Give Orphaned and Injured Wildlife a Second Chance

Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary’s baby season is chirping right along. We’ve admitted 239 injured and orphaned avian patients so far this year, representing 32 different species! Though their rescue stories vary, every bird has one thing in common: they got their second chance at the Sanctuary. 

One interesting rescue story was that of our very first nestlings of the season: three charming Carolina Wrens. Being cavity nesters, Carolina Wrens typically construct nests in tree cavities or nesting boxes. However, these adaptable critters also may nest in wheel wells, bike helmets, shoes, and...boats, apparently! These babies came in because their mom had built their nest inside a boat. When the boat’s owners started using their vessel in early spring, they found the babies. Their rescuers brought the babies into professional care, weighing just a minuscule 8 grams each on intake. They have since been successfully rehabbed and released back to the wild! 

We’ve also admitted orphaned Red-headed Woodpeckers for the first time in our organization’s history! The four woodpeckers arrived thanks to the teamwork and heroism of their rescuers. A couple had been observing their parents, a mated pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers, for months and were delighted to see them begin to raise four charming nestlings. However, Virginia summer brings about many unpredictable storms, and their tree was struck by lightning! It caught fire, and the couple immediately called the fire department, which successfully rescued the babies from their nest and prevented the fire from spreading. The tree was destroyed, and the couple brought the babies in for professional care. The babies spent a week recovering in our nursery, enjoying our woodpecker “nest box,”  which was designed to mimic the sensation of being inside a hollow tree. Now, all four babies have graduated to one of our outdoor flight enclosures. We expect to be able to release them within a couple of weeks! 

As wildlife rehabbers, we take our role as conservationists seriously. Indeed, wildlife rehab is a vital, yet often overlooked, pillar of conservation. Each bird we successfully return to the wild helps support the resilience of local populations, especially for species experiencing steep regional losses—and many are. A 2019 study published in Science found that 3 billion birds have been lost in the past 50 years. Alarmingly, 2025’s State of the Bird Report shows that these devastating losses have only continued. The report notes that over one quarter of eastern forest birds have been lost since 1970, with a staggering two-thirds of species declining across nearly half of their breeding ranges. 

Our average, historically, is to intake about 350 birds per year, and to continue delivering positive outcomes for the increasing number of birds in need, we must expand our capacity to care for them. As a result, we’re currently planning to build a multi-compartment aviary enclosure at RWS! This enclosure would provide the space and flexibility needed to care for a wider range of species and meet the rising demand for avian rehabilitation. This will help us give more birds a second chance and play a direct role in slowing the decline of native populations. Please consider making a donation today to help us give more birds a second chance. 

Thank you for caring about the wild animals in our community!