Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre
734 Moodie Drive K2R 1H3 Ottawa, ON, Canada

Attention nature enthusiasts! The City of Ottawa Wildlife Speaker Series goes virtual this Thursday, November 19th, at 7:00 pm! Topic: Discovering Nature: there’s an app for that! Speaker: James Pagé, Canadian Wildlife Federation... Nature is all around us throughout the city, in our greenspaces and in our backyards. Many Ottawa residents have been exploring their local natural areas and greenspaces this year and getting to know some of their wild neighbours. Camera phones and online resources such as iNaturalist.ca(link is external) enable residents to record, identify and learn more about the things they see. Speaker, James Pagé, will address how iNaturalist is helping people reconnect with nature, new Canadian discoveries, and whether nature has rebounded in a time of shutdowns and decreased human activity. Zoom link: https://cityofottawa.acemlnb.com/lt.php

If birds could smile... Pigeon bath day always brings smiles to our faces. They all look so happy squeezing into the tubs, stretching out, and of course, finding a sunny spot to dry off! #Pigeon #BirdBath #Suntan #Happiness #LifeIsGood

Giving Tuesday is only 2 weeks away!

LBJ: little brown jobs, the collective name for sparrows that are hard to identify is a termed used a lot during migration. Yesterday's post was of a young White-crowned Sparrow. To make his ID a bit more difficult he is missing a few feathers around the neck allowing the dark down to peek through making him look similar to a young White-throated Sparrow. The pink coloured bill and rusty coloured lines on the head were the key features to ID this young bird. There will be no confusion when he grows in his adult plumage next spring! White-crowned Sparrows have a lovely and variable singing voice. We miss his daily songs because this cutie is now back singing in the wild! Yippee! #WhitecrownedSparrow #Migration #Sparrows #WildbirdRehabilitation #BirdSong #PhotoBomb

They have done it again! Wild Birds Unlimited has found yet another way to support the Bird Centre! They are now making their very own rusted bird yard decorations. They are beautiful, locally made, and some of the proceeds from each sale are being donated to help the injured birds at the Centre! #buylocal #SupportLocalOttawa #WildBirds

What birds have you noticed at your feeders recently?! We have received more northern visitors this past week. A few Pine Grosbeaks are now in our care recovering from a window collision. This seems to be a big irruption year for northern finches and you might be spotting some new exciting birds at your feeder this winter! This week also marks the beginning of the Project FeederWatch season, running until April 9th. Project FeederWatch is a Citizen Science initiative whose ...participants submit their bird feeder sightings to help monitor winter bird populations. For more information and to download a common backyard bird poster follow the link. Happy birding! https://www.birdscanada.org/you-can-he/project-feederwatch/ #Birding #WildBirds #ProjectFeederWatch #PineGrosbeak #BirdFeeder #BackyardBirding

We are squirming with delight that wonderful people continue to make donations to DINO Reptiles for the purchase of worms for the Centre's birds! This week we would like to thank the following donors with a fun time lapse video of an afternoon treat in the flight enclosure. Don't forget to smile for the camera when you grab a worm! :) Thank you Lisa Sgabellone, Karen Vallevand, Carol-Ann Mc Colgan and from the Wakefield Area Birders / Amateurs d'ornithologie de Wakefield et environs Diane, Courtney Robertson, and Jill Watkins! #Yum #Worms #Mealworms #WhiteCrownedSparrow #SongSparrow #HouseSparrow #GoldenCrownedKinglet #EasternPhoebe #RoseBreastedGrosbeak #WildBirdRehabilitation

These photos are guaranteed to warm your heart on this cold, rainy day!! The Trumpeter Swan that arrived at the Centre in October, was then transferred to Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre, and Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge, and finally to the amazing Trumpeter Swan Restoration team, has now been released with a monitored population! She has been tagged as Z41 and has been given the name Rideau . A species once on the brink of extinction, this beautiful Swan now has an amazing... opportunity, and many potential mates to choose from so that she can continue to help her species increase its numbers next spring. We are so grateful that caring individuals FAR outnumber those few individuals who make poor choices to harm wildlife. Thank you to the rescuer who took the time to bring us the Swan, all of the donors and volunteers who support wildlife rehabilitation centres, and those organizations who monitor these beautiful birds. We hope she has a long life with many, many cute cygnets! #ItTakesAVillage #TrumpeterSwan #wildbirds #wildlife #WildBirdRehabilitation #SpeciesAtRisk

