425.412.4040

Paws.org

If you found an adult wild animal you think may be injured or sick:

• Use our online self-service. It will guide you through the appropriate steps for your specific situation.

• Or call the PAWS Wildlife Center at 425.412.4040. A trained staff member will help you determine if the animal needs help and guide you through what to do next.

• Check the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website to find the closest licensed rehabilitator to you or call at 425.775.1311 for other Washington state licensed wildlife rehabilitators.

• If you reside outside of Washington state, contact a licensed rehabilitator by using the search tool at AnimalHelpNow.

If you found a marine mammal (e.g. Harbor Seal), please click on the link below:

• I found a marine mammal (e.g., Harbor Seal)

If you found a baby wild animal you think may be orphaned, please click on the links below:

• I found a wild baby mammal (PDF 129kb)

• I found a wild baby bird (PDF 127kb)

How to transport a wild animal to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator:

1. Find a suitable container (cardboard box, pet carrier). Line it with a towel or cloth. For potentially difficult or hard to handle wildlife, PAWS suggests using a humane trap. If you plan to use a trap, call PAWS Wildlife Center for guidance.

2. Throw a towel or a sheet over the animal so they can’t see you. Wearing gloves, gently pick up the animal and place in the container. You don’t need to remove the towel, but loosen it. Secure the container to make sure the animal cannot escape.

3. Keep the animal in a warm, dark, quiet place. Do not give food or water. Leave the animal alone.

4. Take the animal to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.

5. If you would like more information regarding the animal you find or if you are not sure what to do, use our online self-service or call PAWS Wildlife Center at 425.412.4040.

Thank you for helping injured and orphaned wildlife!

https://www.eopugetsound.org/

The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound is a comprehensive guide to the science of Salish Sea ecosystem recovery. Articles on this site describe the region’s major environmental threats and areas of concern, but also the facts and stories that make the Salish Sea an estuary of international importance. The website is a product of the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute and receives major support from the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program.

360.435.4817

https://sarveywildlife.org/

Our main goal is to provide food, shelter, and rehabilitation to orphaned and injured wildlife, so that they can be returned to the wild. We accept all orphaned and injured wildlife from all over the state of Washington. 

What To Do If

If you find an injured or orphaned animal first take the time to observe the animal and it's behavior. If you conclude it's definitely injured, call Sarvey Wildlife Care Center at (360) 435-4817 and describe its condition. Sarvey will suggest the best course of action for that animal.

Please use common sense if you need to contain the animal. It's important to remember that any wild animal will try to protect itself. This is a natural reaction; they don't know your trying to help them. Don't consider the animal to be vicious, it is very very scared.

If you have determined that the animal needs to be transported for rehabilitation:

• Prepare a container. Place a soft cloth in a cardboard box or cat/dog carrier. Make sure there are air holes.

• Protect yourself- wear heavy gloves if possible. Some animals may bite or scratch to protect themselves, even if sick or injured. Remember they are terrified of you.

• Gently cover and pick up the animal, putting it in the prepared container.

• Cover the container-with a light sheet or towel. You want to keep the animal warm and calm. This also will limit visual contact which stresses the animal further. 

• This is worth repeating: Keep the animal warm, in a dark and quiet area and cover the crate to limit visual contact. 

• Note exactly where you found it. (Location information is essential for releasing it to an appropriate and/or familiar area)

• Please do NOT give the animal ANY food or water, unless we have instructed you to do so. Also, remember to keep it away from children and pets. Formulas made for puppies and kittens are not appropriate nor are the "recipes" found online. Feeding animals the wrong diets can cause gastrointestinal conditions and other complications; and it is easy to aspirate weak and compromised patients without the correct training and techniques necessary to stabilize first. 

All migratory birds are protected by federal and state laws and there are stiff penalties for violations. It is illegal to shoot, trap, or otherwise harm any migratory bird. It is illegal to have possession of a migratory bird. If it is one that is injured or orphaned you may transport it to a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitation center immediately for care. It is also illegal to possess an egg or feather of one of these birds without a special federal permit. These laws are intended to protect our valuable birds, so that they will continue to play their vital role in maintaining the health of the natural ecosystems.

