Blog

Window Strikes Surge as Fall Migration is Underway

As the crisp air of fall sets in, many of us enjoy the vibrant colors and the cooler temperatures. However, for our feathered friends embarking on their journey south, this season poses significant risks.

Fall migration has started and the Wildlife Hospital has already seen a steep increase in birds admitted for window strike treatment in August and September. This uptick highlights the dangers migrating birds face as they navigate urban landscapes.

Why Are Birds Striking Windows?

During migration, birds often travel at night and may be disoriented by city lights and reflective surfaces. Glass windows and railings, which can appear invisible to birds, present a deadly hazard. With their large windows and glass balcony railings, high-rise buildings are especially dangerous for migrating birds.

The Hidden Dangers

Window collisions are a leading cause of death for migratory and resident birds across the world. The stark reality is that these bird-glass collisions result in the death of approximately 25 million birds annually in Canada, a statistic reported by Global Bird Rescue.

Birds that have impacted a window often suffer from concussions, internal injuries, eye injuries, and fractured bones. Even if a bird seems to recover from an initial window strike, injuries can develop or worsen up to 48 hours later. This delayed effect makes immediate care from a trained wildlife rehabilitator critical for the survival of these birds.

How You Can Make a Difference

There are several proactive measures you can take to help reduce window strikes and safeguard migrating birds:

Close Your Blinds: This simple action helps reduce reflections during day and night and makes glass windows less confusing for birds.
Use Window Decals: Applying decals or patterns to your windows can make them more visible to birds and prevent collisions. When using window decals, it’s important to apply the pattern across the entire glass. Spaces in between stickers should be no greater than 5 cm/2 inches and each sticker at least 5 mm wide. They should be applied to the outside of the window. Find more information on window decals here.
Get Creative with Tempera Paint: Mark the outside of the window with tempera paint, which is affordable and long lasting. You can use a grid pattern of 2 inches by 2 inches or get creative and create artwork covering the whole surface of your window.
Turn Off Lights at Night: Bright lights can attract birds. By dimming or turning off unnecessary lights, you can help birds navigate more safely. It’s still good to take additional precautions against window collisions using any of the above methods

What to Do if a Bird Strikes Your Window

If you encounter a bird that has collided with a window, it is important to seek help from a trained wildlife rehabilitator immediately. Contact the Wildlife Rescue Support Centre for assistance at wildliferescue.ca/report-an-emergency.

Support Window Strike Victims

This year, Wildlife Rescue celebrates its 45th anniversary, marking decades of dedicated care thanks to the support of our incredible Wildlife Community. Your generosity today will support our vital work and help window strike victims recover. You can donate here.

By taking these steps, we can all contribute to creating a safer environment for our migrating avian neighbours. Let’s work together to ensure that every bird has a safe journey this fall!

How Extreme Heat Impacts Wildlife

In recent years, Wildlife Rescue has seen a noticeable change in the behaviour of wildlife species and reasons for admission to the Wildlife Hospital. Fluctuations in weather patterns, especially when it comes to extreme weather events like heat and fire weather, can result in wildlife having heat exhaustion, severe dehydration, birds leaving overheated nest boxes and rooftop nests prematurely, negative human-wildlife interactions, and increased rates of migration exhaustion.

Heat Exhaustion and Dehydration

For many birds and other wildlife species, heat waves can pose a significant risk of heat exhaustion and severe dehydration.

Each summer, Wildlife Rescue receives more and more reports of heat-impacted wildlife, including young gulls leaving their rooftop nesting areas prematurely to bats ejecting from overheated colonies. These patients are often found on the ground with the following symptoms:

panting,

puffed up feathers,

sunken eyes from being dehydrated,

acting very lethargic/sleepy.

One of the most recent overheated cases involved a bat who had tragically been found passed away and stuck to the pavement during a heat wave event. Another case involved a family of three Glaucous-winged Gull chicks who were found trapped in a metal gutter pipe who had all suffered major heat exhaustion. In all heat-related cases, dehydration is a major concern for the animal.

Baby Birds Falling from Nests

With increasingly hotter spring and summer seasons, some bird nestlings are prematurely jumping from their nest boxes to escape the intense heat, which can lead to severe injuries, dehydration, and exposure to predators at an age when they are defenseless.

