Inside this issue: Upcoming Events:

June 1 & 2 Fish and Game Outdoor Show

June 8 Rock and Gems Show

July 1 Canada Day

July 21 Market Day

Aug. 3-5 Nautical Days

Aug. 9-11 Logger Days

Cooper’s Hawk Recovers 2

Eagle Strikes and Poisonings 2

How to Help Baby Birds 3

Trumpeter Swan Assistance 3

Volunteers: Sandy & Jackie 3

Membership and Donations form 4

Staff: Maj Birch General Manager Reg Westcott Wildlife Rescue & Educational Outreach Worker Board of Directors:

Warren Warrtig President Pearl McKenzie Vice-President Maureen Woodruff Treasurer Julie Hunt Secretary Kristie Persinger John Turner Laurie Ulm Facebook Administrator: Pat Wagar Education Coordinator: Sandy Fairfield Newsletter Editor: Brenda Jones

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May/June 2013

Celebrating Unsung Heroes at EagleFest

www.wingtips.org

Spring has sprung, and

Mountainaire Avian Rescue

Society (MARS) is prepar-

ing to start receiving calls

about fawns in distress and

sightings of harbour

seal pups on the beach.

That is the best-case

scenario, since animal

care staff can then in-

form people when it is

not appropriate to take

the fawn or baby seal

away from where its

mother left it. In far too

many cases, well-

meaning individuals

assume the baby ani-

mal has been aban-

doned and take matters

into their own hands,

carrying the animals to a

“safe” place.

Last year, 24 fawns were

cared for by staff and vol-

unteers at MARS, until they

were old enough, and

strong enough to return to

their natural habitats.

“Unfortunately, each year

we receive far too many

fawns, which should be

with their mothers,” says

Maj Birch, General Man-

ager of MARS. “If people

don’t remember where they

found the fawn, we aren’t

able to reunite them with

their family, and it is very

stressful for the fawns to be

bottle-fed by human care-

givers.”

Maj says not to assume

a fawn is abandoned,

since mothers will leave

them in the grass for

short periods of time

while they go foraging

for food. If concerned

about the fawn, leave it

alone and watch from a

distance, unless you

have sighted a dead

doe in the area.

The same is true re-

garding harbour seal

pups discovered alone and

sometimes vocalizing on

the beach. Their moms will

leave them on land, while

they go fish for food.

Continued on page 2...

Kidnapping Baby Wildlife Should Be Avoided

MARS volunteers bottle feeding fawns—photo by Pat Wagar

Page 2

Inundated with Eagles So Far this Year

Cooper’s Hawk Battles Back After Defeating a Rooster

WI NGBE A TS

Despite the spring being a bit slower

than usual this year at MARS, which

allowed us to do some repairs around

the facility, we have admitted 21 sick

or injured bald eagles, already this

year. What’s most alarming about this

is that a few came in suffering from

exposure to toxins.

While some did

not make it, one,

who was also

suffering from a

concussion, was

successfully re-

habilitated and

released near

Campbell River

in a valley over-

looking Quinsam

Creek.

“We cannot emphasize enough the

importance of properly disposing of

toxins, ranging from household clean-

ers to painting supplies,” says Reg

Westcott, MARS’ Wildlife Rescue &

Educational Outreach Worker. “Eagles

are scavengers, and we frequently

see them seeking food at the dump. If

these toxins mix with a food source for

the eagles, it can be lethal.”

Head injuries, resulting in serious con-

cussions, and electrocutions have

also been another problem for some

of these large birds.

Sadly, one beautiful eagle rescued by

the HEART (Hornby Eagle Rescue

Team) squad

had been elec-

trocuted and the

lower part of his

left wing was

gone, as the

electrical current

entered on his

right wing, and

exited on the

left. He needed

to be humanely

euthanized to

end his suffering because an injury of

this extent cannot be treated.

Keep a cautious eye out for eagles

when driving this spring and summer,

as they often scavenge on road kill. If

you come across road kill, please

move it well off the road, so that more

animals are not killed by cars.

MARS treated a Cooper’s Hawk that

suffered an injury to his throat after he

got into a tangle (and won) with a

rooster. The hawk spent a week in care

before he could be released.

While many Cooper’s Hawks migrate

north in the winter, there is a year-

round population that lives on Vancou-

ver Island. They prey on medium-size

birds, such as doves, pigeons, robins,

jays, and starlings, as well as small

mammals, like bats, squirrels, chip-

munks, hares and mice. These birds cap-

ture prey from cover or while flying

quickly through dense vegetation, relying

almost totally on surprise.

Cooper’s Hawks are monogamous, but

do not mate for life. The males are

smaller than females. Pairs breed once a

year and raise one brood together.

Left: Cooper’s Hawk—photo by Pat Wagar

...continued from page 1

If the mom returns and sees people

or dogs around their pup, they will

become scared and abandon it.

