Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

MONTHLY FLYER
A Volunteer Newsletter

October 2017

Celebrating 41 years of excellence in

wildlife rehabilitation and research

Photo: snyders/moonbeampublishing Editor: Loretta Carlson

CONGRATULATIONS, MARYANNE YINGST

The State of Delaware has selected longtime Tri-State volunter Maryanne Yingst
as one of this years recipients of a Governors Outstanding Volunteer Service
award. Joining Tri-State in 1995 as a bird-care volunteer, Maryanne helped care
for thousands of adult and baby birds in the clinic. She next trained for retrieval
and transport of injured birds, becoming one of our most reliable transporters. A
mainstay at our special events, Maryanne conducts tours during our annual Open
House, provides presentations to community garden clubs and Rotary clubs, and
reaches out to school students of all ages to teach them how they can help
protect and provide for wildlife. She is currently a transporter for Sussex County,
a volunteer trainer, and a member of Tri-States board of directors. In 2016,
Maryanne donated 595 volunteer hours. Already in 2017, she has accrued more
than 500 volunteer hours and driven nearly 10,000 miles retrieving and
transporting birds. Maryanne will receive her award on October 25 at a dinner
and ceremony to be held in Dover. Please join us in congratulating her for this well-deserved honor. See Julie
Bartley if you would like to attend the award ceremony.

COME TO OUR GIANT YARD SALE!

The day for Tri-States giant yard sale is nearly upon us. Invite your
family, friends, and neighbors to check out this annual community event
at the Aetna Fire Hall in Newark on Saturday, October 7, from 8 a.m. to
1 p.m. We have bargains galoreand its all to benefit the birds.
Once again, we are requesting that all shoppers consider making a small
donation of $1 as they enter the sale. For bargain hunters, we will have
an Early Bird Raffle, allowing winners to start shopping at 7:40 a.m.
before the doors open to the public. To secure your chance to snag the
choice items, arrive at the fire hall by 7 a.m. and purchase a raffle ticket.
We still need volunteers to help with the following tasks:
Setting up on Friday, October 6, starting at 8 a.m.
Staffing tables and cash registers the day of the event, October 7.
The first shift runs from 7 to 11 a.m. and includes getting ready for
the shoppers. The second shift runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and
includes helping with cleanup.
Cleaning up, packing and loading unsold items, and recycling
cardboard from 1 to 3 p.m. on October 7. Our second-shift
volunteers will still be around, but cleanup is a big chore, so wed like
to have extra hands onboard.
Last year we raised more than $14,000 for the birds. With your helpdonating items and spreading the word
among your family, friends, and communitywe can make this years Giant Yard Sale an even bigger success.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 2

BE FOOTLOOSE AT TRI-STATES ANNUAL BENEFIT FOR THE BIRDS

After forty-one years, its time to look back, kick back, and
celebrate all weve accomplished together at the annual Benefit
for the Birds. For this years event, we are going Footloose and
Fancy Free. Leave the black tie at home and get ready to join us
for an evening of friends and food in support of helping wildlife in
need.
We are returning to Deerfield Country Club on November 10 from
6 to 10 p.m. With a shorter time frame, a lower ticket price, and a
more casual atmosphere, theres no reason not to kick off your
shoes, so to speak, and enjoy a delightful night out. Browse the
Silent Hawktion or take your chances on the ever-popular Big
Card Draw for Philadelphia sports teams tickets, all while you meet up with friends old and new.
Get your tickets online now at www.tristatebird.org/benefit. You may also purchase tickets by sending an
e-mail to Rebecca Stansell at rstansell@tristatebird.org or by calling 302.737.9543, extension 110.

