RB: How long have you been with Ravensbeard? How did you find out about Ravensbeard? What motivated you to volunteer at Ravensbeard?
JF: I’ve been volunteering for Ravensbeard for about a year. I came across Ravensbeard when I was looking for a rehabber to help a Red-tailed hawk. I ended up taking the hawk to another rehabber, but the Ravensbeard name stuck in my mind. I studied environmental anthropology and always had an interest in nature & wildlife. I was an expedition guide in the arctic for two years and was a Catskill trail steward. When I decided to volunteer for a rehabber, I contacted Ellen at Ravensbeard.
RB: The arctic! That must have been pretty cool! What do you do when you are not volunteering at Ravensbeard?
JF: I manage the Candlestock store in Woodstock.
RB: How did you find yourself taking care of orphaned baby chimney swifts?
JF: Ellen reached out to the group of volunteers looking for someone dedicated to care for them. Initially, there were five babies when they were brought to us. One did not survive the first night. When I got them, their eyes were not yet open.
I have to feed them every half hour. I was a little nervous at the beginning, but got used to the routine. I feed them soaked meal worms and give them water with avian vitamins added. I took them to work in a carrier so I could continue feeding them throughout the day. Once they become adults, they will be eating flying insects like mosquitoes and gnats.
RB: I understand that when a chimney swift lands, it can’t perch—it clings to vertical walls. Did that pose a challenge when taking care of them?
JF: I placed them in a container that has vertical surfaces and soft material at the bottom, and kept them in a low stimulation environment, in the dark. I placed a wooden board so they can ‘sit’ together. They have a strong grip, even when their eyes were still closed. I have a larger butterfly tent that is 5-foot tall and 3-feet wide and I built a fake chimney made out of cardboard.
RB: How long have you had them and what are some of your key observations about them?
JF: It has been 3-weeks since I got them. I’ve named them Peanut, Cashew, Pecan, and Sesame (Seed). Sesame is the runt of the litter.
RB: The chimney swift is a neotropical migratory bird protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. They arrive in the U.S. in March or April to breed and roost and then depart in August or September for South America’s upper Amazon basin of Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Brazil, where they like to spend the winter. Do you think they’ll be ready?
JF: They are starting to take flight – from a few inches to a foot. Three of them will probably be ready to go. Because Sesame hasn't fully grown its feathers out yet, I help it build wing strength by placing it on a slightly angled flight board and gently moving it up and down, encouraging it to flap & exercise its wings as it prepares for flight.
RB: What other animals at Ravensbeard have you gotten attached to?
JF: I have adopted three pigeons – one was an unwanted racing pigeon, one with a wing droop, and one that was picked upon. I have set up a coop for them. I’ve also got two baby pigeons being hand raised that came from Ravensbeard. At the clinic, I like interacting with crows, ravens and black vultures.
RB: What do you like most about volunteering at Ravensbeard? Do you have a favorite memory?
JF: I love helping birds. I find it highly rewarding when a bird or animal c returns to the wild. My favorite memory so far is coming face to face with Ursala, the Eurasian eagle owl who sits in the middle of the back room, the first time I visited Ravensbeard. No one warned me about her so it was quite the surprise, but a cool one.