NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Hurricane Isaias brought Skywatch Bird Rescue more than 180 displaced or injured animals — the biggest influx in the non-profit’s six-year history.
Volunteers at the wildlife bird rescue center attribute the surge to the severity of the storm and the community’s increased awareness of knowing to call the organization when encountering an injured bird.
“Even though it was a Category 1, I think this one kind of caught everybody off guard,” Beth Autrey, five-year volunteer at Skywatch, said Friday. “You would have thought a lot of the trees would have already toppled in past storms.”
Adding to the influx, the storm overlapped with baby bird season. Downed trees and high winds interrupted the life cycle of dozens of baby birds in the region, saved by both Skywatch’s volunteers and people who knew to call the center post-storm.
About 50 or 60 baby birds are recovering in Skywatch’s nursery, from nestlings to hatchlings to juveniles. The storm brought in mostly songbirds, but also ospreys, waterfowl, and shorebirds.
Because the center is normally reliant on students working through UNCW or CFCC, Covid-19 has dwindled its summer volunteer program. Severely understaffed, a few key volunteers took on the brunt of the post-storm work, encountering some birds too far gone to save and giving more a second chance.
“It was like triage after a battlefield just all day long trying to keep up with the wave after wave of calls and intakes,” Skywatch posted the day after the hurricane. “Our core volunteers, we all rallied together and got through it,” Autrey said.
Now, Skywatch is looking for any volunteers up to take on the task. No prior experience with birds is necessary. “The most important thing is somebody just being reliable. A lot of people come in and think it’s just glamour but, it’s farm work. That’s what it is,” Autrey said.
With the recent inundation, the non-profit is more reliant than ever on donations. Donors can simply bring items to the side door of the Castle Hayne property and ring the bell.
Skywatch is specifically looking for: hay, bird food, chicken food, cat or kitten food (Science Diet kitten food works well with baby birds), crickets, mealworms, live worms, roadkill, any leftover or unwanted fish, and lettuce (especially Romaine or leafy greens with a hearty core). Check out Skywatch’s website for a more extensive list of supplies or shop its Amazon wish list.
Other than supplies, Skywatch is seeking monthly financial donors and gift cards to Lowe’s or Home Depot to help keep structures up to par.
Learn more about Skywatch Bird Rescue on its website.
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