seeing geese heading north now?

It is true, the geese are flying north in fall! Geese are not in a hurry to head south, rather, they mosey along food patch to food patch. If the food is no longer available because it has been eaten or been covered by snow, then it really is time to move on. They also need open water where they can spend the nights safe from predators. This region offers both. With the Lake of Two Mountains and great forage in the fields around this area, we offer a great stop-over for these snow-birds.

Canada geese have not been slow to use the changes we have made to the landscape over the past hundred plus years. In fact, it is estimated that the numbers of geese are now higher than in pre-European days. Our farming practices have made migration an easier one for many species, especially geese, as they feed on the waste grains from the crop fields.  Historically, the other big leveler of these birds are avian diseases. Prior to the settling of the southern reaches of North America with its major changes on the landscape with settlement and farming, the geese congregated in a swath along the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern coast of the US. This meant any disease outbreak would move rapidly through these concentrations of birds, killing them in the thousands. Disease then acted as a form of population control. This is no longer the case as the birds are able to spread over much wider areas with a changed landscape offering a wider range of options. So a lower density of birds equals a lower impact when a disease does break out.

The groups of geese we see passing overhead are often family units. They stay closely associated for the first year, or at least until the parent birds set up a nesting site again. At that stage the youngsters are pushed out of the parental territory. They will go on to breed at about 3 years of age. Meanwhile they just hang out, feeding and socializing with other unattached flock members, starting to look for a partner. The pairs form a monogamous lifelong bond. If one of the pair dies however, the other will go on to form another pair bond.

We are so familiar with the vee formation as the geese fly together, but how often do we look up to see that having been attracted by that wonderful honking. You can pick out the younger ones from their calls; they sound more like a small dog yipping. So next time a flock goes over, stop and listen, see if you can pick out two distinctive calls.

This past summer, I had the greatest pleasure watching the many families of geese who breed in the Delta Marsh, Manitoba. Each pair went off, laid eggs and hatched them, so far so good. What happened next was fascinating. The dominant pair ‘adopted’ all the goslings born about the same time into their brood, allowing their parents to act as watch geese to the group. So some pairs had groups of fifty odd goslings ringed by several other adult birds, quite a sight.  The goslings thus have many pairs of eyes watching out for them which is reflected in a high survival rate for these guys. We got to watch hundreds of goslings go through the gorgeous cute fluffy stage, then the gawky teen stage, to become young adults, almost indistinguishable from their parents – adoptive or biological.