FAREWELL AND MANY THANKS, BARBARA DRUDING

After more than 30 years of volunteer service on the board of
directors, Barbara Druding is stepping down. She first came to
Tri-State in 1983 when she saw a newspaper article calling for
volunteers. She says, Coming to Tri-State was another way of
giving back what was being taken from Nature and the animal
world. I still feel that way. Within three years, she was elected
to the board of directors. During her time on the board, Barbara
served as secretary, second vice president, and president. She
also chaired the Human Resources Committee for many years
and was also a member of the Committee of the Board, the
Volunteer Committee of the Board, and the Capital Campaign
Committee. Fortunately for Tri-State, Barb will continue to lend
her experience and expertise by remaining on the Human
Resources Committee. Staff Photo

In addition to her board service, Barbaras contributions have ranged from work in the cliniclearning bird
care under the direction of founder Lynne Frinkto oil spill response. Along the way, Barbara has also been a
volunteer shift supervisor and a shift supervisor liaison to the board.
Like many other volunteers, Barbara loves Tri-State because it is a big part of who I am and what I hope to
give back. When she looks back on her 34 years at Tri-State, Barbara says she has had many memorable
experiences. She has been moved by the sadness of seeing a heavily oiled bird that could not lift its own
wings and then the joy of watching that same bird spread its wings and begin to preen once its feathers had
been cleaned. She says she has also been touched by the care, dedication, and devotion of Tri-Staters to the
mission. People come to Tri-State for the birds. You go home at the end of the day feeling like youve done
something good.
Although it is tremendously hard work, Barbara says she never thought about the dishes washed or the floors
mopped; she thought about the birds being helped. Where else could you get so close up and personal with a
wild, winged creature that is usually only admired from afar?
Thank you, Barbara, for your decades of service. Your hard work has made a difference to Tri-State, the staff,
the volunteers, and, of course, the birds.
Monthly Flyer, October 2017 3

RECENT RELEASES
In a case of mistaken identity, we first listed Patient 17-2363
as a Virginia Rail. As the tiny black puffball grew and grew
and GREW, we realized we had a Clapper Raila much-
larger rail speciesunder our care. The nestling came to us
from Long Neck, Delaware, on July 30 when well-meaning
people retrieved the uninjured bird from the marsh. We gave
the hatchling chick a snuggle body for warmth and comfort,
and it was soon enthusiastically hand-feeding bloodworms,
mealworms, and other invertebrates. Rails are notoriously
difficult to spot in the wild, and so we were unable to reunite
or foster the young Clapper Rail with a suitable family. To
prevent the youngster from becoming habituated to humans,
we wore a hood and gloves when handling it. We monitored
the birds growth throughout the month of August and into
September, ensuring it was self-feeding, gaining weight, and
behaving appropriately shy around humans. In early
September, we moved the Clapper Rail outside for live
testing and to monitor development of its flight skills. By
September 18, the rail was sustaining controlled flight and
descents, and its body, feet, and feathers were all in good
condition. Former intern Abby Himes released the rail in
Smyrna, Delaware, on September 20.
Staff Photo
Our volunteers go above and beyond the call of duty, as evidenced by Joe McCanns efforts on behalf of a
juvenile Red-tailed Hawk injured at the DuPont Country Club on August 12. Joe climbed after the young raptor
when it eluded capture by flying into a tree. The youngster was too weak to stay perched, however, and soon
went to the ground, at which point Joe was able to retrieve it. Severely dehydrated and thin, the Red Tail was
neurologic and had poor leg tone. Radiographs showed no orthopedic abnormalities, however. Within days of
its admission, the hawk was self-feeding mice and perching. We moved it outside, where it progressed from
using a ramp to access perches to attempting short flights to taking strong floor-to-ceiling flights. Once it was
taking sustained flights, we banded the Red Tail, and Joe McCann released it on September 20 back in the
area where it was found.

On July 25, a passerby rescued a young Red-bellied Woodpecker

from the railroad tracks in Yorklyn, Delaware. On admission, we
found that the 9- or 10-day-old nestling had lice and was mildly
dehydrated, but otherwise uninjured. With a snuggle buddy and
supportive care, the young woodpecker was soon hand-feeding well
and gaining weight. We put the youngster on a precautionary
course of antibiotics when an incubator-mate developed facial
swelling. By early August, the woodpecker was ready to go outside
where we monitored its body and feather condition and
development of flight skills. Once it was maintaining a healthy
weight and flying well, we released the Red-bellied Woodpecker at
Tri-State on September 5.

