ALEXANDRA ROBERTSON
The 1019 Report
It is one of Canada’s largest wild bird conservation and rehabilitation centres, and a unique organization in the Vaudrueil-Soulanges area, caring for 2,500 to 3,000 songbirds per year. But the Hudson-based Le Nichoir needs help.
The non-profit centre is looking for volunteers to maintain its operations this summer.
“We exist because of the community, through the volunteers and the willingness of people to bring us animals,” said Susan Wylie, a wildlife biologist and director of operations at Le Nichoir.
People keep bringing injured birds, she said, but the volunteers needed to help them as the feathered creatures are nursed back to health is what is in short supply at the moment.
Founded in 1996, the conservancy began its operations in a 200-year-old barn on its property on Main Road in the west end of Hudson. In 2016, a new facility was built, enabling the organization to operate all year round.
“We’ve been growing ever since,” Wylie said. “We get thousands of calls every year.”
Most birds that are brought to the centre come from Montreal, the West Island and the St. Lazare and Hudson areas, the director explained. But they also get calls from as far north as Kuujjuaq and Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
“The most common reason we receive the birds is due to window collisions and cat attacks, as well as babies becoming abandoned. That could mean they’ve fallen from their nest in a storm or their mother was killed,” Wylie explained.
“In Canada, we are definitely one of the largest who are dedicated to songbirds,” Wylie said.
Le Nichoir only takes in songbirds, aquatic and insectivorous birds, referring to species that feed exclusively on insects while flying, like barn swallows, nightjars and flycatchers. It does not admit pigeons or birds of prey.
The space is similar to a veterinary clinic. It has a nursery, an isolation room and an X-ray machine.
“We have large flight cages with a metal mesh on the exterior and a soft mesh on the interior,” Wylie explained, referring to the large exterior enclosure that visitors can see. “The soft part protects them from hitting the wall. Predators can be a problem, like racoons, so they are in a closed environment.”
There are other sanctuaries in Canada, but what makes Le Nichoir unique is its size.
The facility is licensed by the federal and provincial governments to rehabilitate and care for wild birds in captivity with the goal of releasing them back into nature. But its funding is all privately sourced.
“The majority of our funding comes from public donations, and the remaining is through a lot of fundraisers and some corporate donations,” Wylie said.
As the reserve gets into the busy summer months, it needs volunteers. With only four full-time employees, it can use up to 125 volunteers. The ratio, Wylie admitted, highlights the facilities reliance on volunteer help. And that tasks they are called upon to do runs a wide spectrum.
“Some people are scared of birds, but want to help them,” Wylie said. “They could come in and make fruit salads and cut lettuce for the animals without having to handle them.”
Le Nichoir is also looking for those with administrative and fundraising experience, and even people who can stock the shelves in the boutique.
“When people apply, we usually speak to them, so we can make sure that we’re able to put them in a position that they are well suited for,” Wylie explained.
The wildlife biologist has been working there for more than 20 years. She began as a summer student while finishing her studies at McGill University.
“One of the things I like about working at Le Nichoir is that we’re always planning for the future to make sure we can provide good, quality care to the birds as well as good public information.”
Anyone looking to volunteer can fill out a form on the organization’s website at https://lenichoir.org/.
Cutline:
A volunteer helps care for an injured bird, one of about 3,000 that are rehabilitated at Le Nichoir each year.
Credit:
Photo courtesy of Le Nichoir