Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter

May 2019

Celebrating 43 years of excellence in

wildlife rehabilitation and research

Photo: Hank Davis Compiled by Tri-State staff and volunteers

CELEBRATING YOU—HONORING TRI-STATE’S VOLUNTEERS!

April was National Volunteer Month, and at Tri-State we couldn’t have been more excited to celebrate such an
amazing team of volunteers! One hundred fifty active volunteers serve in many areas and are the lifeblood that
gives our organization strength and vitality. On April 7th we recognized 17 volunteers who have gone above
and beyond the call of duty. They were presented with certificates and awards by Volunteer Services Manager,
Melody Whitaker, and Executive Director, Lisa Smith, for their achievements, service, and dedication to our
mission.

A volunteer since 1996, Marian Quinn, Lifetime Achievement Award

recipient, has filled nearly every role a volunteer can at Tri-State. This includes
Bird Care Assistant (BCA), Oiled Wildlife “CORE” team member, bird rescuer
and transporter, Outreach team member, Habitat Team member, and much
more. Marian is a leader among our volunteers and a champion for birds. Her
dedication to wildlife is truly inspiring and everyone had greatly benefitted
from her knowledge and experience. This past year, Marian was also a
recipient of the Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer awards, and she published
a poster for the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association symposium.

Lyndsay Ayers, Volunteer of the Year, started her volunteer career at Tri-
State when she was a teenager. She trained with her mother, and they would
come in together. After taking some time off she re-joined us in 2012 as a
volunteer extraordinaire. Lyndsay comes in regularly, serving as a mentor and
Bird Care Assistant. Recently she started training as a Relief Supervisor, and
our team couldn’t be more thrilled!

Jim McVoy, Pat Wolters Wild Bird

Stewardship Award, joined Tri-State in 2006
after retiring as a music professor. Since then Jim has given us much more than
just hours or miles. He is a BCA, Volunteer Mentor, CORE team member, Outreach
team member, the “can man,” an author, a transporter, a “bird nerd,” and, most
importantly, a member of the Wednesday afternoon “A” team! As a specially
trained Oiled Wildlife CORE team member, he spent many long days helping birds
during the Deepwater/Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. More recently, Jim has
written a book about some of his birding escapades, titled 50 Birds in 50 States.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 2

Diane Korolog, Mary Robinson Award, has been with Tri-State for over 26 years and has served as a clinic
supervisor, oil team member, and volunteer. In recent years, her role has evolved from direct bird care into
coordinating our raptor re-nesting program. Every spring, we receive owlets, eaglets, and hawk-lets (if you will)
that can be reunited with their parents or placed into a wild foster nest. Diane is the one who makes this all
happen with meticulous organization and coordination. With her knowledge, experience, and service we have
been able to re-nest over hundreds of young raptors (photo unavailable).

Linda Busacca, Fledgling of the Year, has only been with Tri-State for a
year and a half but has made numerous positive contributions. She serves in
many areas, making meaningful and lasting impacts to strengthen our volunteer
program. Linda started her journey in bird care but then quickly jumped into
other areas, including diet prep, transporting, front desk, craft committee,
special events, volunteer information sessions, serving as a Volunteer Mentor,
Volunteer Advisory Committee, and providing administrative support. More
recently, our clinic team welcomed her to the BCA program. Linda always does
a great job with bird care, has excellent bird sense, and we know she will make
an outstanding BCA.

Marie Maiura, Unsung Hero, is one of the most reliable and dependable
volunteers. She serves in many areas from bird care to transporting, from craft
committee to volunteer recruitment; there really isn’t much that Marie won’t or
can’t do. Marie is diligent, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and dedicated making her
such an outstanding member of our team. Recently she was invited to start
training as a BCA, where we know she will be remarkable.

Tim Marshall, Unsung Hero, often comes in after working all day to perform
the less glamorous cleaning and closing tasks of the evening. Even though we
don’t always see him in person to express our gratitude, we are so thankful to
have all his help. He is one of the hardest working volunteers we have and is an asset to our team (photo
unavailable).

