Baby Season 2025 Has Begun
Orphaned Mallard Ducklings
These little mallards caused a ruckus at a construction site when they entered the site and started following the construction workers around!
There was no mother duck in sight, and these fluffy ducklings were clearly in distress and in need of help.
Rescuers boxed them up and brought them to WildCare's Wildlife Hospital where our team found them to be healthy nestlings, but clearly orphaned. They will remain in care until they are old enough to return to the wild.
Baby Dark-Eyed Junco
This fledgling Dark-Eyed Junco came to WildCare with a broken wing after a big wind storm. The bird's left wing drooped, indicating a problem, and x-rays confirmed the fracture.
WildCare's Birdroom Manager applied a wing wrap to stabilize the break, and provided the bird with medications for pain and inflammation. She also started him on a diet with increased calcium to help his wing heal. His appetite is certainly healthy, as you can see in this video!
Please do NOT attempt to rehabilitate or feed a fledgling songbird (or any wild animal) on your own. The specialized care these young animals need can only be provided by trained wildlife rehabilitators.
This young bird will continue healing in care with other orphaned Dark-eyed Juncos. Once he's healthy and old enough, he will be released back to the wild.
Orphaned Sonoma Chipmunk
At WildCare, we often have no idea what caused an animal to be injured or orphaned, and this little chipmunk's story is no exception. He was found on the side of a dirt fire road, lying next to a dead sibling. His rescuers picked him up, hiked back to their vehicle, and brought him to WildCare.
He was chilled and dehydrated on intake, but he has improved rapidly ever since. In this video, Med Staff offers him his first taste of squirrel/chipmunk formula.
Now that he is stable, WildCare's Medical Staff will work to find a foster sibling for him. WildCare never raises babies of any species alone, so we will reach out to other wildlife care centers in our region to find someone with another orphaned chipmunk. Once he's old enough, he will return to the wild.