Fledgling birds, who spend time on the ground before they are fully flighted, may wander too far from their parents in search of shade and water, which can result in them becoming orphaned.

Habitat Loss & Human–wildlife Conflicts

As urban development in the Lower Mainland rises, wildlife habitats continue to diminish. Forests and green areas that provide birds and other animals with shade, shelter, and foraging grounds are becoming more challenging for wildlife to find, pushing them to move further into urbanized settings, and increasing their risk of anthropogenic problems.

The displacement of this crucial environment creates more human-wildlife conflicts through window strikes, pet attacks, vehicle collisions, and unintentional human-wildlife encounters.

Similarly, wildfires can destroy habitats and push animals into urban areas where they face these new, life-threatening dangers as well as heightened competition around food sources and shelter.

Disrupted Migration Routes

Heatwaves and wildfires can also disrupt migrating bird routes, leading to severe migration exhaustion. The hotter spring seasons can also lead to earlier migrations and nesting seasons, which can subsequently create further difficulties for affected animals. Wildfires can also force animals to deter from their usual migration routes pushing them into unfamiliar areas that can cause them more harm, especially in urbanized areas.

In February 2024, Wildlife Rescue received a report of a gosling, a youngster we would normally not see until late March to early April. In fact, December 2023 was tied for one of the warmest on record in BC.

How You Can Help

During intense heat, it’s important to stay vigilant in helping protect our wildlife neighbours. Ensuring that you are regularly cleaning any bird feeders or baths is key to helping prevent the spread of diseases birds can easily pick up during temperature changes.

Another way you can help wildlife through extreme heat events is by leaving out bird baths, planting native shrubs and plants in your yard, or by propping household items up to create shade, like a cardboard box.

For more detailed information, you can find many other ways to help wildlife during extreme heat events here.

It is also important to not intervene with birds unless necessary. If you are concerned for a bird or bat’s health and safety, please contact Wildlife Rescue here.

Keep Wildlife in Mind During Spring Gardening

Your garden can help wildlife! One way to make a significant difference for local wildlife is by allowing your yard to become a corridor of quality habitat while preparing for spring. Being intentional with your gardening can help the wildlife in your area thrive.

Watch out for nesting birds

Keep an eye out for nesting birds when you are working on trees or undergrowth, as they are not always easy to spot!

In the Lower Mainland, the nesting period for most songbirds is between March 1 and August 31. Different species have different nesting behaviours and timing may be dependent on temperature or specific food availability.

Unless the tree is presenting a safety issue, the best practice is to schedule maintenance between September 1 to February 28 as to not disturb nesting wildlife. Some species, like hummingbirds, nest as early as December. It is always best to observe the tree beforehand, watching and listening for nest activity.

Let the leaves be for a little bit longer

As the weather is getting warmer, we know that you are likely getting ready to prepare your garden for springtime, but we encourage you to keep any fallen leaves where they are. Leaves provide an important source of food and nesting material for wildlife, and refuge for overwintering pollinators like bees and butterflies.

If you must get rid of your leaves, wait until temperatures are consistently 10 degrees Celsius or higher before cleaning up. This will give these beneficial insects time to wake up for spring.

Plant native plants

You can support wildlife by replacing your lawn with plants! This way your greenspace can support their foraging and provide them with shelter.

When it’s time to start planting, try opting for native plants for your yard or balcony. These species help feed hummingbirds and berry eaters. As an added bonus, you’ll attract all kinds of wildlife visitors to your yard without needing to maintain a feeder!

These are some of the native species you can plant in BC:

Ditch the pesticides

While the intended purpose of pesticides is to control pests, insects and weeds, these chemicals can be very harmful to wildlife.

Even though pesticides are often used only in specific areas such as lawns or gardens, rain can cause these chemicals to leach into local streams and rivers. This can kill invertebrates, and fish, which birds and other wildlife rely on as sources of food. These pesticides can sicken wildlife who ingest contaminated water and food, or absorb the poisons in the water through their skin. Rodenticides can harm, and even kill, raptors and mammals who eat poisoned rats and mice.

