Northern Colorado on June 6 experienced a historic weather event when a band of storms and heavy winds, known as a derecho, tore across the region.
Meteorologist Jim Kalina, with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said it was the first recorded derecho in northern Colorado. In Boulder County, the howling winds were recorded to have reached up to 63 miles and hour, snapping branches from the trees, according to the National Weather Service’s storm reports.The storm also took its toll on wildlife. It ripped bird nests from perches, causing many adult birds and their babies to become injured. Since then, bird care facilities in Broomfield and Boulder County have been helping care for the animals.
Between June 6 and 8, the Birds of Prey Foundation, a nonprofit organization that rehabilitates raptors, received about 30 injured birds; three of those raptors were brought in from Boulder County. Desirae Kovacich, the Intensive Care Unit manager for the Birds of Prey Foundation, said 23 of the birds were nestling red-tailed hawks. There were also several adult red-tailed hawks, a few kestrel nestlings and one great horned owl.
“It was just a brutal storm,” Kovacich said. “We ended up with a lot of babies and some adults as well. (They came from) all over the metro area. We even got a few from Colorado Springs. It’s a pretty unique situation — usually in windstorms, we see a few birds downed from the storm, definitely not 30 all at once.”
Some of the birds experienced fractures and had to have their legs put into casts. Other birds lost their parents and needed the care of a foster bird, Kovacich said. Because many of the birds were babies when they were brought in, Kovacich said the creatures will likely be healing at Birds of Prey through the fall.
Once they are well enough, the young hawks are placed in Birds of Prey’s flight cages, where there are pools, grass, perches and other red-tailed hawks, who will help them learn to hunt. Of the birds that were injured, Kovacich said two nestlings and the great horned owl died. The rest are expected to recover and be released into the wild again.
Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Longmont is a nonprofit that cares for animals, including songbirds. The day of the June 6 storm, there were 74 calls for service — marking a record number of calls for the entire month so far. Of those, 45 calls were bird-related, according to Chelsea Barrett, the development manager for the animal care facility.
On June 9, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center also saw a record number of bird intakes for the entire month at 46. Barrett said 30% of those calls were related to the storm June 6. The calls included reports of birds hopping but unable to fly, high winds knocking a nest into a window well and a nest destroyed when a tree blew down.
Jason Clay, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson, said June is a common time to see baby animals, including newborn birds. He advised people to never touch a bird found outside its nest.
“We don’t want (people) to intervene themselves,” Clay said. “We don’t want anyone getting injured if they pick them up. This time of year, with birds and all wildlife, there are lots of newborns found. It’s not unheard of to see to chicks on the ground.”
Barrett said Greenwood typically receives a number of calls in June and July for birds fallen from nests. While she said people should “always get advice before taking action,” in some instances it’s OK to try and place a baby bird back in its nest.
If a newborn bird, or hatchling, which will be mostly pink with few feathers, is found, people can create a fake nest for it near where it was found. This keeps it out of harm’s way, and Barrett said the mother bird will flock to the nest to feed it. In some instances it may be OK to try and return the bird to its nest, but people should first call wildlife experts for advice. Barrett added it’s a rumor that mother birds can smell a human’s scent and won’t want to feed their own baby if a person touches them. She warned, though, that people shouldn’t take the bird into their home or carry it away from the area where it was found, because the mother might assume the baby is gone and not look for it again.
If people find a fledgling bird, a 13-to-14-day-old bird with downy feathers, they should leave it alone because it is likely adapting to life outside the nest. Barrett said after stretching its wings and getting used to its new environment, a fledgling will typically fly off within three to seven days.
Kovacich also advised that people not touch any injured raptors or baby birds they may encounter. Rather, she said to call the professionals, who can help the animals.
Both the Birds of Prey Foundation and Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center take donations. People can find wish lists, sponsor animals or make a financial donation by visiting the nonprofits’ websites at birds-of-prey.org and greenwoodwildlife.org.
How to help an injured bird
People who see an injured raptor can call Birds of Prey Foundation at 303-460-0674 or email raptor@birds-of-prey.org.
People who find an injured songbird can call Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at 303-823-8455.
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Boulder and Broomfield county nonprofits care for birds injured during severe windstorm - Longmont Times-Call
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