Napa Wildlife Rescue

Thank you to everyone who was able to give to this owl’s surgery fund. What a caring, generous community we find ourselves in. The owl is doing well, you can see the bandage on their foot. Soon they will be back to the night skies, calling out their deep ‘who, who, who!’

This is a common poorwill. These interesting birds are nocturnal, and during the day they sleep in piles of leaves which is why they are perfectly camouflaged. You may even see one while hiking, and because they are so sleepy, they may not fly away. This common poorwill is reacting to the towel we use for handling them. They don’t feed themselves in captivity, and due to their fragile feathers, we must be very careful in handling them. You can see when it opens it’s mouth how wide it needs to be to accommodate catching flying insects. So we very carefully support their delicate mandible and proceed very cautiously with them. #nocturnalanimals #nocturnalbirds #commonpoorwill #birdrescue #wildliferescue #mandible #rescuerehabrelease #napawildliferescue #napacounty #nativebirds #birdnerds

This little baby came to us covered in fleas, ears filled with tics, underweight and dehydrated. We knew we could tend to the easy fixes; we treated the parasites and we stabilized his weight and were able to introduce whole foods. However, what coyotes really need to thrive in the wild is social interaction. We knew this pup would have a far better chance of survival if we could solidify a family unit for him, so he was transferred to the only center anywhere near us that h...as a coyote pup his size. We are grateful to the people of the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley for taking him in. They raised him with other coyotes while he developed his normal coyote behavior. Come release day, he was so nervous about humans that he did not want to leave the safety of his kennel. He flattened himself to be the least visible he could possibly be. We understood what he was telling us and we left the area. The next day the kennel was empty and he was off exploring his new territory, being wild and free. #coyote #coyotepup #coyoterehabilitation #wildliferehabilitation #napawildlife #communityeffort #learningskills #canine #coyoterescue #ecosystem #wildliferelease

Owl lovers, we need your help! A magnificent Great Horned Owl came to us a month ago after being caught in bird netting and injuring her feet. Try as we might, she had two large wounds which did not respond to treatment. We made three visits to the Bird and Pet Clinic of Roseville and ultimately decided to amputate one toe in an effort to save her. Despite this, she is healthy and robust and we believe she will have a good chance of being released back to the wild once heale...d. Surgery is costly, and while Bird and Pet Clinic kept the price as low as they could for us, we will still need to cover $400. Owl lovers, can you help us cover the cost of her surgery? Do you think we can raise $400 by the end of today? (Her photo is in the comments!)

One aspect of wildlife rehabilitation is the interaction with the personalities of different species and individuals within them. It is a stream of surprise and delight, sprinkled with smiles and ahs! It is a wealth of variation like your first box of 64 crayons. This is the last of a large crop of pigeon chicks we’ve cared for this year. Babies, that start out very different in appearance then what they’ll look like when they mature, and very different in behavior. Littl...e packages of flapping wings and boogey like struts, that put out bubbles of It’s great to be alive and Hi and Oh Boy food!! that reliably generates smiles and laughs in the humans that care for them. This one is delighted with himself. He just learned to self-feed from his bowl of food. It won’t be much longer now. And the chuckle meter will turn down a bit when he’s gone. #wewillmissyou #wildliferehab #birdrescue #pigeonsofinstagram #pigeon #laughter #thejoytheybring

We are glad this squirrel is telling us to stay out of her space! She came in much differently, barely able to move after being hit by a car. With some extra oxygen, anti inflammatory meds, fluids, food and rest, she is feeling much better and ready to take us on! #squirrelrescue #squirrelsofinstagram #wildliferehab #napacountywildlife

Owl Inside We sometimes receive animals in unusual containers. This is a western screech owl, one of four kinds of adult owls that could fit in this box that are local to Napa County. Can you guess the other three species? #owlinabox #birdnerds

A sweet gentle morning release. One, two, three. Healed and free. #sparrowrelease #birdrescue #sparrow #birdnerds #backtothesky

How can we safely live in harmony with wildlife? Where can we adjust our lives to make space for an ecosystem that needs all participants to thrive? This male adult opossum was found in a box trap. Because he was so scared, he tried to break himself out and gave himself an inch long laceration under his chin. It’s always stunning to see an animal’s commitment to their own freedom and what they are capable of under duress. This is what we are here for. We’ll help him recuper...ate before sending him home to eat ticks, mice, bugs, slugs, and fallen fruit. Opossums are fantastic at eating the things you don’t want in your yard. If you are having an opossum problem, consider calling a wildlife exclusion service to evict them from the places you don’t want them to be, while letting them clean up other spaces in your yard. We need them! #livinginharmonywithnature #wildliferehab #opposum #marsupial #ecosystem #ticks

Wildlife Rehabilitation is a way of keeping good in the world that is supported in lots of ways by many exceptional people who care. They give with their hearts, with their hands, with their time and skills, with their wallets. Arceo Ranch is one of the Napa Farmer's Market vendors who give with food throughout the season that's fresh and restorative. Last Saturday we were able to express our thanks by giving them a photo of one of their favorite species, a Great Horned Owl, printed on metal. It takes a village. Thank you Arceo Ranch! @arceoranch #ittakesavillage #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation #community #napacounty

This first year red-tailed hawk may appear majestic and fierce, and in many ways she is. However, she tried to eat an already deceased mouse whole in a few gulps, got the mouse stuck, made a bunch of squeaky noises, spit it out and then ripped it into appropriately sized swallowable pieces. Teenagers. Always learning. Around here, red-tailed hawks are the diurnal kings and queens of the sky. Opportunistic hunters, they’ll feast on anything they can catch, from rodents to reptiles and even other birds. The females are larger than the males, and you’ll see them perched on trees and phone poles around the county. #redtailedhawk #hawks #raptors #birdsofprey #bueteo #hawksofnapacounty #birding #wildlife

ed a milestone in building our wildlife garden. Behold, the completed fence line! This is where we will be growing food for our wildlife patients and it feels so good to know that we will finally be laying down roots. We are looking for people with gardening skills to come volunteer with us. You can contact us through our website, the link is in our bio (please not through social media). Off we go to celebrate! #garden #fenceline #wildlifegarden #growyourownfood #napacountygarden

It is spooky October, after all! So our question for you is: Who is this x-ray of? Bonus points if you can identify the injury or give us a fun fact about this species. By the way, this patient is doing very well and has since been released. #xray #spookyoctober #rescuerehabreleaserepeat #wildliferehabilitation #wildlife #napacountywildliferescue