These are some recommended pesticide alternatives:

Managing rodent attractants is important – e.g. not leaving pet food out, eliminating clutter from the perimeter of your house, etc.
Use non-toxic methods such as sprays made with natural soaps or seaweed fertilizer.

Gardening steps you can take to help prevent the need for pesticides:

Separation: remove any struggling plants from your garden and be sure to keep your compost area away from your gardening area
Keep it clean: remove any fallen rotting fruit immediately and keep the area clear of any other natural debris to prevent attracting pests.
Variety: mixing up the type of plant species you include in your garden you will make it more difficult for plant-specific pests to spread.

Bird and Bat Houses

All bird species have different nesting requirements. To become a successful bird house builder, see what each species requires here. Some of them can be picky!

You can create a bat roosting habitat by building a bat-house. To have it be successful in supporting bats, it’s important to do it correctly. You can find more guidance on bat houses here.

Everything You Need to Know About Avian Influenza

Avian influenza primarily affects domestic poultry and wild birds and is highly contagious amongst birds. Wild species most affected by avian influenza are ducks, geese, raptors and corvids (like crows and ravens). There is currently no treatment for the virus, and it can be very deadly to birds.

Wildlife Rescue notices an increase in birds presenting with contagious avian diseases, such as avian influenza, during fall and spring migration as birds naturally come together in large numbers.

Common symptoms of avian flu include:

Seizures
Lack of energy or movement
Paralysis
Swelling around the face/head
Lack of coordination
Cloudy eyes

Most recent updates on avian influenza

For the most current guidance regarding wild birds, bird feeders, caring for domestic birds, and reporting sick or dead birds please visit the official Government of Canada website.

For a detailed overview, you can also refer to the BC Avian Infuenza Dashboard.

Wildlife Rescue is not responsible for the surveillance of avian influenza in Canada. For the most up-to-date reports and information on the status of avian influenza in Canada, please refer to the Government of Canada website.

What to do when you encounter sick wildlife

Do not touch the bird before contacting Wildlife Rescue or the Interagency Wild Bird Mortality Line. They will give you PPE guidance depending on the situation at hand.

Some other things to keep in mind:

Do not bring sick wild animals into your home.
Keep your pets away from sick or dead animals and their feces.
Report sick or dead animals as follows:

Found a deceased duck, swan, goose, raptor or three or more deceased birds together?

Contact the Interagency Wild Bird Mortality Line at 1-866-431-2473. The Interagency Wild Bird Mortality Line is a monitoring program that reports back to government agencies. You can find more information on the program here.

Found a live bird with avian flu symptoms?

Contact our Support Centre here:

Report a Wildlife Emergency

Dropping off sick animals at Wildlife Rescue

At Wildlife Rescue, isolation drop-off spaces are in place to hold any patients suspected of carrying contagious diseases. We ask everyone bringing in sick animals to drop these off in the designated isolation drop-off space and follow the guidelines given to you by our Support Centre staff to help prevent disease from spreading.

Year-round Hummingbird Feeder Guide

If you decide to offer a hummingbird feeder, it’s essential for the birds’ safety to maintain it following the recommended guidelines all year round.

The best food for hummingbirds

Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of any warm-blooded animal. A high metabolism calls for high energy fuel. It’s no surprise these little birds love sugar! A simple mixture of refined, white table sugar dissolved in boiled water is sufficient for your hummingbird feeder.

Why pure white sugar?

You must ensure the sugar is pure white – a sign that the molasses has been removed. Molasses is high in iron and can be toxic to hummingbirds. Never use honey, brown sugar, icing sugar, juice, or artificial sweetener. Here’s why:

Honey contains sugars that are less palatable to hummingbirds. It also ferments rapidly when diluted in water, which causes a rapid build-up of pathogens in your nectar.
Brown sugar contains molasses, but more importantly, it has 5 times more iron than white sugar. This amount of iron is toxic to hummingbirds.
Icing sugar contains anti-caking agents such as corn starch, which can promote fermentation.
Juice ferments rapidly.
Artificial sweetener does not provide the calories that a hummingbird needs to live.