Warren Young, Unsung Hero, contributes immensely to the success of our

bird care. He is super reliable and dedicated to our mission. Warren is the
type of volunteer that you can rattle off instructions to and he takes them and
runs with them. He has a very bright and positive attitude, even early in the
morning. Warren has been a volunteer with Tri-State for over 10 years, and
we are so thankful for all his time, service, and dedication.

Patrick Meginniss, Unsung Hero, is a bird

care volunteer. However, he is always willing
to take on special projects and share his
many talents with us. He has also started
checking the schedule weekly and picking days to come in where we don’t
have any coverage, which is very thoughtful and helpful. Having him fill those
gaps is greatly appreciated. Patrick is such a pleasure to work with; he is fun,
candid, thoughtful, and hard-working. Patrick truly is a hero in our books!

Tyler Stephen, Rising Star, has been a volunteer for last 3 years, coming in
to help with Clinic Support. He always arrives ready to help out wherever
needed and doesn’t waste any time getting to work. Tyler is always willing to help out with tasks such as
sweeping, mopping, and restocking laundry. While they might not be the most attractive tasks, they are vital to
Monthly Flyer, March, 2019 3

providing the best care for our patients. Tyler not only completes these tasks, but he does so with enthusiasm
and a positive attitude (photo unavailable).

The Banding Together Award was presented to our Facilities Team. This award is presented to a group of
individuals demonstrating excellence in teamwork. The Facilities Team consists of wonderfully talented people,
who share their skills in helping Tri-State to achieve its mission. They are craftsmen, construction workers,
landscapers, painters, plumbers, machinists, mechanics, and the ones who keep our operations going. This
group includes, left to right: Dan Cotterman, Keith Hall, Jim Howey, Sheila Smith, and Rand McIlvaine
(not pictured are Charles Robertson and Marg Bellano).

This past year 150 active volunteers contributed over 21,000 hours to help save wild birds' lives. If it weren't
for these caring individuals, we couldn't do what we do to save so many wild lives. Thank you to everyone who
took the time to attend the annual volunteer celebration. We honor you!
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 4

SPRING HAS SPRUNG IN THE NURSERY

Baby birds have started to arrive, and one sure sign is the ‘chattering’ in the nursery. If you get a chance to
check it out, you’ll notice many differences from last year. Thanks to volunteer Dan, the nursery has a fresh coat
of paint, which was quite the monumental task. The room has been thoroughly cleaned and volunteers have
prepared the caging for the juveniles. A big thank you to members of the craft committee and individual donors;
because of you, we were able to purchase four new incubators to house our most vulnerable patients! In fact,
one of the incubators is currently occupied with four adorable House Finches!

Rosann and Ian assemble the new incubators in the nursery to prepare for the arrival of baby birds.
Below: The nursery’s newest occupants—nestling House Finches. Photos: Staff
Monthly Flyer, March, 2019 5

Facilities Team volunteer Dan worked diligently to update and

refresh our nursery. Soon, the Window Room will house many
of our most fragile patients, baby birds. Thank you for all your
hard work, Dan!

…AND SPEAKING OF SPRING SPRUCING…

In the first photo, Teryl Ann, Charlene, and Jean banded together to give the raptor room caging a good
cleaning. You’ve heard of where is Waldo? In the second photo, where is Teryl Ann?
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 6

…THERE’S BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF SPRUCING GOING ON OUTSIDE AS WELL!

Marg and Rand have been volunteering an abundance of hours pulling invasives and weeds, pruning bushes
and trees, and landscaping Tri-State’s campus. A tedious task for sure. Thank you…this is truly a labor of love.

Marg tackles tough weeds and uncovers a surprise---a native trout lily! Below: A couple of visitors
keep a close watch on the outdoor activities. Staff photos.

