Mama’s back! After 10 days with us, she reunited with her mate Biggie in Prospect Park, and they greeted each other according to the traditional rituals.  Ideally, she could have spent a few more days with us working on her waterproofing, but she was becoming agitated and depressed in care, so we opted to return her now and let her continue to waterproof on site.  Mama, aka Paulette, had become partially coated in a tarlike substance and needed multiple baths to remove it, as well as treatment for any she had ingested.  We’re happy to see the family back together! Thanks to the Swan Squad! Here’s hoping for a summer free of swan drama. 🦢 🎥: @MBPurdyArtz

We got some brief but very pleasant opossum joey time in the exam room before sending this lost baby off for home care with a wonderful rehabber. This little Virginia opossum was found alone in Central Park, possibly left behind by a busy mom with lots of other babies hanging on. A female opossum can support up to 13 babies (the number of nipples), and she won’t always notice when one falls off and behind. 🎥:  Phyllis Tseng

It’s been more than a week since Mama swan, aka Paulette, came to us from Prospect Park with her primary feathers covered in a black sticky substance, maybe tar or oil. When a bird gets covered in something like this, not only does the substance prevent them from being able to swim, and interfere with their ability to stay warm, but it sickens them as they ingest the toxic substance during preening. Mama was quite stressed when she arrived, but she settled in with lots of fluids and supportive care. She’s now had two bath treatments (mayo, followed by dawn), and is looking better, but has lost a lot of waterproofing and is understandably reluctant to swim. A little more time will be needed before this big girl is ready to return home to her mate. 📷: Rachel Frank

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, but especially the ones who raised this robin and this house finch so magnificently, but then lost them for reasons unknown. We’re doing our best to fill in for their missing parents, who are no doubt busy raising others from the nest. If you find a scruffy-looking young bird who is alert and standing or hopping, that bird is probably a fledgling (a bird who has just left the nest) and is likely not in need of help. Being on the ground is normal for the first few days out of the nest. A fledgling's parents will be nearby and foraging to feed their child. If you’re not sure, observe from a distance. Usually a parent will quickly show up with food for the little one. If the bird is injured or has very few feathers (a nestling), that’s when you can jump in to rescue. But please ask a wildlife rehabber if you’re not sure. And never give food or water to a rescued bird. We know it’s tempting, but this one act can be so harmful. Mothers everywhere, we salute you! 📷:  @tristanahigg

Did you know that millions of birds may be migrating silently overhead right now as you read this? Ahead of #WorldMigratoryBirdDay#, UN News spoke to Catherine Quayle, Communications Director at the Wild Bird Fund in NY.

On World Migratory Bird Day, we celebrate the hundreds of millions of birds making their way north now during peak spring migration, flying thousands of miles to reach their breeding grounds as they’ve done for centuries. We humans have made their journeys much more perilous by destroying their critical habitat, puncturing their dark sky with bright lights and placing invisible obstacles at every pitstop. At WBF, we admit 2,000 birds a year who’ve collided with windows in NYC, and these are a tiny fraction of those who die in the city every year this way. Please join us in committing to safeguarding the journeys of these birds! Turn out lights at night, mark your windows so birds can see them, advocate for bird-friendly windows at your office or apartment building and talk to everyone you know about this problem. And go out and see some birds today! They are singing, foraging and bringing immense beauty into our parks. 📷: Phyllis Tseng, Lily Lugo

Happy #FreebirdFriday to# this herring gull named Buttercup, who came in with her legs tangled in black plastic, very stressed with some bruising to her ankle. We gave her a thorough exam and some supportive care for a couple of days and then sent her back out there. Look at those enormous wings go! 🎥: Terra Tirapelli

This red-tailed hawk was found sitting on top of a door at the glass-fronted entrance to an apartment building in Brooklyn. His behavior and poor feather quality indicated something was very wrong. A kind rescuer brought him to us, and our exams revealed a host of issues for this poor bird: severe dehydration and signs of anemia, which probably indicates some rodenticide poisoning. He also has an old wound on one toe that was obviously causing him pain. We also found a lot of intestinal parasites. And finally, he somehow got coated in a greasy substance. Poor buddy! After a few days of supportive care, medications and wound care, this hawk, named Quan, is standing and more alert. We hope he’ll soon be stable enough for us to clean those beautiful feathers under anesthesia. 📷: Rachel Frank, Eugene Oda

