Bluewater Centre For Raptor Rehabilitation

09/06/2026

VULTURE AWARENESS DAY
In recognition of international Vulture awareness day Sept 5th here is "Timmy"our Ambassador Turkey Vulture going for a walk at BCRR.
Turkey Vultures are intelligent raptors that play an important part to our ecosystem by scavenging on carrion by using its great sense of smell that can be detected a mile (1.6kms)away or beneath a forest.
They will travel up to 200 miles or approx 310 km to find food in a day.

They have a highly acidic stomach acid that is strong enough to kill deadly bacteria like anthrax and rabies. Keeping disease from spreading.

Their bald head keeps meat from sticking to feathers and helps them release body heat.

When threatened or cornered they will regurgitate foul-smelling ,semi-digested meat.

They also have an unsual
habit of leg-peeing (Urohydrosis)to cool down in hot weather.

Don't you just love them! BCRR does🥰

Please be mindful and slow down when you see a Vulture on the side of the road or better still stop, pull over and throw the carcass they might be eying up to eat off the road and somewhere safe for
them to eat. This is also for Raptors like Eagles and Redtailed Hawks and mammals who are also scavengers.
Lynn

09/05/2026

We have had many birds over the years with this same scenario . Discarded or snagged fishing line, lures and weights will kill our water birds. This Cormorant was a very lucky bird to be found and treated so quickly .
Please be considerate when fishing and think of the birds and reptiles that can be killed by careless fishing.

09/04/2026

Saying goodbye to our Summer Student volunteers.

This week was the final week for our two summer students ,Teagan and Maia,who generously donated their time at the centre while also juggling summer jobs elsewhere.

BCRR is always so sad to see our students go as they bring so much energy , hard work and strong muscles as well as an interest and compassion for being at the centre.

Most of our summer at BCRR is spent maintaining and cleaning the various sized cages on the property ,training the students to feed the Raptors in care and learning about mice husbandry that gives us a valuable food source for our Raptors. Some handling of the raptors and intakes can also be experienced.

Both Teagan (2nd year) and Maia (1st year) are heading off to Guelph University to follow their chosen paths in the sciences.

We wish them great success in the future!

Always a highlight is being able to walk the educational birds , Nico our male American Kestrel, Miller our male Peregrine Falcon originally found as a juvenile injured at the Bluewater Bridge and our newest member is Timmy , our Turkey Vulture ,all had a beautiful walk in the woods.

P.S. Dagmar or myself are usually helping along side the students and supervising. Here is Dagmar probably figuring out what boards need to be replaced next. She is our Jaqueline of all trades!

09/02/2026

Please slow down your speed when you see any birds near the side of a road hunting , flying or scavaging. This is migration time and young inexperienced birds are on the move. Even the geese!

08/07/2026

3 Great Blue Herons in 4 days.

All 3 birds admitted were juvenile birds and unfortunately either succumbed to their injuries or were humanely euthanized due to the extent of their injuries.

The first bird was in a manure pit for more than 36 hours before being rescued by a kind soul. He was was soaking wet and saturated in manure and died soon after admission.

The second bird was hit by a car and succumbed to it's injuries in the first 48 hours in care. This heron was in great body condition but unfortunately sustained internal injuries as well as a hip fracture. I was really hoping for a different outcome.

The third heron I rescued early morning from a golf course. This heron had a very traumatic injury/it's foot was missing after what I assume was a snapping turtle encounter. The kindest thing we could offer was humane euthanasia and ending this bird's suffering.

There is a very high mortality rate (~70%) in the first year of life for birds. There are so many challenges wildlife faces to make it to adulthood and survive.

Some small but simple things you can do to help & reduce our impacts on bird populations is:

1. Drive the posted speed limit, drive defensively and be aware of wildlife crossing. Give yourself extra time to get to your destination so you can focus on driving safely. Do not text and drive.

2. Keep cats inside.
It is estimated that cats kill more than 100 million birds in Canada each year! Nesting season is an incredibly vulnerable stage of development with young birds on the ground, learning how to fly. Keep cats indoors and dogs on a leash & take them out a different route during this very temporary stage, when young birds are learning how to fly.

3. Protect birds from window strikes. One estimate suggests as many as 25 million birds are killed annually in Canada.

4. Dispose of fishing line responsibly. Fish with lead free fishing tackle and use alternatives to lead ammunition.

5. Plant native plants, shrubs and trees to promote biodiversity in your yard 🌳🍁

If you find wildlife in distress: ontariowildliferescue.ca has a list & map of wildlife rehabilitators in ontario and the species the care for.

