Hope for Wildlife trying to save birds

GLACE BAY — Hope for Wildlife is fighting to save dozens of birds in Glace Bay after fielding several calls for help recently.

The wildlife aid organization received a call on Jan. 9 from a passerby who spotted dozens of birds “throwing themselves” up against the windows of an abandoned church in Glace Bay while out walking her dog, according to Hope for Wildlife dispatcher Michelle Vaughan.

“I got a call about birds stuck in a church,” said Vaughan in a Saturday interview with the Cape Breton Post. “(The caller) asked if I could do anything about it. So what I did was I went over and saw that the situation was a lot bigger than a couple birds.”

TRAPPED AND HUNGRY

More than 100 birds had become trapped in St. Anthony’s Church — which is owned by the Diocese of Antigonish and has been abandoned for roughly five years — and were unable to find an exit. The windows that were previously broken had been boarded up.

“I don’t know how long before that call came in that they were boarded up and (the birds) were unable to get in and out,” said Vaughan.

She contacted a priest in the area, who gave her permission to open one of the boarded-up windows.

“I did get into the church and there was hundreds stuck in the church, starlings as well as pigeons,” said Vaughan.

The smaller birds began coming out once a door and a couple of windows were opened, with many in rough shape.

“They were very tired, stressed,” said Vaughan. “They were landing on the ground and not really doing much else.”

Vaughan said she caught more than 30 starlings in various degrees of weakness, but only two survived. After that, she thought the worst had passed.

“Then everything was quiet until last weekend’s storm,” she said.

GLARING MESSAGE

One of their original callers, who lives in the area and had been keeping an eye on the church for them, had become distressed after finding pigeons frozen from the freezing rain and ice storm. Many were weak and had lost the ability to fly because of the sudden change in weather.

“And that’s when we started having a problem,” said Vaughan. “There was some frozen to grates, and we literally had to take the whole grate with us so we didn’t injure them. There was some frozen dead, some frozen together.”

Vaughan and a couple of volunteers managed to get 95 birds away that Saturday to Hope for Wildlife’s rehabilitation centre, though many didn’t survive.

“There was a couple that flew out but a lot of them don’t seem to have the strength to really carry themselves too far, because they’re not getting all the proper nutrition that they’re supposed to be.”

After complaints from Hope for Wildlife volunteers and residents in the area, the contractor of the building, with Vaughan present, opened a door and put food and water inside for the birds. He then painted the words ‘FOOD AND WATER INSIDE’ to the outside of the church to alleviate concerns.

DISTRESSING SITE

Vaughn said the abandoned church is “filthy,” layered with feathers and bird droppings, and many of the birds are covered in feces and dirt.

Hope for Wildlife volunteers have been visiting the church throughout the week, checking in and retrieving those that had become soaked again in heavy rains last Tuesday.

“It’s more or less, we’re just trying to save as many birds as we can,” she said.

Hope for Wildlife was recently informed that all remaining windows will soon be boarded up, though they are fighting to get the boards removed so that the birds can be taken out.

St. Anthony’s Church is slated for demolition later this winter, project manager Claude C. Goora confirmed for the Post.

“Prior to demolition, there is asbestos that has to be removed,” said Goora in a phone call with the Post. “And in order for the asbestos to be removed, they need the pigeons, the birds removed out of the building first. Because it is an unsafe environment in there.”

Goora said he defers to the Diocese of Antigonish, the owners of the building, for statements regarding Hope for Wildlife’s concern for the birds, though he isn’t aware of any co-ordinating efforts to remove those remaining inside so far. The Post reached out to the Diocese for comment but did not receive a reply in time for publication.