We dont admit many cuckoos to Tri-State. So far this year, only

Red-bellied Woodpecker
two have come into the clinic. Patient 17-2883, a Yellow-billed
Cuckoo, arrived on September 15 after it hit a window at the
PureBread Deli in Wilmington. A restaurant employee put the bird
Staff Photo into a box and kept it in a quiet place until volunteer Doug Reppa
picked it up for transport. The adult was alert but neurologic and
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 4

had blood in its mouth as well as soft tissue injuries on its neck. We started the cuckoo on a course of pain
medication and antibiotics. The next day, while the bird was under anesthesia, veterinarian Dr. Cristin Kelley
cleaned and sutured the neck wounds. After a couple days of cage rest and supportive care, the Yellow-billed
Cuckoo was flying well and vocal. Once the neurologic symptoms resolved, we released the bird at Tri-State
on September 18. Learn more about the Yellow-billed Cuckoo in this months Featured Bird article.
OTHER RELEASES IN SEPTEMBER
In September, we also released an Osprey, Eastern Screech Owls, a Laughing Gull, Mallards, Wood Ducks, a
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warblers, a Cedar Waxwing, a Red-eyed Vireo,
Scarlet Tanagers, a Veery, a Carolina Wren, a Song Sparrow, American Robins, a Carolina Chickadee, Northern
Mockingbirds, Gray Catbirds, American Goldfinches, House Finches, and Mourning Doves.

FEATURED BIRD: YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO

Although its long, down-curved yellow bill gives the Yellow-billed
Cuckoo its name, only the lower mandible may be yellow, while the
upper mandible and tip could be dark brown. Fortunately, birders can
also identify this cuckoo by the large white spots on its black undertail.
Overall, this species has brown upperparts and white underparts with
rufous primaries and gray feet and legs. A slim songbird about the size
of a Blue Jay at 11 to 13 inches long, its wings appear pointed and
swept back in flight.
The Yellow-billed Cuckoos slow and methodical foraging behavior can
make this bird difficult to spot. Like most cuckoos, it is more often
heard than seen. Its hollow wooden-like song can last eight seconds,
and some have described the call as sounding like a metal door
knocker.
True to its shy nature, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo lives mainly in densely
wooded patches of deciduous forests. It often sits motionless and
quietly flies from tree to tree to avoid detection. This cuckoo eats a
variety of insects, but it prefers caterpillars, and a single individual can
eat thousands of caterpillars during a single season. East Coast Yellow-
billed Cuckoos take advantage of outbreaks of tent caterpillars, cicadas,
and crickets and also eat frogs, lizards, and berries. During the winter,
this species subsists on fruit and seeds.
Monogamous pairs engage in courtship feeding and build a flat
platform nest together using twigs collected from the ground or
Photo by snyders/moonbeampublishing
snapped from nearby trees and shrubs. The finished nest cup is about
5 inches across and 1.5 inches deep. The male sometimes continues bringing in nest materials after incubation
has begun. Yellow-billed Cuckoos sometimes lay their eggs in nests of other cuckoos as well as in those of
American Robins, Gray Catbirds, and Wood Thrushes.
Yellow-billed Cuckoos have one of the shortest nesting cycles of any bird species. From the start of incubation
to fledging can take as little as 17 days. Chicks are born naked but are alert and active within 10 minutes of
hatching. Parents continue feeding their young for about two weeks after they leave the nest.
Populations of this neotropical migrant have declined significantly, partially because of the Yellow-billed
Cuckoos dependence on caterpillar populations. Learn more about the Yellow-billed Cuckoo at the Cornell Lab
of Ornithologys All About Birds Web site, www.allaboutbirds.org. See also Birds of North America, published
by the Smithsonian Institution, or your own favorite birding book.