Fun Fact Friday! Did you know that the Pine Grosbeak differs in both the intensity of red as well as size across its range!?! Body size, wing, and tail length show a general trend of becoming larger as you move west from Newfoundland to the Yukon. However, there is an exception to this trend as populations on the Queen Charlotte Islands in BC as well as populations in California are among the smallest Pine Grosbeaks! These large finches can be easy to spot IF they are in the... area. They are a fairly slow-moving finch that does visit feeders but they only migrate south if northern food sources are scarce. Pine Grosbeaks will have a very successful breeding season if boreal tree species produce abundant seed crops. This means many young will survive and the following year, when the trees do not produce as much, the population "irrupts" out of its range in search of food. This seems to be one of those years! Pine Grosbeaks forage in small groups of 5-15 birds that all have similar sounding songs but they do not typically forage with those who have different flight calls! For this species, a voice means a lot - mated pairs have identical flight calls, further strengthening their bond. How cute is that?!? Encourage these sweet birds to your backyard by offering black-oiled sunflower seeds and suet! #FunFactFriday #PineGrosbeak #Migration #Finch #BirdFeeder

The birds that are feeling well enough to sing their sweet songs while in our care make us smile all day long! This little cutie may not be the loudest but he has been one of the prettiest singers recently. Can you ID this species of bird? He has been shy but we finally snuck a video of him singing. Check back tomorrow!

A very special bird has been added to the flock of Bird Sponsorships that you can purchase to support the Centre! https://shop.wildbirdcarecentre.org/bird-sponsorship Indigo, an American Kestrel, is our Educational Ambassador bird that travels to different schools and community groups throughout the year to help educate the public about the Centre and wild birds. There are now 15 different species of birds that you can symbolically sponsor to help with their costs of care. I...n addition to helping the Centre, you will receive: - 8 x 10 photo of the species - Certificate of sponsorship - Fun fact sheet about the species - A tax receipt for your donation Consider a sponsorship for yourself or a special someone on your holiday list! https://shop.wildbirdcarecentre.org/bird-sponsorship #supportlocalottawa #AmericanKestrel #WildBirds #RedTailedHawk #GreatHornedOwl #PeregrineFalcon #northerncardinal #CedarWaxwing #RubyThroatedHummingbird #Pigeon

We are so grateful that so many people have already purchased one of our calendars this year! They are $20 and 100% of the proceeds go towards the birds at the Centre, making them a perfect gift for any bird lover on your holiday list! Thank you to the following locations for being a pick-up location for our calendars this year: March Road Pet Food & Grooming 1112 March Road Kanata... Wild Birds Unlimited 420 Hazeldean Rd Wild Birds Unlimited 1500 Bank St Ottawa Gilligallou Bird Inc 14 Mill St #3, Almonte, ON Lynwood Animal Hospital 30 Stafford Road Unit 107 Nepean Ritchie Feed & Seed Inc Windmill Ln Glocester Thank you to everyone who has purchased a calendar this year! #supportlocalOttawa #Wildbirdrehabilitation #wildbirds

Hoot! Hoot! Not one, but two Barred Owls were able to be released over the weekend! Both arrived at the Centre with head injuries after a window collision. Thankfully, after receiving pain medication for a few days and a thorough check of their eye function by the veterinarians at Lynwood Animal Hospital, they were given the thumbs up for release! Just as the sun was setting, both were released in a forested area near where they were found. Good luck! #Owl #BarredOwl #WildBirdRehabilitation #BackToTheWild

Thanks Paws For Reaction for inviting the Centre to contribute to your blog for a special halloween themed post! Like many who have taken the time to observe and appreciate these awesome birds, we love Ravens!! Check out the blog to learn a little more about the myths, legends, and our experience of these intelligent birds!

Trumpeter Swan update!! A few weeks ago the Centre received a beautiful and rare Trumpeter Swan that was unfortunately shot. After stabilizing its condition at our Centre it was transferred to our good friends at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre for further care. They have given us a cautiously optimistic update this week! The Swan is doing well, still underweight but holding steady. Blood tests did show that lead levels were rising but the latest test showed lower levels. The Swa...n is still a bit anemic from blood loss but that is also something they are actively working on and is improving. Look how happy the Swan looks with that lovely tub to swim in and fresh greens to munch on! Thank you so much https://sandypineswildlife.org/ for providing such excellent care to this beautiful bird! There is a big fan club in Ottawa cheering you on! #sandypineswildlife #TrumpeterSwan #Swan #migration #WildBirdRehabilitation

