One of the best parts about working in the Avian Nursery  is seeing the process of a newly hatched bird growing up, being cared for by our interns and volunteers, becoming independent, and eventually getting released back into the wild.

Every year around late May to early June, Killdeer chicks inevitably get brought to the WRC for rehabilitation. These cute, tiny little “cotton ball on toothpick leg” orphans will eventually turn into elegant, sleek shorebirds that are commonly found on golf courses, sod farms, mudflats and other areas of low or no vegetation. They can be challenging to raise during their first week of life. Killdeer have very specific temperature, habitat and food requirements that need to be met. They also need to feel safe and secure before they will begin self-feeding….but once they start eating, there is no stopping them!

A newly admitted Killdeer chick snuggling into a warm towel.

5 weeks later, just prior to release.

Just released and already at home in a marsh!

Last week we released two juvenile Killdeer into a park next to a large marshy area, which is the perfect habitat for them as they demonstrated to us by seeking out food just moments after release. Watch a video of this here.

At this time of year our wards are packed with injured and orphaned animals and the halls are filled with interns.  WRC is a hopping place.  From my office, which happens to be located below our baby raccoon ward, the sound of chattering and squealing raccoons never stops. I n the background are the noises from our other animal wards: the strident caw of crows, the staccato of a pileated woodpecker drumming and the melodic symphony of dozens of songbirds.

For the most part I’m used to these noises; after all we have animals in the building year-round.

But what struck me today as I was passing through our volunteer lounge was a new sound.  Someone was chattering away in German and another person was happily talking with her family in Spanish.  The sounds of summer have taken on a new accent in recent years: the sound of foreign students Skyping with their families and friends telling them about their daily experiences here at WRC.

When I pause and think about this, it’s truly amazing to realize the international reach that we have.  Five visiting veterinarians from Colombia, Taiwan, Norway, Sweden, and Austria are with us this summer; we also have students from the United Kingdom and Norway.  In the past month we’ve had visitors from rehabilitation centers in China and South Korea.  WRC’s has established itself as an international go-to source for wildlife biology and vet students.

And students come from all over the United States, too.  We’re welcoming 12 fourth-year vet students from seven different schools this summer.  The course that we host in conjunction with the UMN’s Veterinary College is bringing in another four first-year vet students later this summer.

I’m pleased that we’re accomplishing a major part of our mission: to share our knowledge with others.  And I’m happy that these students are having a wonderful time while experiencing some of the best hands-on training they’ll ever have in their student careers.  It’s a tribute to our staff and our organization that WRC can provide this unique opportunity for students from around the globe.

caption: WRC Veterinarian Leslie Reed (right) examines a chickadee with visiting DVM Agnes Hutchinson (left) and Veterinary Student Sara Hofer. Hutchinson has just relocated to the Twin Cities from Austria and Hofer is a student at Iowa State.

Keller Golf Course in Maplewood isn’t just a haven for urban golfers. It’s a haven for urban Eastern Bluebirds.

With more than 30 bluebird nestboxes it’s easy to see why Keller has been certified an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International.

What does that mean for WRC? Not only does it mean we get to establish ties with community leaders (in fact, our Executive Director Phil Jenni is on the Ramsey County Park Commission),  it means we have lots of bluebird houses nearby that can be used for wild fostering of orphaned bluebirds. It’s a tricky business, this wild fostering. The birds have to be within a day, possibly two, of the other birds and that’s difficult to find in the wild.

Last week, Golf Course Superintendent Paul Diegnau met me at the maintenance building and we headed out across the course with a cardboard box containing two tiny bluebird nestlings that had been orphaned:

We headed to a bluebird house on the course that Paul had been monitoring. It’s in a gorgeous setting; bordering restored prairie habitat. In the house? Five wild bluebirds being well-tended to by their parents.

Paul carefully added two more chicks to the house:

And then we sat back and watched for a half hour to make sure the fostering had been successful. The female bluebird returned and perched on a nearby house for 10 minutes before entering her house. We were guessing that maybe she can distinguish her own nestling calls from the two new birds and was wondering about the new sounds.

In any event, she went in, checked things out and then continued on her daily pattern of catching bugs and bringing them back for now seven hungry mouths.

Paul followed up on the bluebird nest the next day, just to make sure things were going well. All seven chicks were active and alert, gaping to be fed.

With this wild foster we continue an amazing streak of 100% success in fostering orphaned bluebirds into wild homes. Many thanks to Paul Diegnau, his staff, and Keller Golf Course for welcoming two more bluebirds to their community.

note: If you monitor a bluebird trail in the Twin Cities and wish to be added to our list of resources for wild fostering, please email me and let me know your location and the date of your most recent egg hatch or, if you’re into your second brood and the eggs haven’t hatched yet, email me when they hatch.