VOLUNTEER ANNIVERSARIES
19 years: Becky Hargrove 17 years: Marion Stelzer 15 years: Russ and Loretta Carlson, Jonathan
Greenblatt, and Arlene Rockwell 14 years: Chris Petersen 9 years: Bob Bryant, Gary and Sherrie
Monthly Flyer, October 2017 5

Robinson, and Warren Young 8 years: Ro Francis and Joanne Stickle 5 years: Joe McCann 3 years: Ray
Bryant and Rand McIlvaine

WHOS WHO AT TRI-STATE

Meet Chris Chapdelaine
Chris Chapdelaine, Tri-States new development associate, says,
Believe it or not, the first exposure I had to Tri-State Bird Rescue
was the job listing for the position I hold now. With a new lease
signed in Newark and a job in Ocean View, Delaware, set to end on
September 1, Chris had spent months desperately scanning online
classifieds for something new that seemed exciting and meaningful.
He says when he found Tri-States listing, he started seeking more
information on who we are and what we do. Turns out almost
everyone I knew had brought a bird to Tri-State at some point. People
left and right were telling me how much they loved Tri-State, Chris
says. Tri-State had been working all around me right under my nose,
and I am so excited now to be a part of that team.
Staff PhotoAs part of the marketing and development team, Chriss job is to
write grants, manage memberships, and plan and help execute
events like the Giant Yard Sale and Benefit for the Birds. He also will work closely with Anita Moos, Tri-States
marketing associate, to carry out appeals and develop new ways to encourage people to be a part of Tri-
States mission.
Chris graduated from the University of Delaware in 2016 with an English degree and concentrations in creative
writing and literary studies. After college, he worked as the middle school coordinator for Mariners Bethel
United Methodist Church in Ocean View writing lesson plans, teaching, planning events and outings, and
coordinating fund-raisers.
When hes not working, Chris says, Ive been playing music since I was 4 years old. I started with piano, but
saxophone has taken over my musical life. I also play guitar, bass, and drums. Other free-time activities
include doing handy work for friends, watching sports, hiking, exploring new breweries, and writing.

Meet Shane McFoy

Shane McFoy, Tri-States newest clinic supervisor, should be a
familiar face to many volunteers since he worked in the clinic as a
full-time intern this past summer. He first learned about Tri-State
about three years ago during his sophomore year of college.
A recent graduate of Philadelphia University where he earned a
bachelor degree in biology with a focus in ecology, Shane had
intended to become a biologist. However, his work on a variety of
ecological research projects turned his interests in a slightly different
direction. He interned at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor,
New Jersey, for two summers, taking part in several avian
conservation and research projects. He also participated in other
research projects with the Wetlands Institute as well as the New
Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
As clinic supervisor, Shanes daily responsibilities include ensuring Photo by Allison Anholt
that the clinic runs smoothly by fostering relationships with the
volunteers and his co-workers, creating a healthy work experience for everyone at Tri-State, delegating tasks
to volunteers, admitting birds to the clinic, and providing birds with the correct treatments, diets, and housing.
I love birds, Shane says. So being able to work hands on with birds at a place where I can really make a
difference for them is very alluring.
Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research 6

The oldest of four, Shane owns a blue-tongued skink, two turtles, a handful of fish, a dog, 30 Madagascar
hissing cockroaches, and two cats. He considers bird watching and food his two true passions.
Shane says, From the moment I walked into Tri-State I knew that volunteers and supervisors alike were fully
devoted to the mission of this place and that they were all very knowledgeable. Its a good feeling being
surrounded by people who care so much about the birds.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK
We would like to extend the reach and impact of our posts on Facebook,
and were looking for your help. If you are on Facebook, we encourage
you to follow Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc. If you find a post of
ours to be interesting, please like that post and/or share it from your
personal account. The more people we reach and educate, the stronger
we can become. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Yard Sale, Saturday, October 7, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tri-States annual
fund-raiser for the birds will once again take place at the Aetna Fire Hall
in Newark. See the article above.
Benefit for the Birds, Friday, November 10, 6 to 10 p.m. We are returning to Deerfield in Newark in
2017. Deerfield is across Paper Mill Road, just over one mile from the Tri-State turn at Possum Hollow Road.
See the article above for more details.