Forty birds have been brought in to Hope for Wildlife on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore since post-tropical storm Arthur blew through the Maritimes.
One woodpecker was brought in from Cape Breton after crashing into a window due to the high winds.
“We X-rayed the bird and checked for broken bones, and in a lot of cases, it’s just a bit of cage rest that they need until they’re ready to go back into the wild,” says Hope Swinimer of the Hope for Wildlife Society, located in Seaforth, N.S.
The woodpecker is doing well, but a black-backed gull is in rough shape.
“We don’t know if it was because of the storm, but he fell in a garbage dumpster full of oil,” says Swinimer.
She says the bird has been cleaned, but it will take another washing and more work before he can be released.
A young crow, as well as several starlings, robins and blue jays, are also being tended to after strong winds blew them out of their nests.
About 40 birds are recovering at Hope for Wildlife, but Swinimer expects more birds injured in the storm will be brought in.
In addition to the birds at the shelter, Swinimer also rescued three young ospreys that nearly perished in the wild.
“During the high winds, the tree broke and the nest went flying,” she says.
The parents couldn’t get to their young, so Hope for Wildlife stepped in and placed the nest in a new tree. When that didn’t work, they put it back in the old, damaged tree.
“We went to check, both mom and dad were there, and we went up and checked the babies and they had full crops, plus there was fish in the nest,” says Swinimer.
The woodpecker is expected to be released within a day or so, but the others will have to be able to fly, feed themselves, and be waterproof before they can be released.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant
