Perched in the hills above Corrales, a small nonprofit is striving to help injured and orphaned wild birds.
Founded by Mikal Deese, On a Wing and a Prayer is a volunteer-run bird rehabilitation center. With community support, the organization cares for hundreds of injured and orphaned birds annually and also works to educate the community to promote wildlife conservation.
Deese, a former studio goldsmith, showcased her work in galleries across the country. She started volunteering with bird rescues 20 years ago and decided to start her own wild bird rehabilitation and education facility in Corrales 10 years ago.
“That’s the whole purpose of the whole thing is to release these birds back into the world,†Deese said. “Give them a second chance at life.â€
On a Wing and a Prayer will take in any protected species of wild bird that needs help. Typically, the birds brought in are injured or orphaned baby birds.
According to Deese, all the injuries that bring birds to the facility are human-caused in one way or another.
“Birds don’t collide with trees, they collide with windows and fall victim to cats,†she said.
The nonprofit’s secondary mission is to educate young people about avian life.
“It’s great for the birds to get rehabilitated and released or the babies raised but it’s never going to make a difference in the total population,†Deese said. “There aren’t enough people to do that. If the kids don’t care, we’re not going to have any more birds.â€
Community support
The cost of feeding the birds amounts to about $1,200 per month, which is entirely covered by monetary and food donations from the community.
Deese said the organization was awarded its first small grant from the New Mexico Outdoor Equity Fund to help pay for gas and expenses for its education program.
The nonprofit has an account with RodentPro.com, a distributor of animal food and supplies for raptor sanctuaries and wildlife rehabilitators, offering a direct donation option to fund purchases of mice and rats.
Deese says residents can also contribute animal donations directly to the facility. For instance, a Corraleño recently brought in a dead 5-foot-long red racer snake that the red-tailed hawks ate. Another resident helps by capturing live pack rats for the raptors. Live prey is crucial for the birds, aiding in their hunting skills as they prepare for eventual release.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of the nonprofit and becoming a volunteer is as easy as calling Deese to offer help.
“Nobody gets stuck cleaning up poop all the time,†Deese said. “We all do some.â€
Currently, there is a team of 12-18 volunteers, with two to three volunteers working shifts every day.
Avian rehabilitation
On a Wing and a Prayer accepts nearly all types of wild birds for rehabilitation, except for pigeons, starlings and English sparrows, as they are not protected species.
Right now, the organization is housing 43 birds at its facility, including juveniles and adults. Last summer, the facility cared for a record high of 78 birds.
Some of the birds there include red-tailed hawks, a Swainson’s hawk, peregrine falcons, great horned owls, a western screech owl, roadrunners and quail.
Over the years, Deese says she has provided care to about 140 species of birds.
She frequently receives raptors affected by rodenticide poisoning and insectivores harmed by insecticide exposure.
“When kids see that up close, you know, right here, they never forget it,†Deese said. “ I really feel like the most important thing I can do is education.â€
Ways to contribute
To contribute to On a Wing and a Prayer:
- Visit facebook.com/wildbirdrehabber/ and click the donate button.
- Call Deese directly at 505-480-7777
- Send donations to P.O. Box 29, Corrales, NM 87048.
- Donate money to the Rodent Pro account at rodentpro.com/Charities/Donate.