Species Specific

Opossums

If the mother is found dead you can check her pouch for babies. They are attached to her nipples and can be gently removed. Keep them warm and get them to Sarvey Wildlife as soon as possible. Opossums that are 7 inches long (not measuring the tail) and are not injured usually don't need assistance. At this size and age they are self-sufficient.

Fawns

Often people see fawns sitting quietly, all alone, and think they have been abandoned. In most cases the mother has left the fawn while she is off foraging. This is quite normal and the mother will return for her baby. Sometimes well-intentioned people "rescue" the fawn. If you find a fawn and it is sitting quietly, leave it alone, and leave the area. Mom will not return while you are nearby, and she is more than likely watching you. Check the area the following day, if the fawn is still in the same place it needs help. If the fawn is obviously injured or you know that mom is dead, call Sarvey Wildlife immediately.

Point of interest

Does routinely hide their defenseless babies in brush or tall grass while they are away feeding. She will return to the fawn a few times during the day to nurse it. Fawns can remain motionless for long periods of time, and give off no odor at this stage of their life. A predator can walk right by the fawn without detecting their presence.

Birds

If a bird has hit your window and appears injured/stunned, immediately place it in a box/container with a lid - be sure there are air holes. Containing the bird right away will prevent them from flying off with untreated injuries and trauma. We recommend ALL birds that hit walls or windows come in for an exam and observation, even if you think it is doing well, there can be trauma that will worsen over a short time and the bird could suffer or die if simply released. If a bird has been attacked by a cat or dog, or there are visible injuries, please bring it to Sarvey Wildlife for treatment.

https://heronhelpers.org/

Heron in Distress

If you see a great blue heron chick that has fallen from a nest, or a great blue heron in distress for any other reason please contact us at info@heronhelpers.org

Or

Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
https://www.paws.org
425.412.4040

Or

Seattle Animal Shelter
https://www.seattle.gov/animal-shelter/animal-control
(206) 386-7387 (PETS)

Heron Habitat Helpers works to help the public enjoy, learn about, and protect great blue herons and their nesting colony at Commodore Park.

Goals

• Create community awareness of great blue heron colonies in the Greater Puget Sound area, especially the Commodore Park Great Blue Heron Colony and previous history at Kiwanis Ravine

• Restore and protect heron habitat invaded by non-native plant and animal species

• Monitor herons during breeding season and provide data to Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

• Provide educational activities focused on valuing and protecting heron colonies and habitat

• Partner with local organizations to educate the public and protect heron and wildlife habitat

• Advocate for land preservation as natural habitat for birds and wildlife

• Shape real estate development that compromises wildlife and habitat in Kiwanis Ravine and neighboring areas

• Restore and protect Kiwanis Memorial Preserve Park as an urban wildlife sanctuary

• Create a backyard wildlife refuge and monitoring program in neighborhoods adjacent to Kiwanis Ravine

• Daylight Wolfe Creek and restore salmon runs in the creek and its tributaries

• Enhance funding, management and monitoring of Kiwanis Memorial Preserve Park

Collaboration

HHH works with Seattle Parks and Recreation Department (Parks), www.seattle.gov/PARKS, to restore, maintain, and monitor Kiwanis Memorial Preserve Park. We interface and share projects with Parks in the Habitat Advisory Panel (HAP) committee. Also, we are a member of the Green Seattle Partnership (GSP), www.greenseattle.org, a partnership between the City of Seattle and the Cascade Land Conservancy. The City of Seattle is represented by the Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, and Seattle Public Utilities. The partnership goal is to restore all of Seattle’s forested park lands by 2025. We are one of the many non-profit organizations supporting this effort.

In addition, HHH is part of the Great Blue Heron Working Group, a consortium of citizens and scientists organized by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, WDFW. The group has participation from scientists as far north as Protection Island, B.C. (near Nanaimo, B.C.) and as far south as Olympia, WA. One of the scientists from that Heron Working Group is Ann Eissinger, and she has formulated a protocol for studying heron colonies. In that protocol is an in depth study about the life cycle of the great blue heron. See Ann Eissinger’s complete study here. HHH is working to establish a sense of community throughout this region, called the Salish Sea, focused on appreciation and support for the Great Blue Heron.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/

Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds online guide to birds and birdwatching is a free resource available for everyone! Tons of info and bird ID resources and apps.

