https://www.facebook.com/361633124036862/

Ride The Wind Wild Bird Rehab Center

Home
United States
Clermont County, OH
Ride The Wind Wild Bird Rehab Center

P.O. Box 368
New Richmond, Ohio 45157
513-797-7239- land line no text
A Songbird Rehab Center...special interest in neotropical migratory songbirds...

Ride The Wind Wild Bird Rehab Center rehabilitates injured and orphaned native songbirds. All native songbirds are protected by law.....so a State and Federal License is required in order to work with these birds. Tracy ( that would be me ) started the center and holds the State and Federal License for Ride The Wind. Ride The Wind does not get paid or funded........so all supplies...food...medications...veterinarian bills....etc.. are paid for out of our own pocket. If you are interested in becoming a part of our team......or volunteering in some way...and would like to learn more about wild bird rehabilitation........
please contact me.... Tracy
I would be happy to talk to you and answer any questions that you may have. (513) 797-7239

09/22/2025

I got this beauty in today...( Yellow-billed Cuckoo )
A very nice kind hearted man ( Dylan Nickell ) saw him in the road and stopped and picked him up.

Thank you so very much for rescuing this bird Dylan.
Your kindness is greatly appreciated.

No doubt this bird was hit by a car....
and if Dylan had not stopped to rescue him.....it would have been the end of this bird's life.
But thanks to Dylan....he now has a chance.

He has some serious injuries.........so keep your fingers crossed.
And Dylan....did I spell your last name right ? :)

09/19/2025

This is what happens when fishermen don't clean up after themselves and retrieve their fishing lines and take them back home.

This poor little Muscovy Duck got a fish hook through his beak as you can see from the picture.

And he also had a second hook that he had swallowed which was so far down his throat that a vet had to put him under anesthesia to remove that second hook.

He is fine now and has been released back to his family on the river.
Another example of harmful actions by humans that could easily be avoided.
Clean up your fishing lines......what is so hard about that ?

09/17/2025

See this little guy.....( first pic ).....I admitted him early this morning.
He was so covered in sugar water that his feet were glued together and he couldn't stand or barely move.

After a long careful bath...and getting him dry....he feels much better and is now eating.... ( second pic )

I talk about this sugar water situation ALL the time.
Please NEVER EVER put a dish of sugar water in with a Hummingbird.

They can.... and usually do.....sit in it...or walk through it...or fall in it.
And many times die.

If you put sugar water in with the bird MAKE SURE it is in something that they can NOT get in.

This little guy is very lucky because most of his feathers are still ok. He didn't lose many....and that is rare.

Hummingbirds are still coming in folks.....I have 12 in rehab right now...and probably will get more.
Keep your feeders up....and please keep them clean.

And PLEASE share this...
If you share this in as many places as you can then you are helping Hummingbirds by showing people what can happen.....which will no doubt save some Hummingbirds....probably a lot of them.
Thank you...

09/14/2025

Welcome to Hummingbird Hangout

Here are 7 little ones that got into trouble for various reasons and are now in my rehab.

Say hello to..........

1.....A little one that was trapped in a garage....
2......A little one that was hit by a car...
3......A little one that hit a window....
4......A little one that was found sitting on a feeder very ill....
5......A little one found floating in a swimming pool....
6......A little one wrapped and stuck in a spider web...
7......A little one possibly caught by a cat.

Since most of these situations could be avoided...what say let's find some solutions to fix these problems.

1. Trapped in a garage....

Solution :
Lots of garages have openers that have red handles hanging down....which might attract Hummingbirds. Could be a reason.....plus they could be chasing insects
Paint the handle or wrap it with black or dark tape...and keep your garage door closed when possible....and before closing the door look up at the ceiling to make sure no one is flying around up there.

2. Hit by car....unfortunately not much you can do about that.....

Solution :
Except if you see it happen please turn around and get the bird because believe it or not some can and do survive.

3. Window strikes....

Solution :
There are many products that you can buy or do yourself to prevent birds from hitting windows.....look it up...do your homework and fix your windows...save some birds. This is a huge problem.