Sugar to water ratio guidance

The standard sugar to water ratio is 1:4. During frigid temperatures, some resources show you may be able to go as concentrated as 1:3 sugar to water ratio – never stronger. However, a fresh water source should also be provided at all times. When sharing information that is dynamic with conditions, we find that sometimes details can get lost along the way. Ultimately, we want to do no harm to our hummers. A 1:4 ratio of sugar to water is consistently safe to provide.

Never add red dye! Hummingbirds are attracted by the red colours of the feeder itself, not the nectar inside. Food colouring could potentially be harmful.

How to maintain your hummingbird feeders

Feeders can cause deadly infections if not maintained properly as bacteria and fungi rapidly multiply. The recommended guidance on how to effectively clean your hummingbird feeder is as follows:

Feeders should be cleaned every 3-5 days. Wash out all parts of the feeder, including flower ports, with hot water and a bottle brush.
Clean feeders once a week with a 10% bleach solution, rinse thoroughly and let dry fully before use.
Re-fill with fresh sugar water. Stick to the 1:4 recipe of 1 part refined white sugar to 4 parts boiled water.

How do hummingbirds survive the cold and wet winter?

While all other species of hummingbirds that are found in BC (Rufous, Calliope, Black-chinned and Ruby-throated) seek out warmer climates during the cold winter months, Anna’s Hummingbirds have been living year-round in some areas of British Columbia since the 1990s.

Hummingbirds don’t hibernate in the traditional sense, but they often go into an energy-conservation mode called “torpor” when it gets cold in winter. Torpor is a deep sleep state in which an animal decreases its metabolic rate to consume less energy. In this state, a hummingbird’s heart rate can decrease from 1,260 beats per minute to fewer than 50 beats per minute. They also decrease their body temperature from 40°C to 18°C. Yet even during torpor, a hummingbird’s metabolism is so high, they will lose around 10% of their body weight overnight. To deal with the scarcity of nectar, hummingbirds tend to eat more insects over the winter.

Maintaining feeders during freezing temperatures

Hummingbirds will feed heavily at dusk and then go into thick bushes, like cedar hedges or junipers to sleep. We recommend keeping feeders out until it gets dark and then rehanging a fresh, warm feeder at the first sign of light in the morning.

There are countless ways to keep a hummingbird feeder warm, such as a feeder heater, window feeder, hand-warmers, a wool sock, or even incandescent Christmas lights.

Whichever technique or setup you choose, please remember the following guidelines:

No matter which setup you use, it is essential to keep monitoring your feeders for freezing to prevent injuries.
A covered porch/windbreak will prevent the feeder from getting covered with snow and keep it from freezing longer. Keeping it close to your home will provide protection from the elements and a great view!
Never add red dye! Hummingbirds are attracted to the feeder itself, and red dye can cause harm.
Avoid feeders with metal parts during cold weather. Hummingbird tongues can get frozen to them.
Stick to the 1:4 recipe of 1 part refined white sugar to 4 parts boiled water.
Purchase or make a feeder heater to use when temperatures drop below zero. There are products on the market made specifically to keep feeders from freezing. These products can be found online or at your local bird store.
Get a couple of feeders, keep one inside and alternate them when ice starts to form.
Create a warming zone, protected from wind and snow.
Check the entrance/channel to the feeding tubes diligently for ice formation; this is where tongue injuries often occur (when they freeze to the feeder) and where ice crystals will first form.

Signs of distress or injury and what to do

During cold snaps our Wildlife Hospital often sees an influx of hummingbirds with very low blood sugar and injuries related to frozen feeders.

Hummingbirds found on the ground need help. Other signs of distress include weakness, soiled feathers, tongue hanging out, and obvious injuries.

Contact our Support Centre here if you find a hummingbird displaying one or more of these signs.

To Feed or Not To Feed?

Fall and Winter Bird Feeder Guidance

Many of us like to give wildlife a helping hand by providing bird feeders over the cold fall and winter months. With various avian diseases spreading during these months, it is important to be mindful about offering food in a safe way. Ultimately, the goal is to do what is best for wildlife!

Wildlife Rescue notices an increase in birds presenting with contagious avian diseases, such as salmonella and conjunctivitis, during the colder months. Diseases can easily spread among birds sharing feeders because feeders attract large numbers of birds to one location.

We can’t tell a sick bird not to come to the buffet, so sometimes it’s best just to postpone the dinner party before anyone else gets sick.

