Wednesday, September 2, 2015

BACK WHERE THEY BELONG

This picture captures the joy of releasing birds back to the wild better than any words.
Rob has been a volunteer driver for the Toronto Wildlife Centre for a while now. I don't often get to join him on pick-ups or releases because of our working different shifts, so it's a treat when we can do it together. 

An email went out to the volunteer list this past Saturday morning and we decided if they still needed someone we would do it. Rob picked up 8 orphaned Mallard ducks that were ready to return to the water, and also 3 warblers and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird that had had run-ins with downtown windows a few days before. Thankfully there are organizations like FLAP to help these songbirds, and the Toronto Wildlife Centre to care for them.

It is very rare for a hummingbird to survive a window strike, it was an honour to release him back to the wild to continue his journey.

Rob released the 3 warblers first, and they were gone like a shot! They perched in trees for a few minutes in our sight and then were off hunting bugs to eat to gain their strength for their migration. Rob let me release the hummingbird. So tiny he was, and in such a neat set up in the box with food. Then we both released all the ducks, opening the two enclosures at the same time. We backed up away from the carriers to give them space, but stayed close enough in case we had to corral them back towards the water. One by one, out they came, staying close together. It was such a great feeling to see them go into the water!

Rob releasing one of the warblers. Click on the photo to enlarge, you can see the bird.
Uncovering the hummingbird.
There he goes!
Getting himself situated.
Checking out his surroundings before he continues on his journey.
Cautious at first.
Making their way slowly to the water.
They took to it like ducks to water!
There really are no words to describe how amazing and rewarding it was to release these birds.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

How cool is that... Volunteering is such a commendable sacrifice and I am glad you two get to experience in the happiness of sending our feathered or furry friends back where they belong... Thanks for sharing :)