Baby Bird Shower Brings a Downpour of Generosity!

Peanut Butter, Raisins & TP – Not Your Mother’s Baby Shower List

The Alabama Wildlife Center hosted its first annual “Baby Bird Shower” on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 11:00AM to 3:00PM. The event attracted over two hundred and fifty guests who enjoyed free carrot cake and lemonade, had guided tours of Treetop Nature Trail (elevated boardwalk in the woods where non-releasable raptors are housed), heard wildlife presentations from AWC Director of Education Sandra Allinson accompanied by Coosa the Barred Owl, had guided tours of what goes on in the Baby Bird Nursery and more.

More than one hundred young visitors played the Feed the Bird bean bag toss game (created by artist and AWC volunteer Mary Stockard), decorated a bird ornament and planted their own sunflower seeds to take home and grow their own bird food.

Between April and September each year, AWC receives up to nine hundred injured and orphaned baby birds. The purpose of the event was to educate the community on the needs of native baby birds and encourage the public to do what they can to help.

And help they did. Not only did AWC receive almost $1,000 in donations and sales of promotional items and handmade treats, guests brought gifts from the AWC wish list for the baby birds. The following is just a taste of the shower gifts received:

* 15 baskets of fresh berries
* 25 pounds of raisins
* 38 pounds of Evo and Iams kitten food
* 70 pounds of creamy peanut butter
* 84 pounds of black oil sunflower seeds
* 106 rolls of paper towels
* 481 pounds of wild bird feed (includes 300 pounds donated by Pet Supplies Plus in Pelham)
* 962 rolls of unscented toilet paper

Many other items from the Baby Bird wish list were also donated. The total estimated value of donated wish list items is about $3,000.

AWC Executive Director Beth Bloomfield said, “It was so sweet to see guests arriving with bags full of the gifts they’d picked out for the baby birds. Many guests even wrapped their gift with a ribbon.” Bloomfield continued, “While we have regular donors and volunteers that support AWC, this event gave the broader community a chance to both learn and take action in support of Alabama’s native wildlife. The generosity of the guests is deeply moving.”

The AWC wish list is still posted online at www.awrc.org, and the need for the listed items will remain high through the end of the baby bird season in September. Wish list donations can be delivered seven days a week from 9:00AM to 5:00PM to the Alabama Wildlife Center, 100 Terrace Drive, Oak Mountain State Park, in Pelham.

Bloomfield says the organization estimates that due to their dramatically increased caseload during the baby bird season, AWC’s food costs are currently running at about fifteen thousand dollars a month. Most of the babies eat half-hourly for twelve to fourteen hours a day. A single baby Red-tailed Hawk will eat ten to twelve mice a day. A Chimney Swift will eat about one hundred and twenty-five mealworms each day. A baby Merganser Duck can eat up to one hundred minnows daily. “Anything the public can give to help Alabama’s injured and orphaned native baby birds is needed right now.”

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Find AWC on Facebook for event pix.