Skywatch Bird Rescue

09/09/2026

Do you have an old refrigerator, freezer, washer or dryer, appliance, equipment, tools, or other metal just taking up space?

We can repurpose that metal by taking it to a recycling or scrap yard, turning your unwanted items into funds that support the birds in our care. Every piece helps pay medical care, food, housing, and supplies. ♻️

Your old metal may not be worth much to you, but it can make a difference to a bird in need.

Please note that we cannot pick items up. All metal donations can be brought to the rescue at 3600 Lynn Ave. in Castle Hayne. Please leave items on the far side in our parking lot.

09/08/2026

How to temporarily house an injured wild animal, while you find a trained wildlife rehabilitator to help!

We used a cardboard box in this example, but the same idea applies to other containers - just make sure the basics are still covered! Containers need to be secure, with sufficient air flow, and an absorbent cloth on the bottom to provide grip and keep animals dry.

However you contain the animal, make sure you keep them dark, quiet, and warm, away from people and pets. And remember - don't offer food or water unless you get the all clear from a trained wildlife rehabilitator. It's normal to want to offer food and water, that's human compassion! But the wrong food can be deadly, and animals can drown or get wet and hypothermic if water spills. It is much easier for rehabilitators to reverse a calorie deficit or minor dehydration than to correct metabolic issues, gastrointestinal issues, or aspiration pneumonia, which are all potential consequences of offering food and water.

Find a wildlife rehabilitator using IWRC's International Wildlife Rehabilitator directory: https://theiwrc.org/help

Help us spread the word so everyone can learn when and how to intervene if they encounter wildlife in need! A reminder that you can share this post, or you can head over the https://theiwrc.org/resources/shareables/ to download any IWRC infographic to share as you'd like - we just ask that you keep the image as-is, or reach out to us first to collaborate if you want to make any changes (like translation - we're always looking for volunteers to help with translation into new languages!).

BIG thank you to our volunteer, Alesha of Creative Fae Studio who helped us create this graphic ❤

09/07/2026

Happy to all the workers, including our directors who work for free, seven days a week (including on holidays like today) to be here for the birds. And to our volunteers, community members juggling jobs, families, and busy lives, but still finding time to show up to help. Thank you all for your devotion and hard work!

This is a recent example of what we can do when we work together: rescuing three injured Canada Geese from the same flock, at the same time. These complex captures require significant time, resources, and (as you can see) manpower to accomplish, and we would appreciate any support to help us replenish rescue supplies including nets, gloves, ropes, and traps. You can donate towards these purchases below or through any of our methods at linktr.ee/skywatchbirds.

If you’d like to give some of your time to help us with group captures, too, we are always in need of volunteers for our first response team. The more manpower we have available, the faster and further we can respond to birds in need. Please message us if interested in joining!

09/06/2026

09/05/2026

This is the face this Black Vulture made when we wished him a happy !

Vultures are scavengers who feed almost exclusively on carrion (natural and man-made carcasses such as roadkill) and decaying matter. This tends to give them a bad rep, but their choice of food makes them critical to the health of our human communities. A vulture’s stomach is as strong as battery acid, with a pH barely above 0. This acidity is able to dissolve diseases including rabies, botulism, and anthrax. By consuming carrion, vultures remove these and other fatal diseases from our ecosystems, in turn protecting us and our pets from contracting them.

It is always a privilege to release a vulture back into the wild and do our part to conserve these keystone species. Thank a vulture today! One way you can support vultures in our area is spreading the word to hunter/homesteader friends or family about our ongoing need of game meat for our vultures and birds of prey. If you or someone you know is clearing out a freezer in preparation for the hunting season, please don’t toss any unwanted game, donate it!

09/05/2026

We’re back open for visitation from 12-4pm today (9/5), and our Emus are waiting patiently to see you (and your snacks)! Entry is a $10 donation per person, and we accept all payment methods: linktr.ee/skywatchbirds.

📍3600 Lynn Ave. in Castle Hayne

09/05/2026

YARD SALE happening now until 1pm!

It looks like our local vulture flock was curious about what we have available. They must’ve heard that all sales support birds like them. Come see it and shop it yourself!

📍3600 Lynn Ave. in Castle Hayne

09/05/2026

We’re setting up for tomorrow’s (9/5) yard sale, and we still have more in the shed to pull out! If you see something you like here, come check it out. The sale is happening from 8am to 1pm, but the early bird gets the best finds! 🐦

📍3600 Lynn Ave. in Castle Hayne

09/01/2026

🎶 Sounds from our nursery in September. Yes, we are STILL receiving and raising baby birds!

Fly on by the rescue from 8am-1pm THIS Saturday, September 5th for our biweekly yard sale. As the final of our babies fledge this month, this fundraiser will help us recoop costs from another busy baby season, plus prepare for the fall and winter intakes soon to come.

We will have a variety of household items, décor, and home goods for you to shop and support the birds. If you have items you would like to contribute, you can drop off anytime prior to the sale on the right side of our front porch at 3600 Lynn Ave. in Castle Hayne. We cannot accept clothing, books/puzzles, or furniture, but gladly welcome all other gently-used goods!

08/31/2026

Summer’s not over yet, and neither are our biweekly yard sales!

As long as it stays warm and baby birds are still coming in (and they are daily!), we will continue having this crucial fundraiser. These sales provide us with extra financial support during baby season and help us cover the coinciding bills and expenses when donations do not.

Our next sale is happening from 8am-1pm THIS Saturday, September 5th, and we could use your help to make it even bigger and better. If you have items that you would like to contribute, donations can be dropped off anytime prior to the sale on our front porch at 3600 Lynn Ave. in Castle Hayne. We gladly welcome all gently-used home goods aside from clothing, books/puzzles, and furniture.