A local business decided it did not want to have birds nesting
in the trees or on the building on their property so they had their
employees knock the nests down.
Dear Editor,
A local business decided it did not want to have birds nesting in the trees or on the building on their property so they had their employees knock the nests down. Sadly, the nests were occupied with young birds ranging from just hatched to pre-fledglings. We accepted the dozen birds since they were a native species and protected by federal law. The majority of the birds will need to be fed a special diet every 20 minutes, 14 hours a day for the next several weeks. Theses birds alone will be with us for about six weeks before being released.
This is springtime – baby season for wildlife. If you find that a native species of bird is nesting in an area which is unsuitable, remove the nest BEFORE it is occupied. Once eggs are laid it is ILLEGAL to remove nests until the babies have permanently left.
As the weekend approaches many people will be heading outdoors to do yard work that was put off due to recent rains. Before you start:
n Check trees or shrubs to make sure there are no active nests or residents in cavities before trimming or cutting them down.
n Before mowing your lawn or roto-tilling your garden, walk through the area first to make sure there are no ground nesting birds or wildlife in harm’s way. One of our current patients is a large gopher snake that was accidentally whacked by a weed trimmer.
Please check the online pet blog section at gilroydispatch.com next week where we’ll go into detail on young wildlife situations. Until then, were going to be extra busy at W.E.R.C. caring for our current wildlife patients – Barn Owls, Bobcats, Red-Tailed Hawks, Red-Shouldered Hawks, Great Horned Owl and House Finches, to name a few.
Sue Howell, executive director,
Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center