If you notice sick birds in your backyard, we recommend cleaning your feeders and putting them away for at least 3-4 weeks and until sick birds are no longer present in your backyard. This way you can help minimize the spread of avian diseases.

Here are a few symptoms to look out for:

They look puffed up and sleepy (they may sleep on the feeder)
Not alert or not moving very much
Inactive and have seeds all over their beak
Swollen or abnormal looking eyes
Seeking heat up against a building

If you are choosing to offer a feeder, we recommend taking the following steps to help keep wildlife safe:

Remove all seeds from the ground daily.
Please clean your feeder at least every two weeks by washing it with hot soapy water.
Then, rinse the feeder thoroughly and disinfect using a solution of one part household bleach and nine parts water.
Ensure that the feeder is thoroughly rinsed and fully dried after disinfection before refilling with fresh food.

Please note hummingbird feeders have a different set of recommendations.

Other ways to support wildlife

Including native plants in backyard gardens is another effective way to provide food and shelter to wild birds over the fall and winter months. You will attract more wildlife visitors to your yard without needing to maintain a feeder.

These are some native species you can plant in BC:

White Fawn Lily
Salmonberry
Oso berry
Red-Flowering Currant
Native Columbines
Lupines
Pacific Bleeding Heart

Have you seen birds showing signs of disease, or do you have any questions? Reach out to our Support Centre for support and guidance here.

Thank you for looking out for your local wildlife!

Extreme Weather Effects on Wildlife

Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing wildlife worldwide. It is happening twice as fast than the global average in Canada. Studies show that climate change leads to longer heat waves, stronger hurricanes, increased wildfire risk along with a longer wildfire season. It is predicted that there will be more droughts, heavier rain events and severe cold spells. The more gradual warming of our climate combined with these extreme weather events are endangering wildlife and the habitats they live in.

Mac Pearsall, assistant manager of Wildlife Rescue’s hospital says, “although heat waves and weather events have always happened, it is the severity and frequency that they are occurring at now that is the cause for concern.”

Here are some of the effects extreme weather events have on wildlife in BC.

Heatwaves: During heatwaves, the temperature rises much higher than normal. This extreme heat can lead to dehydration and heat stress in animals. Jackie McQuillan, Manager of Wildlife Rescue’s Support Centre explains “We are seeing a rise in heat-impacted animals. This was never something that was on our radar a couple of decades ago. Now we see it every summer. We get many calls about baby gulls overheating on rooftops, baby bats ejecting from colonies and many other animals struggling to find water and shade during extreme heat events.” Animals may struggle to find water or find enough to eat as plants dry up. Heatwaves can also cause wildfires. Wildfires can kill animals directly, or indirectly. Wildfires destroy habitats, force animals to flee which puts them in danger. Fleeing animals are forced to compete for fewer resources and are at greater risk of predation or conflict with humans.
Changing Migration Patterns: Migratory species have had their patterns disrupted and rerouted due to extreme weather events and unusually mild winters. Bird migration patterns have been moving north in recent decades, climate change may be accelerating this process leaving birds vulnerable to the extreme temperatures in new locations.
Changing Seasons: Spring is starting earlier which can lead to changes in food availability for wildlife and cause devastating imbalances in the ecosystem. An early spring can trigger hibernating animals to wake up too soon. These animals can face starvation if they are unable to find food during a period when they would normally be dormant. Droughts and extreme heat during the summer can also impact hibernating animals as they are unable to store up enough fat.
Loss of Habitat: Extreme weather events like wildfires can destroy large areas of habitat. As habitats shrink and animals move to avoid extreme weather events, their populations become fragmented. If a population is separated it becomes very difficult for those animals to recover and thrive.
Invasive Species: Warmer temperatures can benefit invasive species, as their numbers increase, and range expands it becomes easier for invasives to overtake native species. Invasive species outcompete native species for already scarce resources like homes, food, and water.

