Every Spring, the SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center rescues hundreds of baby birds. These tiny birds receive critical care while they are raised at the SPCA, and then released back into the wild to fly free.
Many of these birds come to the SPCA from people trimming trees during the wrong season which unintentionally causes harm to wildlife. In the SPCA Monterey County area, winter is the optimal season for tree trimming.
The main reason for winter trimming is that birds and small mammals are usually not yet nesting, so they are not in danger of falling when a limb is trimmed. Also during this period, trees are in a dormant state, laying the foundation for new growth in the upcoming spring. Trimming in winter provides trees with added protection as they heal, as there are fewer pests and diseases present to harm them.
Some of the first babies to arrive every year are hummingbirds. They come to the SPCA after being blown from trees during storms or when the trees and shrubs they are nesting in are trimmed. While the SPCA Monterey County team will always try to reunite these little nestlings with their parents whenever possible, sometimes the baby is in too critical a condition or it is simply not safe to do so.
You can help by avoiding trimming trees and shrubs during baby bird season. If you see a nest or baby bird on the ground, please call thre SPCA at 831-264-5427 for advice. Hummingbird nests are tiny, about the size of a walnut or a golf ball. Because of this, they are almost impossible to see when trimming trees or shrubs. Hummingbird nestlings are even tinier, about the size of a jelly bean, and weigh about a 1/3 of the weight of a dime.
You can also help by not attempting to feed rescued wild animals. In 2025, one of the rescued babies had finders who attempted to feed her sugar water. It took weeks to carefully remove the crusty, crystalized sugar from her feathers. Even just one day of the wrong diet could injure or kill a rescued wild baby. Please always call the SPCA Wildlife Center for help.
The SPCA Wildlife Center is currently caring for 21 wild patients, including an American Kestrel, a Red-Shouldered Hawk, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 White-tailed Kite, 1 barn owl, 1 bald eagle, 1 gray fox, 2 baby jackrabbits, a gopher snake, a Common Loon, a Rock Pigeon, a Common Murre, 2 American Crows, a Short-billed Gull, a Virginia Opossum, a Western Gull, and 2 Northern Raccoons. Baby songbirds usually start arriving in need of rescue in April.
To report injured, sick, or orphaned wildlife in Monterey County, please call the SPCA Wildlife Center at 831-264-5427 or visit www.spcamc.org.
Every year, the SPCA Wildlife Center rescues over 2,500 injured or orphaned wild animals. This work only is made possible thanks to compassionate donations. To help, please visit www.SPCAmc.org/donate.
The SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is the only full service wildlife rehabilitation center serving Monterey County. They operate under permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Your support is extremely important to them as they are not a chapter or any other agency and they do not have a parent organization. Each year, The SPCA Wildlife Center admits over 2,500 animals for treatment and care.
SPCA Monterey County is your nonprofit, independent, donor-supported humane society that has been serving the animals and people of Monterey County since 1905. The SPCA is not a chapter of any other agency and does not have a parent organization. They shelter homeless, neglected and abused pets and livestock, and provide humane education and countless other services to the community. They are the local agency you call to investigate animal cruelty, rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, and aid domestic animals in distress.
Online: www.SPCAmc.org
Facebook: /SPCAmc
Instagram: @SPCAmc
X: @SPCAmc
Podcast: www.spcamc.org/podcast
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