FlyAway Bird Rescue is open to help the ill, injured, and orphaned wild birds in Northern Nevada

Baby Barn Owls still with down feathersPhoto byDave LoweonUnsplash

Introduction

Suzette Feilen (Founder) releasing a duck back into the wild.Photo byH. Mikel Feilen

Northern Nevada’s New Wild Bird Rehabilitation Organization

State & Federally Permitted

FlyAway serves the communities of Northern Nevada by caring for its ill, injured, and orphaned wild birds.

· Open 24/7/365 days a year to admit birds.

· They receive birds from the general public, Animal Control, Humane Society, and other rescue organizations, Police and Fire departments, local veterinarians, and other state agencies.

· Their medical consultant is Dr. Patti Handle DVM

· Birds are raised and rehabilitated with their goal of eventual release.

· The facility is solely self-funded and appreciates donations to help cover the costs of food, medication, and supplies.

Current Donation Options for the Public:

Venmo account: SuzetteFeilen@suzette-feilen

Food donations can be called in with a card

at Benson’s Tack & Feed in Carson City: (775) 882-7999

Coming Soon:

· 501c3 nonprofit status – (allowing us to apply for grants and local support from businesses.)

· Website

· Go Fund-Me Page

US Fish & Wildlife Federal Permit #MBPER8790106

Nevada Department of Wildlife State Permit #41771

Suzette Feilen: flyawaybirdrescue@gmail.com

Phone: Suzette at 775 515-9832

Suzette has been at this for more than 30 years and has a degree in wildlife biology from UNR. Originally, she worked in Las Vegas at the Wild Wing Project founded by Lisa Ross.

She has now been in Northern Nevada for 28 years and still rehabbing our fine feathered friends for a total of 33 years. In that time she worked primarily on a volunteer status meaning No Pay!

Remember, this is a job with awful hours, no medical benefits, and often unappreciated. Nonetheless, Mrs. Feilen says she loves doing it regardless of the apparent drawbacks.

For 40 years Suzette danced and taught ballroom professionally and danced in shows in Las Vegas i.e., Jubilee. All the while nursing her passion for nursing avian wildlife.

It was Las Vegas where it started in 1991 and now in 2024, she has received her state and federal permits, allowing her to apply for nonprofit status, enabling her to get grants. This will help create an avian welfare center suited not only to help the birds but to also educate the public about wild birds (especially school kids).

To create a facility that can educate the community it must be able to house and care for the nonreleasable birds for the rest of their lives. That can be rather costly and time-consuming. Having volunteers and interns wanting to learn how to be rehabilitators themselves, is the best and easiest way to achieve this goal. This is how I started. - Suzette Feilen

Suzette also says that FlyAway's new website, which is under construction, will discuss volunteer programs along with what to do if you find a bird. "When it is published", she says, "the new site (Flyawaybirdrescue.org) and its email will be posted on social media sites and given to all the necessary wildlife rescue centers, the Humane Society, and other agencies that send her birds every year."

Suzette says since the announcement of the new center she has been getting calls to help and donate not just money but time as well. People want to assist in everything from the construction of new aviaries to grant writing.

Suzette says this is just the beginning and she couldn't have done it without a few of her close friends helping and supporting her efforts.

Thanks to:

Denise, Evelyn, Jenny, Bernadette, and Jeanie - Suzette Feilen