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Bird Club Also Plans Walk Saturday
The Rockbridge Bird Cub has invited Allyson Lee of the Wildlife Care Alliance to give a talk on wildlife rehabilitation next Monday, April 15, in the Piovano Room at the Rockbridge Regional Library.
Lee is a licensed veterinarian technician with the Wildlife Care Alliance, a group of home-based wildlife rehabilitators located throughout southwest Virginia.
The evening will begin at 6:30 with a social gathering followed by Lee’s presentation – “Rehabbing Birds and Other Wildlife” – at 7. The program is free and open to the public.
As Lee explained, “Rehabbers are responsible for the triage, treatment and stabilization of wildlife. The members of our alliance care for native Virginia animals that are sick, injured or orphaned, always with the goal of returning them to the wild once they are healthy enough to survive. My talk will cover how we do it, how it’s funded, and different ways people can help.”
Lee and her colleagues specialize in caring for particular species, including opossums, rabbits, songbirds, raptors and reptiles. Lee’s own areas of specialization are reptiles and adult songbirds. She also stabilizes raptors before sending them on to centers that have the space to properly care for them.
For her presentation to the Bird Club, Lee will emphasize the rehabilitation of wild birds. Accompanying her will be two non-releasable “ambassador birds,” a screech owl and a peregrine falcon.
Lee began rehabbing as a college student. Since 1989, she has treated and released thousands of animals.
In addition to rehabbing, Lee works full time in the Veterinary Wellness Center in Roanoke and is also a search and rescue canine handler.
Birding at Boxerwood Rockbridge Bird Club also invites area residents to join them on Saturday, April 13, for “Birding at Boxerwood.” Boxerwood walks, scheduled on the second Saturday of each month from September to June, are an excellent introduction for those new to birding.
The April walk will include a special program for local families interested in learning about the many types of birds who make Boxerwood their home. Families are encouraged to RSVP at boxerwood. org/events.
Early birders will meet in the parking lot at Boxerwood (963 Ross Road) at 8 a.m. for the first hour. Families with children will join them at the kiosk beginning at 9 and make several stops throughout the garden, listening and looking for breeding birds. Participants should bring their own binoculars and wear sturdy footwear.
Walks are canceled for rain. For more information or an iffy weather update, visit the Rockbridge Bird Club on Facebook or contact Bonnie Bernstein at (540) 460-9147 or bonnie.bernstein@gmail. com.