Last night's big wave of migration brought us a new assortment of songbirds, including this male scarlet tanager, the most vividly red bird of all the red birds. Every year, when these beauties return from South America, it can take some time for one's eyes to adjust to their brilliance. Until then, watery eyes and sniffles may occur. This bird, like the other migrators we admitted, collided with a window. He's alert but will need a couple of days to recover from possible concussion. 📷: Rachel Frank

The Cathedral raven babies are fledging! Meet No. 1, who dropped down below the nest to the Cathedral steps. Attempts to fly up to ledges resulted in crash-landings. Parents called out from a nearby tree. I'm calling this one Huginn, after the Norse God Odin's raven. #birdcpp#

This American black duck named Daisy was found entangled in kite string and hanging from a tree — one of so many entanglements this season! Her injuries were surprisingly minor considering what she’d endured: some bruising, a slight shoulder injury and a few damaged feathers. The bigger concern, we soon learned, was elevated lead toxicity. For this reason, she spent two weeks in our care receiving chelation therapy and recovering from her injuries. When she began flying out of our waterfowl pool, we knew it was time for her to go. Good luck out there, Daisy! We wish you a fruitful breeding season.🌼 🎥: Terra Tirapelli

Last chance for early-bird tickets to the Flocktail Party! Tonight, May 3, at midnight: Join us May 12 for live and silent auctions, live music, animal ambassadors and, of course, fancy drinks and bites! All to support our work caring for NYC's wildlife.

Good grief! It’s gosling time already. We admitted these two separately this week after they became separated from their families.  We hope to release them into the care of a wild Canada goose foster family. In the meantime we’re keeping our faces covered and avoiding any unnecessary interaction with these kids to prevent imprinting. Geese are particularly susceptible to this, so please never care for them yourself, even for a day. They must remain wild to have a chance of returning to goose world. 📷: Rachel Frank

FDNY to the rescue! A dramatic scene in lower Manhattan yesterday when firefighters responded to a request to help a pigeon tangled in wire and hanging from a tree. The pigeon, now named Firefighter, is safely in care. He has a leg injury, among others, but we’ll do all we can to help him heal. Thanks to everyone from the Facebook group who jumped in to help, to Casey who kept this poor pigeon safe overnight and brought him to the clinic this morning, and especially to @FDNY Engine 9, Ladder 6! 🏆 New Yorkers. We love our pigeons!💕  🎥: Casey Wong, Miriam Abrahams

It’s peak fuzzy yellow season here as pigeons take advantage of the warmer weather to nest in earnest. Some pigeons continue to breed through winter, but this time of year, it’s truly their full-time job. These hatchlings, named Bandana and Kerchief, were removed from an awkwardly located nest but are now thriving in the care of our nursery guru Kaori, the best substitute pigeon parent we know. 📷:  Phyllis Tseng

Members of our staff rescued this peregrine falcon today from a courtyard on the Upper West Side, where he likely collided with a window, suffering a wing fracture. The break, to the right ulna, was severe enough to puncture the skin. Our vet tech Eugene cleaned the wound and splinted the wing while the bird was under anesthesia, and since surgery may be necessary, we’ll be quickly sending the peregrine to our friends at The Raptor Trust. Thanks to his ankle bands, we know that this bird is 12 years old! That’s at the high end of the typical lifespan for a peregrine, so Leroy has been around the block a few times and is a fighter.🥷 Once threatened with extinction in the U.S., peregrines have rebounded in NYC and elsewhere thanks largely to environmental protections passed in the 1970s. Among them was the Endangered Species Act, which narrowly escaped being gutted yesterday in Congress. Thank you to everyone who took action to oppose the bill! Please keep this beautiful survivor in your thoughts. 📷: Suzanne Highlanf

A family of Ravens is putting the goth back in gothic at NYC's largest cathedral--St John the Divine. There are five mouths to feed, so the parents are staying busy! ⛪️⛪️⛪️ #Ravens# #Cathedral# #birdcpp#