Last year flew by with Le Nichoir staff and volunteers providing compassionate care to 2,554 avian patients. Here are some observations we found interesting:
- Bird admissions started later than usual, with nestlings and fledglings arriving from late May through September, likely due to one of the coolest Mays on record.
- The concentration of admissions between May and August decreased (79.6%, compared to 83.5%).
- We admitted 15 Barn Swallows, a higher number than usual, while Chimney Swift admissions returned to more typical levels (22 in 2025 vs. 4 in 2024). Both are at risk species in Quebec.
- We treated a Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) from Gaspesie, our first ever!
- Bird patients were brought in from 211 municipalities across Quebec.
- The leading human-caused injuries were window collisions, followed by cat attacks.
- On average, birds required 27 days of care before release.
Winter is our off-season. Through April we continue to provide individual care to the limited number of in-house patients we have and wait in anticipation for another busy May.