Ebird Northwest

https://ebird.org/region/US-WA/partners

eBird Northwest is a collaborative citizen science project managed by Avian Knowledge Northwest.

https://urbanraptor.org/

Report a Sighting / Contact Us

Please use the form here to report a banded raptor or unusual raptor sighting, to contact us, or to subscribe to our occasional URC Updates.

For raptor sightings, please report the species (if known), location, date, whether you noticed a color band, and any observations. We are especially interested in news of peregrine falcons, Cooper’s hawks, and merlins in the Seattle and Puget Sound region. Thank you for watching for raptors!

Urban Raptor Conservancy is a Seattle-based organization interested in the fascinating, adaptive birds of prey right in our urban midst—which you can observe if you know where, and how, to look. We are a group of avian scientists who will introduce you to falcons, hawks, eagles, and owls—nineteen species of raptors—found in the Northwest’s urban areas. Explore this site to become familiar with Seattle raptors, what we know about them, and how you can help protect them.

https://www.uwb.edu/about/crows

Gathering at UW Bothell

We get a lot of visitors on campus, from potential students to parents, neighbors, University supporters and other friends of UW Bothell. But our most frequent visitors for a long time were from the Corvidae family.

For many years, tens of thousands of crows visited the campus’ North Creek Wetland Restoration every night from late summer through early spring. Recently, though, things have been changing.

Few if any crows still roost overnight on the campus wetland. According to annual December counts conducted by Associate Professor Douglas Wacker from the School of STEM and the Pilchuck Audubon Society, the number of crows traveling to this roost at dusk has decreased precipitously.

• In 2023, Dr. Wacker and Audubon volunteer Todd Gladfelter observed more 9,000 crows flying southwards, past UW Bothell and towards a newly discovered roost in Redmond, Washington. This roost is less than five miles — as the crow flies! — from the UW Bothell campus.

• In 2024, the number of crows flying to UW Bothell declined again. Although birds were observed pre-roosting on the campus building tops in late summer, by November the numbers were much lower and were lower again in December, which is usually when we see the highest numbers.

• By January 2025, there was little to no evidence of continued roosting, though it’s possible there are some birds still using the site.

Roosting is a seasonal phenomenon, with birds moving to nesting sites/territories during early spring. It will be interesting to see if any crows return to the North Creek Wetland to roost at the end of this breeding season in the late summer.

Birdsconnectsea.org

Founded in 1916, Birds Connect Seattle—formerly the Seattle Audubon Society—is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the first conservation organization established in Washington State.

Today, we lead with a focus on urban conservation and a commitment to an antiracist, inclusive approach to protecting birds and the natural spaces we share. Our service area extends across the greater Seattle region—from the city north to the King County line, south to SeaTac and Renton, east to Mercer Island, and west to the shores of Puget Sound.

With more than 4,200 members and 225 dedicated volunteers, Birds Connect Seattle is one of the largest independent organizations in the national Audubon network. Together, we offer a wide range of environmental education programs, field trips and neighborhood bird outings, community science projects, and public outreach initiatives that inspire people of all ages to learn about and protect the birds that enrich our lives.

Our urban conservation mission centers on the Bird-Safe Seattle initiative—working to protect and expand the region’s tree canopy, prevent bird-window and building collisions, and reduce the use of harmful pesticides.

Wa.audubon.org

Audubon Washington inspires diverse audiences to conserve natural ecosystems and build healthy communities for people, birds and other wildlife.

Protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow.

Audubon Washington is a field office of the National Audubon Society. Our mission is to protect birds and the places they need by using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon Washington an unparalleled wingspan that reaches over 50,000 people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. 

We do this work because we understand the importance of nature and natural systems in our lives–for our economic well-being, for our enjoyment, and for ethical and spiritual benefits. We are organized as a network of chapters that collectively engage people in learning about birds, caring about and for birds, and taking action to save birds and the places they need now and in the future. We focus our work on four strategies: Coasts, Climate, Working lands, and Bird-Friendly Communities, because we know that when you focus on protecting the birds, you end up protecting the earth.