4. Sitting on a feeder very ill....

Solution :
If you are going to put feeders out to feed Hummingbirds...the very least you can do is keep them clean. Many Hummingbirds die from eating at dirty feeders which grow mold and fungus and become toxic. How would you like to be served up a dinner that you didn't know was going to make you deathly ill.

5. Floating in a swimming pool is another not much you can do about that....

Solution :
When you are home make a point to frequently check out your pool during the day....
to make sure no one is in it.
Matter of fact....go have a look and see right now.

6. Spider Webs.....not much you can do about that except........

Solution :
Clear spider webs from around your Hummingbird feeder. Yes Hummingbirds use spider webs to build their nests...but at that time they are aware and intentionally gathering strands of the web.
But accidentally flying into one while going to your feeder does not have to happen if the web is not by your feeder.

7. Outdoor Cats

Solution:
Easy .....keep them indoors
You have no idea how many cat attacks I get every year....and how many birds die.

I have had many other Hummingbirds this season than the 7 that you see here in these photos. These are just the most recent.
And the season is not over yet.....

There will no doubt be more Hummingbirds that get into trouble.

Youngins' are out and about...... and bird migration is happening...so birds are very active.

So keep your feeders out...and clean.
I am actually waiting on a lady right now to bring another window strike....

Please share this.... thank you... :)

07/18/2025

I admitted this little one today.
A really nice lady ( Patty J. ) found him in her yard and rescued him.
Thank you Patty for taking such good care of him and getting him to me.

He is a new hatch from this year.
And unfortunately he found himself in some serious trouble.
So instead of being out there exploring and learning how to be a Hummingbird...
this little youngin's start in life will not be as it should have been.

Fall migration is a much busier time than Spring migration for long distance migrants.

Why is that you might ask ?

Because in addition to the adults that arrived in the Spring.....now you also have all of the youngins' that have hatched this year...
so they will be migrating south along with the adults.

It is a very dangerous and difficult time for these migrating birds.
The odds are never in their favor.
Many of them will get into trouble and will not survive.

So.......what does that have to do with me you might ask yourself ?

PLENTY.

And I'm not just talking about Hummingbirds....
I'm talking about all birds that migrate long distances every year.
They all face danger and will have to fight to survive.

They will be hitting your windows.
And dying from the chemicals that some of you spray in your yards.
And are killed by your cats that you allow to roam free.

All three of these huge problems can be prevented easily and resolved.
And I don't even have to tell you how.....you already know.

So......do you love birds ?
I think you kinda do since you frequent this page.

So.......it's up to each of you to do something to prevent these problems.
In your own yard......
your own home....
your own property.
You are perfectly capable of accomplishing it.
You don't have to travel far.

I'm not asking you to sail the high seas to save the world....

Just save your corner of it....for the birds.......that's all.

If you work on your corner of the earth and take care of it....
others will see the good and important work that you are doing....
and they just might darn well decide that you are fantastic...
and that it's a great idea to do exactly what you are doing.

Show them how smart you are....teach them....
let them copy your homework.

So then you actually end up saving much more than just your corner.
How's that for a huge payback for your efforts ?
Wouldn't that feel good ?
Wouldn't that be dynamite ?

06/23/2025

I got this Yellow-billed Cuckoo in a couple of days ago.

A very nice person ( Jennifer Hurrell ) found him and rescued him.

Thank you for picking him up and bringing him indoors Jennifer.......
you did everything right.

In case you are wondering what the heck is going on with him..........
He has some very serious issues right now.....

So I decided to put him in " traction " to see if it will help resolve his problem.

He deserves a chance.......
so I am trying to give him one.....or two.....or three.......
or four.......................................................................
This may take awhile...........

He is not real happy right now..........but he darn well might be later......
And that's what I'm hoping for.

He needs help.....and that's what I'm here for.

We could all use some help now and then.....
Here's hoping someone always has your back.

Ok......time will tell....so keep your fingers crossed for this little one.

Meanwhile...he gets served breakfast...... lunch...and dinner in bed...
and he doesn't have to do a birdgone thing except " hang " out.

06/03/2025

Please take 5 minutes of your time to read this. It's very important for the birds....and important to me and should be to you as well.

I admitted this Yellow billed Cuckoo about 3 weeks ago.

