If you find an injured &/or orphaned bird...
- If you find baby birds, please call us at 907-892-2927 for guidance, our phones are forwarded after 3 rings and will be answered 24/7.
- Many window hit birds will recover on their own with time. If the bird is a known window hit, place the bird in a box or carrier with a towel to stand on, and cover it with a towel. Keep in a place protected from kids, pets and wild predators. In about an hour, see if the bird will fly out. It not, wait another hour or so, and try again. If it still doesn’t fly, the bird needs to be brought in for rehabilitation.
Call the Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center at 892-2927 for assistance.
If your call is not answered, leave a call back number. There are some things you can do while waiting for a call back:
- If safe to collect the bird, put it in a box or animal kennel of a size so the bird cannot fly around.
- If the bird is large, or too active to collect, try to keep pets and other animals away from it.
- Do not attempt to catch an eagle without assistance.
- Place a towel on the floor of the box and cover the box (or the bird) with a towel to keep the bird quiet.
- Do not give it food or water.
- Put the box in a safe, cool, quiet place, away from pets or children.
"When You Should-and Should Not-Rescue Baby Birds" by Benji Jones.
See this article from Audubon for insight into determining if a bird needs rescued.
During the spring and summer, you may find a baby bird. In this case it is important to watch for the parents. Young birds can fall out of a nest, but will still be cared for by the parents. If you know where the nest is, and it is safe to do so, replace the baby in the nest. It is a fallacy that the parents will ignore the chick if it has the scent of a human. Before proceeding with a rescue, be sure the bird needs to be rescued. Humans will never be able to raise a young bird as well as its own parents.
After talking to a representative of the Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center, we appreciate if you are able to bring the bird to the Center. Please verify there will be someone available to receive it. We are located at 12235 W. Birch Rd, Houston. From Big Lake Road, go about 1.4 miles and turn onto Kenlar (sign to Houston High School). In another ½ mile or so, turn left on Birch Rd. (sign to Houston Animal Shelter). In a short block on the right you will see our sign.
Thank you for caring about the birds!