Wild Bird Rescue: This is My Home & You Are Water-Fowling It All Up

Aviary placement is far more strategic than one may think

Baby DucksPhoto byAndrea LightfootonUnsplash

The FlyAway Bird Rescue in Silver Springs, Nevada, is located in a private home on an acre. The founder, Suzette Feilen, is the sole operater of the FlyAway Bird Rescue facility. She receives, rehabs and cares for the birdie patients, and tries to even get 4 - 6 hours of sleep a night so she can do it all again the next day.

I think they should have a remake of the TV action series Wonder Woman starring nothing but female wildlife rehabilitators. Men are devoted rehabbers too but I'm not married to one.

Speaking of which, I am a "Spousal" Rehabber and even have my spousal wildlife biology degree. When Suzette graduated with her degree and was able to toss her hat in the air, she also handed me a diploma for my efforts in helping her get there. It said that I was a certifiable person married to a bird brained biologist.

In 2004 we moved into the house where the sanctuary is now located. That was 20 years ago and the place is still evolving as the sanctuary grows. When we moved in, Suzette had already been rehabilitating birds for more than 10 years. Just now with the new house and property, it was more ideal for her purpose.

In the first year we built a couple of outdoor aviaries, rearranged a bedroom into a critical care room to accommidate sick and injured birdies. Our brunch room, the dining room, and a family room became the inside facility for keeping the smaller birds and baby birds close together for hourly feedings.

A Canada Goose and her GoslingsPhoto byVivek KumaronUnsplash

Each year we get an array of species and types of birds and waterfowl are always regulars. I love when we get geese in because they are so cute and loving when they are little and even when they get older they can remain quite attached to humans.

We have released geese at a lake before and when leaving we would see them flying next to the car and looking in - almost as if they were wondering why they weren't invited.

The problem with waterfowl is that they poop constantly and it smells. This is why they are not kept in the house. We have special pens outside with pools of water and room to roam about for the little stinkers.

The original waterfowl enclosure.Photo bySuzette Feilen

Unfortunately, when we first built the waterfowl pen we were not thinking everything through. It was located up next to the house, therefore, it would be easier to service and maintain.

The main problem with geese is their Loosie-Goosie doo-doo and its aroma. Its smell draws flies as if it was a dead carcus rotting in the sun. During the first season using this pen for water birds our humble abode became full of the nasty little buggers - Flies that is!

I put up 5 sticky fly strips that summer in the kitchen alone. When one filled up, it would get removed and replaced immediately.

My best friend, Phil, came over to visit and to see how things were going in our new pad. I lead him into the kitchen where we could have an iced tea and chat for a while.

Within an instant he saw the hideous fly strips; black and completely covered in gross fly bodies. I told him that I had just put up these strips two days ago.

Phil's eyes were big, his mouth agape, and a question waiting to be asked, but how does one find the words for such a scene? I could see the wheels inside his brain turning. "It's the Geese causing this psuedo-sci-fi remake of the Fly" I said before he could ask.

I then took him outside and introduced him to the 13 goslings we had out in the aviary. "We built it too close to the house without realizing what would happen." I told him as he stared into the pen while holding his nose tightly shut.

The new waterfowl inclosuer.Photo byH. Mikel Feilen

This is the new waterfowl pen. During the season there is no snow, instead, in the spring and summer months, goslings have room to roam, shelters to be in, and much like what bears do in the woods, geese do in a pool of water until they are old enough to be released in a nice big lake.

There have been a few minor improvements to the structure; corrugated metal roofing panels were added at the far west end, sides, and the top of the aviary, over by the carriers. This allows for more protection from the wind and dust we get coming mostly out of the west.

Suzette always tells me that she is still learning how to be a better rehabber. Although, my favorite quote of hers she is always reminding me of and I'm not sure where she got it but,

There is a right way and wrong way to do everything.

This includes the placement of the sancturary's enclosures, pens, and aviaries. She says it is a lot more strategic than one may think.

The moral of the story is "If you are going to rehab birds, don't let the Water-Fowl up your home."