Fun Fact Friday! Did you know that the Golden-crowned Kinglet is one of the smallest but hardiest birds around!?! This little cutie is half the weight of a Black-capped Chickadee and only slightly heavier than a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Its nostrils are so small it only requires a single tiny feather to cover each of them, too cute! Despite its small size, it is able to survive -40 degree conditions. During the winter months, they grow extra down feathers so much so that th...eir body feathers outweigh their feathers used for flight by 4 times! Using these feathers they fluff up at night time, hunker down to cover their legs, and turn their head to tuck their beak between their shoulder blades to sleep. This position conserves every bit of heat they can but they also will cuddle with other Kinglets finding protective spaces such as a hole in a tree trunk to spend the night. Their diet year-round is insects, needing to eat their body weight a day just to survive! This is no easy feat but they excel in searching the tips of evergreen trees for dormant larva and eggs. They are difficult to spot because of their size, location, and quick movements. Your best chance is to listen for their very, very, high pitched tinkling calls as they forage. Once you tune in your ears, look up, way up to the tops of pine trees for these little cuties. Thankfully to increase your odds of spotting one, they travel in groups at this time of the year - known as a "castle", "court", "princedom", or "dynasty" of kinglets. #toocutetohandle #GoldenCrownedKinglet #migration #FundFactFriday #WildBirdRehabilitation #wintersurvival #cutebirds

Thanks to your continued support and donations this little White-breasted Nuthatch is 'hanging in there' and getting better every day! He is lucky a caring rescuer was quick to scoop him up while he was still stunned and slow to fly away. He has been receiving pain and anti-inflammatory medication to help with the bruising to his chest as well as medicated eye drops for the noticeably swollen left eye. We hope he will be back in the wild soon! Let his sweet face be a reminder that not all injuries show up right away and that any bird that has hit a window should be placed in a dark, quiet box to recover. Safe Wings Ottawa can then be contacted for further advice or the Centre is open 8am-4pm 7 days a week for bird admissions. #WhitebreastedNuthatch #Migration #WildBirdRehabilitation #hangingaround

With so many releases this month we almost missed sharing this one! A number of thrushes, sparrows, vireos, and nuthatches were able to be released early this month. Many were quick to leave while one particular Wood Thrush was very reluctant to leave and had lots to say about the whole experience. It was a familiar sound to us as this bird was always very chatty in our care, especially when being handled for medication! We could still hear it chatting as it moved farther into the forest as we walked away. Hope it was telling all its friends about the awesome care it received :) #WoodThrush #WhiteCrownedSparrow #RedeyedVireo #HermitThrush #WhitebreastedNuthatch #BacktotheWild #WildBirdRehabilitation #migration

A huge THANK YOU to The Barrow Gang Buskers for donating $300 to help the injured birds at the Centre! This fantastic group of musicians busk around the Ottawa area playing music without amplifiers, microphones, or special effects! This year has been a challenging one and we are so grateful for amazing members of the Ottawa community who have continue to support us. Thank YOU! #supportlocalOttawa #thebarrowgangbuskers #grateful #community

What northern bird have you been excited to see lately? The Centre has received a number of different northern species of birds that have become injured on their journey south, such as this Fox Sparrow. This cute plump sparrow is recovering from a fractured beak and an injured shoulder after colliding with a window. Its recover is going well and we hope it is ready for release soon! #FoxSparrow #Migration #WildBirdRehabilitation

How do you make the forest around the Centre even more beautiful at this time of the year? Release some Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers! While many of our woodpecker species stay year-round, these cuties drill shallow holes to drink tree sap so they do need to head south for the winter. We have seen many of Sapsuckers arriving to the Centre for care in the past few weeks and were thrilled to be able to release 5 of them this week! Good luck, see you in the spring! #YellowbelliedSapsucker #Woodpecker #WildBirdRehabilitation #BacktotheWild #Fall #Migration

You are never too young to make a difference for wild birds! This is 9 year old Aaron, who is running 10 km on November 8th to raise funds and awareness for wild birds! https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/4-the-birds-10k/ Aarons Story: In the spring, a beautiful woodpecker hit a window on his family home and sadly passed away. Right away he did some research and modified his window so it would not happen again. But he didn't stop there! He has since sponsored a raptor thr...ough Conservation Halton near his home town and tried organizing a fundraiser for us, the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre, near where his grandparents live. Although his school wanted to support him, COVID restrictions have made it difficult to organize a fundraiser, but that didn't stop him! He recently came home from school with a new idea - a run from his house to the CN tower which is a 10km distance. That's a long way for a 9-year-old! He got up bright and early with his mom the next day to start training and easily ran 5km. He now runs every day to school for training. November 8th is the big day for Aaron and we would love if our supporters can do what they can to encourage him by: Making a donation on his page and leaving a comment https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/4-the-birds-10k/ Consider running/walking yourself on Nov 8th and send an email to let Aaron know! [email protected] Leave a comment on this post or on his Instagram aaron_4_the_birds_10K_2020 We wish Aaron the best of luck will be posting about Aaron's progress leading up to the big day!! A million chirps, tweets, caws, honks, and hoots to you Aaron! See more

The Wild Bird Care Centre’s Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Walk fundraiser was a stunning success, raising more than $36,300!! On behalf of everyone at the Centre, thank you to all our supporters and everyone involved in running this campaign!