Hi Everyone Rescues got off to a brisk start in February then the cyclone turned up off the Goldie and everything came to a grinding halt for 5 days. That's good of course. The less birds in trouble the better. In the end WBR completed a total of 27 rescues for the month. Not a Childcare Worker A couple of reports back I featured a story about two darter chicks (pic at right) which … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone Activity picked up during January with Wild Bird Rescues attending 38 sick, injured or orphaned birds. Species rescued included ducks, swans, ibis, pelis, cormorants, crows, maggies, pigeons, gulls, a white-faced heron and even a striated heron. Striated heron are not a bird that I have to catch very often. They're funny little blokes. in fact several live around Southport … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, The closing month of 2018 saw WBR complete 31 rescues. This was up on previous months but still well below the annual monthly average. In fact around 30 rescues per month is where I want to be. Swans took the biggest hit in December making up nearly half of all birds rescued (13). Problems ranged from fish hooks, dog bites, eel bites and of course general naughtiness. Ain't … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, November was steady at WBR with 25 birds attended, yet there was no shortage of action. Fish hooks, fish hooks everywhere Hookings continued, as they always do. In this case it was a cygnet from a family of five which some idiot had caught then cut loose to swim away with a very large fish hook embedded in the base of its neck. Luckily caller Barry spotted the hook and kept … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, October was steady at Wild Bird Rescues with 30 sick or injured birds receiving help. In fact, exactly the same number of rescues as last month. A Bird in the Hand Spotter Sandy (of the flaming red hair) pulled off a specky catch when she sidled up and pounced on this peli. Sandy had come across  the creature the day before on the sand at Cabbage Tree (30k's north of … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, August was quieter at Wild Bird Rescues with a total of 26 sick or injured birds attended, plus several releases. This lower number was due in part to time I had off. Every now and then the pressure of rescuing gets on top of me and I need a break. Making oneself available for 15   hours of every day, 7 days a week can be taxing. Having set holiday times would … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, Things were brisk at Wild Bird Rescues during July with 43 rescues attended plus several releases. This was up considerably on June but equal to the usual annual monthly average. Again 'our favourite bird' did quite well with only 4 needing to be caught. Ibis have had a pretty good run lately. In the past there's been times when 10 ibis rescues per month was the norm. Not sure … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, With 31 rescues attended in June it was a lot quieter than the previous month's 52 rescues. I'm convinced the cold snap which showed up mid-month had much to do with this. During that whole week everything seemed to stop. The Gold Coast became the 'Cold Coast' causing everyone to add extra layers of clothing before things returned to normal. Our 'favourite bird' had quite a good … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone, May was busy at WBR with 52 rescues attended. Sadly it was our swans which took the brunt of the hurt with 12 needing help. The Gold Coast's 'favourite bird' came a close second with 11 ibis getting themselves into trouble. Then there was all the beak-entangled darter … a total of 4 needing to be caught in May bringing the total to 5 caught over a one month period. All were … [Read more...]

Hi Everyone Things were hopping again in April, and I don’t just mean the ibis … although there was plenty of that too. In total WBR attended 45 rescues; up considerably on the previous two months but consistent with the annual monthly average. Everyone's attention during April was on the Commonwealth Games. It was an exciting time for all Gold Coasters and the many visitors who attended. … [Read more...]