We love people like wildlife rehabilitators that help save animals, like injured birds of prey, and we’re proud to use our online store to raise money to support their important work.
Wildlife rehabilitators spring into action when their phone rings, often in the early morning hours when the rest of us are in deep REM sleep, and answer our calls for help. These kinds of people are unique in their selflessness, caring, and kindness for living creatures.
Thanks to your support of our online shop, we raised enough money to once again sponsor the annual food bill and medical care for five permanent birds of prey education ambassadors at Christine’s Critters in Weston, Connecticut.
Christine Critters rescues, rehabilitates, and returns injured birds of prey back to the wild. These birds include Bald Eagles, Northern Goshawks, Red-tailed hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Barred Owls, and Peregrine Falcons. And smaller raptors like Eastern Screech Owls, American Kestrels, and Northern Saw-whet Owls. Unfortunately, their care and feeding costs grow astronomically over time, and they rely on education programs and donations to care for our wildlife.
When we say “our” wildlife, they belong to all of us. Well, technically, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, but everyone shares nature. So if you see the beauty of a Red-tailed Hawk flying high above, that’s great. If you don’t, that’s fine too.
We sum up life simply as live and let live and supporting those that provide care and shelter for those living things that need help.
Creating Our Online Shop
A few years ago, we took the plunge and got a laser, unsure what to do with it. Then we decided to create the intoBirds online shop harnessing our creativity to raise money for a cause that is so important to us – helping birds.
So we’d like to thank everyone who has purchased items from us. We’re grateful for letting us create handmade items for you to share with your loved ones. We appreciate that you allow intoBirds to become part of your special moments like bridal showers, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and just because days. Your patronage makes it possible to support nonprofits like Christine’s Critters and the work they do everyday.
Helping Injured Birds of Prey
We’d like to introduce you to some of our bird friends.
First, our dear feathered friend, Magma, is a male red-phased Eastern Screech Owl born with a backward being and an attitude the size of a Great Horned Owl. We love Magma’s indomitable spirit and the fact that he’s a beautiful little owl.
Higgins, though he prefers to be called Mr. Higgins, is an adorable male Northern Saw-whet Owl and survivor of a cat attack. If Higgins looks different to you, that’s because the Saw-whet owl doesn’t have ear tufts like other owl species. Instead, they have a black bill and a prominent white ‘V’ on their face, with broad reddish-brown streaks on their underparts and white spots on their shoulders.
Equinox is a female Peregrine Falcon and the fastest animal on the planet. Unfortunately, Equinox is the victim of a collision with a car, suffering neurological injuries robbing her of her gift of flight and making her unreleasable.
Pair of American Kestrels
Salsa is a female American Kestrel who grew up as a pet in a cage in the Bronx, New York. This beautiful tiny falcon is an imprint and can’t survive in the wild. So instead, this beautiful kestrel is a bird ambassador educating about this species of concern.
Queso is Salsa’s aviary mate and beautiful male American Kestrel. This gorgeous bird was raised in captivity and then released. Queso never learned how to be a wild bird and arrived at Christine’s Critters, thin, frail, and struggling to survive. He was also quite friendly with humans, and his imprinting made it impossible for life in the wild. His chatty nature makes him the perfect bird ambassador.
Raising Money to Save Birds
People often ask why we raise money for these types of organizations, and the answer is simple. We’re intoBirds, and our goal is to help raise awareness about birds and inspire others to coexist with nature.
But more importantly, through our support of these bird ambassadors, Christine’s Critters can use the funds they raise through programs and donations to care for more injured birds of prey.
In 2022, they cared for more than 300 birds of prey. And of that number of avian patients, most were returned to the wild. Others too severely injured for release become bird ambassadors at Christine’s Critters or other Wildlife Centers. And sadly, a small percentage don’t make it. We can’t save them all, but they try.
Caring for Baby Birds of Prey
Not all rehabilitated birds of prey are placed in a carrier and released in an open field. Some baby birds, for instance, are reunited with their parents as chicks. If the baby bird falls out of the nest, Christine’s Critters has a network of volunteers with tree-climbing skills to renest the baby bird under the watchful eye of its parents.
Can you imagine climbing a tree with a baby Red-tailed Hawk as an adult hawk with powerful talons watches your every move? Talk about pressure!
Other baby birds, too young to be out of their nest and away from their parents, require care in an incubator. Christine and her bird ambassadors raise the young birds, teaching them how to fly and hunt for their life in the wild.
So for those wondering if it’s humane to keep adult bird ambassadors, their importance extends beyond the role of education. These birds play an essential role as foster parents for injured baby birds so they can overcome their injuries and be released back into the wild as nature intended.
Live and let live. We must share this mantra with all living things and are proud to support an organization dedicated to helping injured birds of prey.