Here's why we always ask people to call us first, and not to offer the bird any food or water.

As the year winds down, many of our supporters start thinking about both their charitable giving and their tax planning. The good news: with a little strategy, the two can work together. Here's a refresher on a few options worth discussing with your advisor.

Last week, a small black-and-white streaked songbird was found on the sidewalk outside 300 Fore Street in Portland, stunned after colliding with a window. It was a Blackpoll Warbler, a bird that weighs about as much as two quarters and was likely beginning one of the most extraordinary journeys in the animal kingdom.

If you're 70½ or older and have a Traditional IRA, there's a giving strategy worth knowing about — one that can support Avian Haven's work while easing your tax burden. It's called a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD.

People often ask us, "What's the most common reason a bird comes to Avian Haven?" Last Wednesday, the birds answered for us.

Right now, in the last days of September, an extraordinary migration is underway.

A wrap of our busy season, and a big thank you!

We are delighted to introduce David Heald as Avian Haven's new Board President.

There's a reason so many of us stop mid-conversation when a chickadee lands on a nearby branch, or feel our shoulders drop when a hawk circles overhead. It turns out that reaction isn't just sentimental — it's backed by a growing body of science.

Four different anti-coagulants. That's what was found in the bloodstream of Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl whose escape from the Central Park Zoo captivated New Yorkers — and whose death one year later has become a rallying cry for wildlife advocates everywhere.

If you haven't heard Flaco's story yet, a new documentary, Wild Inside, tells it in full. We think it's worth your time, and we think it says something important about the work we do here at Avian Haven.

It is high summer, and in the newsletter this week we’re sharing more about birdwatching in Maine (something you might be doing a bit more of right now) by asking a few questions of Derek Lovitch, owner along with his wife Jeannette of Freeport Wild Bird Supply.

There is a Thick-Billed Murre sitting on a beach in Scarborough out of season. You’ve been calling with questions, so we asked a professional for answers.

Every year, our rehab team makes thousands of decisions most people never see: whether a bird will be able to heal from a presenting issue and thrive in the wild, when it's ready for release, and where exactly to let it go. We asked readers what they wanted to know about that process, so I sat down with Senior Rehab Tech Athena Furr to walk through it.

Every year, thousands of Mainers find themselves staring at an injured, orphaned, or simply out-of-place bird, phone in hand, unsure what to do next. If you've ever made that call to Avian Haven, you know it's the beginning of a process — one built to give that bird the best possible chance. If you haven't, here's what to expect, and why we ask what we ask.

Here's how to help the young people in your life discover a lifelong connection to nature.

At Avian Haven, we don't name our patients — and that this small practice is one of the most important things we do.

Rodenticide poisoning is one of the most widespread — and least visible — threats to birds of prey and other wildlife. When a mouse or rat consumes rodent poison, the danger doesn't end there. It travels up the food chain.

It's fledge season in Portland and across Maine, and young gulls are everywhere right now: on rooftops, in parking lots, wandering around on the ground. They can't fly yet. That's normal. It takes them several weeks to build the strength to get airborne, and during that time they'll walk, flap, and rest in places that make people worry.

Birders, and those who dedicate their life to wildlife, have a story about the moment a bird stopped them cold. A bird that made them look up, lean in, or turn the car around. We call that bird a "spark bird" — the species that lit the match.

This week, we asked members of the Avian Haven team to share theirs.

Every spring and summer, our phones ring with concerned callers who've discovered a nest tucked into a wreath, a gutter, a porch light, or a hedge — sometimes in the most inconvenient places imaginable. And every time, we share the same message: please leave it alone. That's not just our advice. It's the law.