355 bird species live in or migrate through New York City. Surrounded by water, with 50,000 acres of parks and open spaces, the city is both an oasis and an obstacle course. Hundreds of thousands of birds are hurt or killed simply by flying into our buildings. Others fall prey to cat and dog attacks, cars and bicycles, pollution and litter. Ninety percent of the cases seen by the Wild Bird Fund Center are directly or indirectly due to human activity. Prior to the Wild Bird Fund Center opening in 2012, New York was the only major city in the United States that did not have a hospital for wildlife. In the first year of operation the WBF center treated 1,500 birds and animals; in 2016 the number of WBF patients will rise to over 4,000. Over 100 different species are treated each year. Rita McMahon, co-founder and director of the Wild Bird Fund, will talk about the origins of New York City’s one and only wildlife rehabilitation and education center, as well as its day-to-day operations and mission. Some of the cases to be presented: Hedwig the Snowy Owl shot in the shoulder, Hamilton the juvenile Peregrine Falcon, Mouser the Great Blue Heron, and Darienne the Red-tailed Hawk.