A very nice lady... ( Haleigh Giovengo ) found him and rescued him.
She did EVERYTHING right.
She did NOT leave him laying there outside.
She picked him up.......
She put him in a box with a lid ( with air holes ).....
She took him indoors.....
and she called me.
She also drove a very long distance to get him to me.

( More about the outcome of this guy at the end of this post...
you will want to read it because it serves the entire purpose of this post.)

I repeat this same info over and over again and again....year after year after year....and I am going to keep repeating this endlessly because there are far too many kind hearted people that do not know what to do when they find a bird in trouble....and far too many are given bad advice.

So here you go :

If you find a bird in trouble....window strikes... hit by car etc..etc.

Pick the bird up immediately....please do not leave him sitting there.

Put him in a COVERED container so that he can not get out...
make sure there are air holes.

Put him in a safe place indoors....( a garage is fine ) if you leave him outside a predator can get him.

Do not do anything else with him...
leave him alone and do not open the container again.

Then call a rehabber who works with birds.

Many rehabbers will tell you to put him in a box for a couple of hours and then take him outside and open the box and turn him loose. PLEASE do NOT do that.

If a rehabber tells you to turn him loose in a couple of hours..... that is a lazy apathetic ignorant dismissal on their part.....
and more times than not can result in a bird's death.

No matter how active and rowdy he may get....do not release him.

He is a wild bird and he is afraid of you and will try as hard as he possibly can to get away from you regardless of how bad he feels.
As far as he is concerned you are the enemy and are going to have him for lunch

So..........
If you find a bird that has hit a window......
( or any other reason )...
Please bring it inside....and do not leave it outdoors.

I treat every window strike as a head trauma...which means the bird is kept for a minimum of 48 to 72 hours for observation...and given appropriate medications.
Those medications can be crucial at times and can result in saving a life.

Whenever you pick up or handle a wild bird you have just terrified and stressed him big time.

He does not realize that you are just trying to help him.
So all he wants to do is to get the heck away from you by any means possible.
Even if he feels like garbage and is in pain... he is still going to try to get away from you if he is physically able to do so.

And just because he may be able to run off or fly away from you...does not necessarily mean that he has recovered completely or is capable of taking care of himself out there.
It just means that he was able to escape far enough away from you so that you can not get him back now.

So the bird that you just released could now be sitting somewhere in a tree or bush ( or the ground ) with a heck of a headache.....seeing double....or blind....or dizzy....neurologic... or other injuries not obviously visible..... and not capable of defending himself or feeding himself etc. etc.

Many head injuries worsen over time....they can progress to far more serious issues that were not obvious or noticeable on the day you found him.

Kind of like you with a concussion......or a broken leg.
You feel like garbage........you are in pain......and you just want to sit there and not move.........you are dizzy........and you want to throw up.......you really simply can not function.
But........suddenly........you see a hungry Grizzly Bear heading your direction.......

Uh oh.......

( I don't know about you but I am going to start crawling or dragging myself away from that bear as best and fast as I can. )

That could very well be what is going on with the bird. But he can't tell you that....all he can manage to do is to try to escape from you because you are that hungry grizzly bear as far as he is concerned.

There have been many times that someone has called me to say that they had an injured bird...but they turned it loose and it was able to fly away....but then they notice that the bird is still sitting in the same spot many hours later.......or the entire day....or a day or two.........and then they find it dead.

Perhaps the bird could have been saved had it been given the opportunity to get the care and meds that it needed.

So PLEASE don't leave him sitting there.....
and DO NOT turn him loose.

Now for this Cuckoo.........
I admitted him about 3 weeks ago.

The day that I admitted him both eyes looked fairly normal.
And he had actually become more active within a couple of hours of being found.

However....the next morning his right eye showed severe signs of trauma.... ...swollen....bulging....and hemorrhaging.

In other words serious issues with bleeding and vision loss that were not visible the day that he was found had showed up big time the following day.

He also was neurologic and much more lethargic than the day before.

Now...........had he been left on the ground.....or had been put in a box and released a couple hours later as some would have recommended........he would have died.

But instead......Haleigh did the right compassionate and common sense thing. She picked him up....brought him indoors....and called a bird rehabber. Thank you Haleigh.... :)

It has taken him 3 weeks....with medications...and several days of nutritional gavage feeding before he started eating on his own.