The MNR also has this published list of licensed rehabilitators in Ontario.
https://learningcompass.learnflex.net/Upload/Public/WildlifeRehabilitatorsPublicList.htm

Photo: Young Great Blue Heron with traumatic foot injury prior to rescue

08/07/2026

🥰love these birds.

07/26/2026

Back in April of this year, we were getting calls about a wild turkey wandering around the village Brights Grove-even going to the local school and chasing police cars. At one point we had reports that he had slight limp which later turned out to be a broken tip of his left toe. He soon became the local mascot being seen around town!
Later he joined up with a flock off Mandaumin Sideroad and was reported to have been hit by a car. He was spotted again with a significant limp and caught by the daughter of Terry and Nikki Noble from Huron Farm and then brought to Bluewater Center For Rehabilitation for further treatment.
X-rays were then taken with the help of the staff at Lakeshore Veterinary ClinicThese were sent to Dr Nellissa Stallenhoef from the National Wildlife Centre Canada in Caledon for further evaluation and revealed a fractured pelvis with a possible dislocation on the left as well as the broken toe on the left foot. After consulting with them it was decided that the bird would benefit from cage rest and pain medication to see how he would do. His limp slowly improved.
After a few months of cage rest the broken toe tip was amputated by Dr Sandy Taylor from Lakeshore Veterinary Clinic and further cage rest was maintained until the toe had healed. Eventually he was placed into a larger cage to allow him to walk around and perch. We put a mirror in his cage to make him feel like he had company as wild turkeys are very social.
On July 24th we were able to release him back to Huron Farm without a limp, where he could be reunited with the rest of the flock which is seen daily in the area.
We could not have managed the care of this bird without dedicated team work from all the centers and people involved.
Did you know: 45 years ago, the Wild Turkey was almost gone from Ontario. They were re-introduced in 1984 through an agreement with the United States where moose and other wild animals were traded for them. By 2007 the estimated population was over 70,000 birds across Ontario, often seen in groups of 8-10. They are a magnificent bird to see when the males display their impressive tails! We are hoping that this young male will soon put up his tail and have a harem of his own.

07/20/2026

This group is amazing, the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation raises money to buy items for other rehab centre's including the Bluewater Centre so we can continue to care for wildlife that desperately needs help.
Will you buy a ticket?

July is here and the summer madness continues...
Buy your tickets at https://www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/nwrfjuly

THANK YOU so much for your help last month! When we opened up and let you know how dire the situation was - trying to help more and more wild babies this spring with less and less resources - you really stepped up!

Every day, after day, after day...
We are still buying life saving formulas and specialized foods, and building release boxes for every stage of these fragile lives. We are still overwhelmed by the numbers of wild orphans in desperate need of care.
We are still getting dozens of calls for help...calls from the public looking to find a space for each wild baby...calls from rehabbers looking for more formula...and help to provide food and formula and get it delivered to where it is needed NOW!

The number of animals have increased... The costs have skyrocketed... And the number of caring volunteers has decreased.

We are entirely volunteer - which means that every dollar donated goes directly to caring for wild babies
If you can - BUY a ticket(s) or make a DONATION

If you can’t buy a ticket right now - please Share, Share, Share!
We are definitely stronger together!

Thank YOU for your support – it truly means the world to us - and to them!
More than ever before we absolutely can’t do this without YOU!
Vickie Founder, NWRFCanada.org

07/20/2026

Recently , Charlie Fowler ,friend and ba**er from Hawk Cliff gave a demonstration to 2 of our weekend volunteers, Laura and Loren on banding a Red-Tailed hawk fully recovered at BCRR.
The hawk was hit by a car and had a serious head trauma with neurological issues late last fall and has done well after its lengthy recovery.
It will be released this week back to where it was found in Sombra Township.

07/16/2026

A follow up to the short video of the Merganser stranded on land . The bird was examined to be healthy and in good weight but dehydrated and exhausted from being on land in the heat with no body of water .
A storm or high winds may have brought him down onto land.
After a short stay at BCRR he was released into a local Conservation Area pond .

Please help local wildlife by supplying water baths and bowls of water on the ground for those creatures who don't fly.
Lynn