Once a year during our Annual Campaign we invite the community to show its support for the work we do at Le Nichoir. Your gift to Le Nichoir during our Annual Campaign enables our team of wildlife biologists, students and volunteers to deliver on our mission of conserving wild birds.
Le Nichoir fulfills this mission by offering two programs: professional and compassionate care of injured and orphaned wild birds, and the development and delivery of environmental education to the public.
Did you know?
Le Nichoir has grown to be Canada’s largest songbird rehabilitation centre.
So far this year, over 1560 birds representing 84 species have been admitted for care.
Staff and volunteers respond to over 6000 emails and phone calls each year.
Last year volunteers donated over 4500 hours to help care for the birds.
In 2014 birds came to Le Nichoir from 144 different cities and towns in Quebec.
Almost every admission is due to an unfortunate human impact.
We took in 11 young Cliff Swallows when their nests were removed from a Montreal bridge. After several weeks of feedings every 45 minutes, they were banded and released.
A Canada Goose was admitted with a fish hook embedded in her neck. The hook was removed, the wound cleaned and after a short recovery period in our large aviary she was released.
Five nestling Bank Swallows, a declining species in Quebec, were rescued after excavation equipment destroyed their nest, a tunnel in the sand. The young birds were fed a specialized diet every 30 minutes for several weeks before learning to fly in a flight cage. They were successfully released in a protected area.
At Le Nichoir birds are looked after as individuals, yet we strongly believe that education is the real key to conserving wild bird populations and their habitats. At the Centre we see the impact of human activity on wild birds on a daily basis, and we are using this powerful perspective to develop our formal education program. Over 600 children participated in our programs so far this year. The financial support received during our Annual Campaign is what permits us to continue to develop and offer these programs.
On behalf of all of us at Le Nichoir, thank-you for your participation in our Annual Campaign, and for your confidence in our efforts to care for the birds that share our planet.
Sincerely,
Susan Wylie, Sc. Wildlife Biology
Executive Director