Extreme weather events are the most visible impact of climate change and at Wildlife Rescue we are seeing the impact on wildlife firsthand. In the fall of 2021, a Spotted Bat was rescued and brought into care at Wildlife Rescue. This rare bat, named for the three large spots across its shoulders was a unique visitor to the lower mainland. Spotted bats can typically be found in the dry interior valleys of British Columbia. The bat was dehydrated and underweight, after 19 days of care in our hospital it was successfully released. Climate change and extreme weather events may force wildlife like this spotted bat into new unfamiliar territories. Far from their regular habitat wildlife may have trouble finding the resources they need to survive, increasing the need for our organizations like Wildlife Rescue.

Time to Leave the Nest and Glow Up

Contributed by Lauren Kerley, Wildlife Rescue Education Coordinator

Cute may not be the first word that comes to your mind when you see a baby bird. Hatchlings and nestlings can look strange, with odd proportions and unfamiliar plumage. Baby birds go through a huge transformation to become recognizable adult birds.

Swallow babies, like the Barn Swallow nestling pictured above, are great examples of a glow up in the bird world. Swallow babies undergo a beautiful transformation that prepares them for life on the wing.

Swallows are elegant birds both perched and in flight. Their distinct flight patterns, elongated body shape and deeply forked tail make them easily recognizable in flight. Their beautiful plumage is best admired while the birds are perched. Swallows have two tone plumage patterns, darker on top and lighter underneath. Colours range from glimmering cobalt blues found in Barn Swallows to vibrant greens and purples of the Violet-Green Swallows.

Their feathers are more than just for show though as the birds are highly specialized for aerial life, spending an impressive 60% of their time in the air. Not only do the birds hunt and eat in the air, but they also drink and bathe while in flight too!

Even these beautiful songbirds have drab babies, like many other baby birds, swallow nestlings have spotted or streaked plumage to help them camouflage in their nests, protecting them from predators. A lot of changes need to occur before babies are ready to leave the nest, a beautiful and necessary transformation.

Six swallow species call British Columbia home for at least part of the year; Bank Swallows, Tree Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Violet-Green Swallows, Barn Swallows, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Populations of all six swallow species are in decline, with Barn and Bank Swallows being designated as threatened species under COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada).

How to Safely Drop Off Wildlife

Hundreds of injured and orphaned wildlife patients arrive at Wildlife Rescue due to window and car strikes, nest disturbances, and natural and human disturbances.

Below is your step-by-step guide that takes you through the process of dropping off rescued animals.

Found an animal in distress?

If, at any time, you are unsure what to do please contact our Support Centre for advice on how to handle injured wildlife. This is the fastest way to get in touch with our Support Centre staff and volunteers who can help assess the situation and guide you through it. Never attempt to handle anything dangerous such as a bird of prey or bat yourself.
If you are going to handle small songbirds or waterfowl, we suggest wearing gloves and a mask for the safety of animals and yourself. Use a cardboard box with small ventilation holes and a completely secure top. Place a towel inside and put the animal on the towel, closing the top quickly and securely. Place a towel over the box.

Dropping off at Wildlife Rescue:

Please notify our Support Centre team by reporting a wildlife emergency.
Our drop off hours vary seasonally, but our Support Centre is available to answer questions from 9:00-3:00 pm daily, 7 days a week (including holidays).

If you plan to drop wildlife at the centre during operating hours, please follow these instructions:

Proceed to 5216 Glencarin Drive, on the south shore of Burnaby Lake.
Please park in any of the parking spots in either parking lot.
Follow the signage to our Admissions Centre where Wildlife Rescue personnel will guide you on next steps.

If you plan to drop wildlife at the centre after operating hours, please follow these instructions:

Proceed to 5216 Glencarin Drive, on the south shore of Burnaby Lake.
When you are within sight of the end of Glencarin Drive you will notice the Administration Building on your left with the clearly marked Intake Shed to the left of the stairs.
Please park in any of the parking spots in either parking lot.
Place the bird in a secured and ventilated box on the shelf inside the Intake Shed.
Completely fill out the front side of the white intake form (located on the clipboard) so we know where the bird was found and what happened to it.
Place the form under the box.
Ensure the door to the Intake Shed is securely closed when you depart.
Please consider donating to help care for the patient you have found here.

Duckling FAQ

Spring is duckling season, and with that comes a lot of questions about what to do when little baby ducks show up in unexpected places. Get your questions answered with our quick and handy Duckling FAQ! If you still have any questions, please contact our Support Centre.