Contact

and

SONOMA-MARIN ARBORISTS
Helps us put baby raptors back where they belong!

Every spring nestling hawks and owls are brought to WildCare, humane societies and other rehab facilities. Some fall out of their nests; others are the victims of nest destruction through windstorms, tree cutting and other causes. Unfortunately the best-equipped and intentioned humans cannot give these youngsters the time, attention and most importantly the vital skills necessary for survival that adult birds can.

In the spring of 2001 a group of WildCare's dedicated HOP volunteers, along with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, began a program called Baskets For Birds, in hopes of returning these birds to their original nests. So far we have reunited 28 nestlings with adult raptors. In some instances they were put back into their own nests or placed in foster nests for other adults to raise. In the cases of destroyed nests we came up with the unique solution of wiring wicker baskets in the trees to act as a substitute homes.

How to Rescue a Raptor—Delaware Valley Raptor Center

If you find a nestling raptor on the ground and feel it is in danger please contact the HOP hotline at 415-518-9670, or WildCare at 415-453-1000, or the Marin Humane Society at 415-883-4621. If you are outside of the San Francisco Bay area contact your local wildlife hospital or humane society. Locate a wildlife center here. Wild animals require specialized care and diets that can only be provided by licensed wildlife rehabilitation facilities. It is a violation of federal law to keep wildlife - however well intentioned. Please provide as much information as possible about the location of the found nestlings, including landmarks. In order to reunite the babies with their parents, we must place the new nest as close as possible to the original location and we must do so as quickly as possible. Removing a nestling from it's family is an absolute last resort and should only be done if the bird is in grave danger. Many nestlings will be on the ground during the fledging period and are still cared for by their parents.

With your help we hope to save even more nestling hawks and owls this year. What we need are sturdy baskets to serve as substitute nests, as well as money to hire professional tree climbers who can reach these difficult nest sites. If you'd like to help, send your tax-deductible contribution to:

WildCare/Hungry Owl Project
179 The Alameda
San Anselmo, CA 94960

The 2004 Season

Juvenile Great Horned owl returned to its tree high above the Dipsea Trail on Mt. Tam.	So far this year, we have returned two juvenile Great Horned owls (GHO) to the nest, with the able help of Jim Cairnes of Small World Tree Service, as well as two redtail hawks and a red-shouldered hawk that was placed in a foster nest in Sonoma. The first GHO fell from a difficult to access area of the Dipsea Trail on Mt. Tamalpais. It took two visits to even find the tree that held the nest. Upon reaching the nest no other babies were found, so the GHO baby was left and for several days the nest was monitored until there was definite evidence that parents were indeed returning to care for their baby.
The second case was easier as far as accessibility to the nest, but in terms of keeping the baby owl safe at home, things were more complicated! This GHO nest is located on the grounds of the San Domenico school in San Anselmo and was already under observation by the denizens of the school. Two Middle School students found a baby "brancher" on the ground recently. The term "brancher" refers to a stage in the owl's development when it has left the nest, but remains nearby on branches as it has not yet developed the ability to fly. Sometimes these "branchers" will end up on the ground, though some are able to actually climb back into their tree by use of their talons and beak.	Read more on the San Domenico school website
Those that remain on the ground can be in grave danger from predators, so this little owl was taken to WildCare. The owl had no physical injuries and so our tree climber Jim Cairnes went with Alex Godbe to return the owl to its nest. In this case we had lots of observers to keep an eye on the nest.
Our intrepid tree climber Jim Cairnes.	There are a number of dangers in this work. One is to the tree climber in just going up into a tree. The danger is not just from falling, but from the wrath of a GHO that feels its nest is in danger. GHO's fear no man, woman, or animal! They are known as the "flying tigers" for their fierce nature and are a top predator. An angry GHO could easily cause harm to our intrepid tree climber, fortunately in this situation Jim retained his scalp! The other danger is in disturbing any owlets that are already in the nest. If frightened by the tree climber other babies might flee the nest and fall to the ground, so the tree climber must move very slowly and painstakingly when approaching the nest. In this case, there was another baby in the nest and the siblings were successfully reunited. The San Dominco owl did end up on the ground again and was held for a few days at WildCare for feeding and observation before being returned again. As of this writing this owl remains where it belongs - in the wild and with its parents. We are excited to know that all four have been seen together sitting on a branch! Great work Alex and Jim!

For more information and more pictures please visit
WildCare's website.

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