The best thing to do if you come

across a seal pup on the beach is

to keep people and pets away from

it, and keep an eye on it from afar

to see if the mom comes back. Of

course if it is injured, call MARS

right away.

The Golden Rule is to call MARS

at 250-337-2021 whenever you

see a mammal in distress, before

taking matters into your own

hands.

Seals Not Always Abandoned by Mom

Rescued harbour seal pup being cared for in rehab before being released back into nature—photo by Brenda Jones

One of the bald eagles rescued and rehabilitated by MARS this Spring—photo by Pat Wagar

M AY /JU NE 201 3 Page 3

Volunteer Profile: Jackie Chamberlain and Sandy Royer

Nature’s Bounty: From Trumpeter Swans to Baby Birds

Each week, you can find

volunteers Jackie Chamber-

lain (right) and Sandy Royer

(left) at MARS helping with

animal care. The pair have

become good friends, and

can often be heard laughing

as they work.

They have shared both

heart-break and victories as

some animals have not sur-

Another Swan Season Ends

It was impossible to miss the flocks of

swans that migrated to the Comox

Valley this winter, appearing like fluffy

white pillows in farmers’ fields.

MARS received several calls about

the swans this year, and admitted 15

trumpeter swans and 2 tundra swans

as patients. In the fall, migration

stress and starvation are common

ailments. Another common problem

is swans striking power lines with

their vast wings, which electrocutes

them.

Take Extra Care With Baby Birds

MARS offered bird care workshops

this spring, so that volunteers would

know what to do with baby birds that

are admitted. Sadly, predation by

house cats is a big problem for fledg-

lings, as they aren’t able to get away

from the cats fast enough. In many

cases, these birds don’t make it.

Another problem is people picking up

baby birds from the ground because

they think they are injured, since they

can’t fly. Fledglings actually spend a

couple of

days on the

ground

learning to

fly and

should be

left alone,

unless in-

jured.

Successes in Fundraising

MARS received $5,000 as a 3rd

place prize in Nature’s Bounty Can-

ada’s “Share the Bounty” contest.

This was no small feat, since more

than 400 charities competed in this

contest, which generated over

350,000 votes. Of those, close to

20,000 votes were cast for MARS.

Thank you to all who voted. For those

who don’t already follow Mountain-

aire Avian Rescue Society on Face-

book, please “like” us, so we can

keep you informed about new hap-

penings.

MARS also received $1,050 from the

Coastal Community Credit Union

Spirit Fund.

The Walk for Wildlife, on Earth Day

Weekend, raised $2,506.65. Thank

you to all who participated.

vived, while others have made miraculous

recoveries. They are very fond of the bald

eagles, especially when they are released

and soar overhead for several minutes. “You

can almost see their joy,” Sandy says.

Jackie adds, “It is amazing how resilient the

large birds are.”

They work toward returning the animals to

nature. This means handling them as little as

possible, and keeping their habitats clean.

Want to help

MARS?

Contribute

monthly!

Animal Care Volunteer Sandy Royer holding a juvenile Trumpeter Swan admitted to MARS—photo by Pat Wagar

Baby Robin—photo by Pat Wagar

We ask that donors consider making a monthly donation instead of a

one time gift as it helps us to plan for our future by having a dependable

income that we can budget for. This can be arranged simply by clicking

on www.CanadaHelps.org when you visit our website. They will take

you through the process and will send a charitable tax receipt. They are

a non-profit society that is well known in Canada and takes a small per-

centage of your gift for management and processing fees.

Helping MARS

An unfortunate reality at MARS is that a large proportion of volunteer

time is spent focused on fundraising. Care of sick, injured and orphaned

wildlife is expensive. We rely on people just like you to support us. Call

250.337.2021 or visit www.wingtips.org to learn more about MARS’

work for wildlife.

Yes! I want to help Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) with wildlife recovery.

Please find a cheque enclosed for my membership and/or donation

Membership Category: Individual $15 Senior/Student $10 Family $25

Plus an additional donation for a total amount of $ _________ (tax receipt required?) Circle one: Yes No

(Receipt cannot be issued for membership fees)

Please charge my: Visa MasterCard

Number: Expiry Date:

A one time charge of: $ A monthly charge of: $ ________ (I may cancel this authorization at any time with written notice)

Signature __________________________________________

Name

Address

City and Postal Code: Phone Number

Email:

How will you receive Wingbeats (the MARS newsletter)? Circle one: Email Pick up at MARS

Send to: Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, 6817 Headquarters Road, Courtenay, BC V9J 1N2

6817 Headquarters Road Courtenay, BC

V9J 1N2

MOUNTAIN AIRE AVI AN RESCUE SOCIETY

Phone: 250.337.2021 Fax: 250.337.2099

Email: mars@wingtips.org

We are on the web!

Visit our new website at

www.wingtips.org

Page 4 WI NGBE A TS

Check us out on facebook:

facebook.com/mars.comoxvalley