Lots of good food....and lots of rest...it took him a long time to fully recover....but he did...100% ......THREE WEEKS LATER.
So I happily released him this morning.

I rest my case.

Yellow-billed Cuckoos are a tremendously valuable and remarkable bird.
And unfortunately they are declining in numbers.
They are long distance migrants.
They spend the winter in South America...and then fly all the way back here to raise some kids.
They eat TONS of tent caterpillars....moths and other harmful insects that harm your trees.
They are safe....natural and healthy exterminators.

If you are lucky enough to have Cuckoos on your property you are blessed.
They are my favorite bird in the universe.....ain't none better.

Please share this.....everywhere.....you will probably save some birds if you do.

04/18/2025

Bird and Nature Festival CANCELED
All the prayers you can offer...please
for Bruce

04/16/2025

I'm not talking to you.
Good cause I'm not talking to you either.

04/12/2025

From last year.....I found this little one in my garage and I thought he might like some mealworms for lunch before I evicted him. As you can see...he sure did. :)

03/30/2025

Do the Woodcock Two-Step....

03/28/2025

+* Would everyone PLEASE share this everywhere *+

This is an Eastern Bluebird. A very nice lady ( Maria Ramos ) called me yesterday afternoon and said she found a bird in the road.

She had been driving by and saw him....so she went back.... picked him up and took him home.
Maria said she had called another rehabber first before she called me and they told her ON THE PHONE without even laying eyes on the bird..... that it probably had Bird Flu.

This is going to drive me crazy...
probably crazier than I already am......
( if that is even possible )

Thank you Maria for having compassion...intelligence and common sense by rescuing this bird and not buying that rehabber's ridiculous phone diagnosis.

If you see a songbird IN THE ROAD that is not moving ...
there is a 99 and 3/4 % chance that it was hit by a car....
NOT that it has Bird Flu.

All birds hit by cars do not necessarily lay there splattered and flattened. That usually comes later after the second or third car hits them.

Many times hit by cars sustain a head injury....
which is EXACTLY what happened to this poor little guy.

If Maria had left him he would have no doubt died from being hit by a car again.
But Maria did the right thing.....she rescued him.

I keep wondering how many people have found a songbird in trouble...called a rehabber....and was told on the phone that it probably had bird flu....in which case the person was afraid to touch the bird and left it to die....all because of what a rehabber told them.

Betcha there are going to be a lot more of those phone calls too.

Aside from being angry about this ....it makes me very sad that some songbirds are being ignored and not being given a chance to be helped because some rehabbers are screaming bird flu when it's simply not true.

Broken record here...skip...skip..skip...
( that's my imitation of a broken record )

So here goes again...
Yes bird flu is out there..and it's been here for awhile.
But the birds mainly being affected at this time are :
Poultry.....
Waterfowl ...
Shorebirds...
Raptors ( Hawks....Owls....Eagles.....Vultures )
They have also seen it in a FEW Crows...which are also scavengers.

Scavengers are birds that see a tasty and dead meal and pull up a chair to have some lunch.
So the chances are greater for these birds to contract the flu since they might ingest something that died from it to begin with.

Songbirds are NOT being hit by H5N1 ( Bird Flu ) at this time.

I repeat........

Songbirds are NOT being hit by H5N1 ( Bird Flu ) at this time.

Folks......you have absolutely no reason to believe me whatsoever.
So I am once again going to give you a link to a reputable website so that you can check it out for yourself. ( link below )

You can look at the reports for your own state and county as well as any other state or county and see when...where....and what species of birds have been found positive with bird flu.

Simply type in the state that you want to know about and....

Ta Daaaa...it will appear right before your very eyes.

Do your homework...please.....look for yourself.

Any rehabber that claims a songbird has bird flu ....
unless tested to confirm.....is full of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
( You counted the dashes didn't you ? )

If Maria had believed that rehabber's bird flu crap and left him....
this little Bluebird would be dead....
but right now he ain't.

https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/data-map-wild-birds.html

Address

P. O. Box 368 New Richmond
Clermont County, OH
45157

Telephone

+15137977239

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ride The Wind Wild Bird Rehab Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Ride The Wind Wild Bird Rehab Center:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Clermont County?