HELPING HANDS ‘CREATE’ A REUNION LIKE NO OTHER; OR, IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL
COME!
Several weeks ago, a five-week-old Bald Eagle was found on the ground with its sibling after a severe storm,
their nest destroyed, and the eaglets were transported to us for professional care. Other than being slightly
dehydrated, one nestling was healthy. Unfortunately, its sibling had sustained severe injuries and did not
survive. Ideally, healthy nestlings like this one are returned to their parents, who are the best caretakers. But
this nest was destroyed in the storm---what to do? An extraordinary team of volunteers from Tri-State,
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, and staff from NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife hatched a plan to join forces
to build a new nest in a suitable tree close to the original location. This was no small feat! The arduous task of
nest building took hours to complete and required expert climbers. Once finished, the secure nest was ready
and the eaglet was placed in it. The team retreated to a respectful distance, watching and waiting with bated
breath to see if the parents would return to care for the eaglet that had been gone for two days. Would it
work? Would they return? Thank you to all the volunteers who participated in this amazing feat! You can see
the full story and the dramatic conclusion in this slideshow, courtesy of Tri-State volunteer Marian Quinn.
Monthly Flyer, March, 2019 7

Click on photo to view slideshow story

A GULL GETS TO GO ‘HOME’ THANKS TO VOLUNTEERS!

This Great Black-backed gull—the largest gull species in the world—was found on the side of the road by a
concerned citizen. Three Tri-State volunteer transporters relayed the injured seabird to our wildlife center,
where it was stabilized and assessed. The bird was thin and unable to fly. With the patient under anesthesia,
our wildlife veterinarian set a fractured bone in one wing and cleaned and sutured a wound. Proper care by
many volunteers over two months led to the gull’s gaining weight and strength, and the injuries healing. When
it was determined to be ready for release, the gull was transported by Cindy, another Tri-State volunteer, to an
appropriate habitat where, as the video shows, it took its time readjusting and evaluating its surroundings
before flying off to join others of its species (not visible in the video) in the wild as nature intended. Thank you
to everyone who contributed to giving the gull a second chance! Video courtesy of Cindy Ahern. Click the photo
to watch the video.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 8

BY ‘BANKING’ ON VOLUNTEERS—THE BIRDS BENEFIT

To accomplish larger projects and tasks, Tri-State often relies on volunteer groups looking to give back to their
community. Luckily for us, we have a long-standing history with the local Bank of America locations and their
wonderful employees. On, Tuesday April 16th, we hosted a group of six Bank of America employees for a much-
needed project—a sand change in one of our enclosures. This activity includes removing old sand and replacing
it with new sand to cover the bottom of enclosures that serve as temporary homes to birds in our care. This
project was organized and completed with the help of 2 Tri-State volunteers as well, Rand and Julie. Julie is
also a Bank of America employee in addition to a Bird Care volunteer. We greatly appreciate everyone’s help
and look forward to hosting the helping hands of Bank of America again!

Remember when you started as a volunteer at

Volunteer Services
Number of Hours
Served
Number of Volunteers
Highest Number of
Hours Served
(Monthly/Individual)
Tri-State? We bet many volunteers would like to
read about your memories and experiences when
you began volunteering here (we know we
April 2019 would!). If you’d like to share a story with other
volunteers who receive the monthly flyer, please
1,478.75 contact Anita, Marketing Associate, at
amoos@tristatebird.org, or call her at
302-737-9543 extension 117. You can also see
97
Melody, Volunteer Services Manager, in her
office or at mwhitaker@tristatebird.org.
148.5 We’d love to hear from you!

MAY VOLUNTEER ANNIVERSARIES—THANK YOU FOR BEING A MEMBER OF

TRI-STATE’S FLOCK.
WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

34 years: Ro Francis 23 years: Ann Banning 15 years: Donald Bauman

11 years: Rachel Despins 9 years: Melanie Figgs 8 years: Carol Donner
and Mary VanderDussen 7 years: David and Tara Kee 4 years: Ann Baines
3 years: Wendy Hubbard, Becca Snow 2 years: Abby Himes
1 year: Ian Henderson, David Lieberman, Marsha Lieberman, Lorna Wohl
*Please Note: if your anniversary date is wrong or missing, please help us correct it
by emailing corrections to mwhitaker@tristatebird.org, thank you!
Monthly Flyer, March, 2019 9

RAIN OR SHINE…THIS SUNDAY IS THE BIG DAY!

-Take self-guided tours

-Shop with local vendors and artisans
-Enjoy delicious fare from I Don't Give A Fork and Gonzo's
Kitchen food trucks and Harvest Market Natural Foods
-Fun with kids crafts
-Learn from other local non-profits (see list below)
-Discover what's inside an owl pellet!
-Talk to Delaware Master Gardeners
-Discover Brandywine Zoo's Traveling zoo animals from
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
-Wilmington Police Department K-9 unit and SWAT team
demos starting at 11:15 a.m.
-Meet former patient Conrad the Blue Jay from John James
Audubon Center from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
-New Castle County mounted patrol with their Clydesdale
horses 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
-Smyrna Police K-9 demonstration 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
-Presentation: Why Banding Birds Matters: Dr. Erica Miller
11:30 a.m.
-Presentation: Wilmington, DE Peregrine Falcon Webcam:
Mary Behal 12:30 p.m.
-Presentation: Delaware Wildlands; Preserving Habitat for
Native Wildlife: Brenna Ness 1:30 p.m.
-Presentation: The Importance of Native Plants to Our
Ecosystem and How They Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens:
Dr. Doug Tallamy, nationally recognized author and University
of Delaware professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology
2:30 p.m.

Our non-profit friends from Delaware Ornithological Society, Delaware Nature Society, Delaware Museum of
Natural History, Delaware Wildlands, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
(Lums Pond), Newark Center for Creative Learning, Foodbank of Delaware, Friends of the Serpentine Barrens,
and Newlin Grist Mill will be on hand to help raise awareness of our natural world.

Local vendors and artisans will offer a chance to shop for Mother's Day gifts, including clay artist Carole Huber,
artist Linda Lewis, and metal sculptor Terry Fund. Tri-State volunteers will be 'hawking' their handmade items
as well.

Stay connected and up-to-date with further additions to our Open House event here.

There’s still time to sign-up to volunteer! Contact Chris at Cchapdelaine@tristatebird.org

or call 302-737-9543 x109

Thank you to every volunteer who is generously giving their time and talents to
the success of Open House. This is one of three major annual events, and it
can’t happen without you!
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 10

PLEASE KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR BABY BIRDS OF ALL

SPECIES!
Tri-State aims to foster healthy baby birds that we receive into
wild families whenever possible. It’s better for babies to be
raised by parents of their own species than by humans! Please
let us know if you spot any wild baby birds, whether that be a
nest of songbirds, a fledgling songbird, baby raptors, or baby
waterfowl.

For baby raptors, contact Aimee Federer at

afederer@tristatebird.org

For baby songbirds and waterfowl, contact Jessica Hicken at

jhicken@tristatebird.org

Northern Flicker photo courtesy of volunteer Marian Quinn

READ ALL ABOUT IT! CHECK-OUT THIS ‘TAIL’ ABOUT

TRI-STATE!
We are incredibly proud to present "River Rescue," a newly published
book about what happens when oil spills in water and on land, and
the process to help save affected wildlife. It is written by award-
winning author Jennifer Keats Curtis in conjunction with Tri-State Bird
Rescue & Research, and it is beautifully illustrated by Tammy Yee,
who has worked on more than thirty books.

"River Rescue" is geared toward elementary school-aged children,

and it tells the story of how a team of experts capture contaminated
animals and treat them quickly and safely so they can be returned to
the wild where they belong. What a great educational narrative about
wildlife rehabilitation!

This first edition is now available in paperback and hardcover for

purchase in the lobby or on Amazon here.

WANTED: GOOD HOMES FOR COMPANION RESCUE BIRDS

Although Tri-State treats only wild birds, many of our volunteers open their homes
and hearts to companion birds. If you are interested in adopting an exotic bird,
contact longtime Tri-State volunteers Vera Lee Rao (veraleerao@gmail.com) or Diane
Korolog (dianekkorolog@gmail.com) for more information. Photo courtesy of Kim
Steininger.