Ride The Wind Wild Bird Rehab Center

08/04/2026

I just admitted this tiny cutie in tonight.
A very nice lady ( Holly Collins )
was cutting tree limbs and she found him.
He apparently took a fall but seems ok.

August is always busy with baby Hummingbirds....so please be careful when cutting down trees or shrubs...because there could be a Hummingbird nest with babies in there.
And they are so tiny you could very easily miss them.

And also....very important here...............
Ruby-throats always have TWO babies.......so if you found one......please keep looking....because chances are there is another baby close to where you found the first baby.

I had asked Holly to look for the other baby but sadly she never found it.

One other really important thing here.....

And I can not say this enough :

NEVER...EVER...EVER...EVER ...try to take a baby Hummingbird out of it's nest.
You will absolutely break it's legs.
The nest is lined with very soft material....which the babies will cling to.... so if you try to pick them up.... that just makes them grasp with their toes/nails even more ....and you are not going to get them loose without seriously hurting them.
Leave them in the nest.

I have had people bring me babies that had broken legs many times beause the people tried to take them out of their nest.

There was a wildlife rehabilitation center that brought me two baby Hummingbirds that they had tried to take out of their nest.
BOTH babies had broken legs....BOTH of them.
And it wasn't the first time that particular center had done that.

And yes... you can see from the photos that I took the baby out of it's nest... but that is because I know how to do it....because I have done it a million times before.
That is not a pat on my back....that's just many years of experience.
So please be careful with these little ones....and leave them in the nest.

And Hummingbird mothers do not desert their babies.....so if you find one you can always attempt to get it back with Mom.
Because unless something happened to her...chances are she is close by.......you can bet on it.
But there is a correct way to do this......and a wrong way.

08/02/2026

HIVE QUEEN INSECTS
https://hivequeeninsects.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopaiwt221z1HMHHMGXBw1jfkGFQHAldXsf-2HeWD9HylEq8VQIq
If you use insects for rehab or for your pets...check this place out. Nice people....family owned and their products are wonderful.
All the places that I buy from never come close to the quality of their products.
Added bonus.... if you are local they allow pick up..so you can avoid shipping. Check them out.... you won't be sorry. :)

We're a locally owned feeder insect farm - we raise our insects as naturally and sustainably as possible to provide healthy, safe nutrition for your beloved animals. We are based in Cincinnati, Ohio and offer both shipping and local pickup. We NEVER use hormones or chemicals - just happy and healthy...

07/25/2026

This little one came in yesterday... A super nice lady ( Sara Pratt )
drove about 2 hours ( one way ) to get him to me.
And I think she actually drove an additional hour before coming to me just to get him from the finder.

The finder was using Tanglefoot on her property....which the Hummingbird got into. Then the finder used olive oil to try to get the Tanglefoot off. Which was a huge mistake.

Result :
You are looking at it in the first picture.
What do you see ?
Oil everywhere....missing and ripped out feathers...raw skin....pain...and Tanglefoot still present on parts of the bird.
And a bird unable to regulate it's body temperature...
be it cold or hot...he can not deal with it properly right now.

The second photo is after I had given him three different baths.
Two yesterday when I got him...and one so far this morning.

Have you ever tried to give a Hummingbird a bath ?
It ain't no fun for them.....and ain't no fun for me either.

It stresses the bird big time...which just adds to the fear and panic and terror that the bird is already experiencing from getting caught in the Tanglefoot and being pulled off by the finder etc..etc.

The suds can and many times does get in it's eyes and mouth so you have to be extremely careful....which is difficult to do with such a tiny target. And not only that.....the bird is always terrified during this process and I am sure he thinks he is going to die.

Now.....what is Tanglefoot ? A VERY sticky substance that people use on outside surfaces...trees ..roofs etc. to deter and/or catch insects.
Bugs that are bugging them.

I once got two birds in at the same time which had both landed on a roof that some BOZO had intentionally put Tanglefoot on to keep the birds off of it.
Bozo's kind neighbor got a ladder and climbed up on that roof to rescue the birds and brought the birds to me.
Both of those birds.. ( Nighthawks ) had to be euthanized.

This crap is disgusting and many times fatal to birds...and to beneficial insects such as Butterflies as well.

It's yet another ignorant and arrogant human invention that never should have been invented in the first place.

I have gotten many birds in thru the years that got into this crap and also glue traps.

Puts me in a really bad mood.... can you tell ?????

What about this little one....is he going to be ok ?
Don't know yet.

Thank you for rescuing and bringing this little one to me Sara.

07/23/2026

Need something to make you smile and feel real good ?
I think we all do.
Try this...........

Stay with me now.....
Keep reading....

This first picture is an Eastern Phoebe that I got on June 30....
( almost a month ago )

Let's call him " Lucky "

Connie O'Connor called me about this guy that was found hanging by a leg at The Cincinnati Nature Center.

The people at The Cincinnati Nature Center rescued Lucky.....
they got a ladder and climbed up and got him down.

Connie.....please tell me if I got the details correct.
I don't remember where you said Lucky was hanging from.

Now look at the second photo......
It's the same Eastern Phoebe... ( Lucky )
and also the 3 Barn Swallows that I got on July 8.
( the ones in the previous post that were not in good shape )

The 3 Barn Swallows are doing much better now though.

But here is the best part......

Lucky has trouble perching with the leg that he was hanging by....
so he was spending much of the time alone sitting on the floor of the cage.

Well....one of the Swallows ( Let's call him " Buddy " )
noticed Lucky and decided to keep him company.

When any of the other Swallows come near Lucky....
Buddy will get between them and get real close to Lucky.

Buddy has apparently decided that Lucky needs a friend....
so he decided to be one.

The other two Swallows will sometimes try to push Lucky away from the food bowl.....but that is short lived because Buddy jumps to the rescue.
He will peck at the other two and chase them away from Lucky.
And then he will sit next to Lucky until Lucky has finished eating.

They sleep together and simply hang out next to each other.
Buddy will go up on a perch for awhile....but then always comes back down to Lucky.

No one can ever convince me that birds are not intelligent....or have emotions or show compassion or try to help and protect some of their own kind.....because they are.... and they do.

Lucky has some security and company....because Buddy decided he needed it.....so he stepped up to help.

We should all have a Buddy in our life.....and we should all be one to others.
Thank you Connie O'Connor and
The Cincinnati Nature Center for rescuing Lucky. :)

07/22/2026

This photo is one of my Bluebird nest boxes from a previous post from years ago... I also cheated and used parts of the previous post instead of writing a new one.

This box is constantly in the sun...no shade whatsoever and there is currently a cute little Blue lady sitting on 4 babies in there as of yesterday.
This is the third brood from this particular box so far this year.

Years ago I had noticed that In hot weather mom had been continually hanging her head out of the box with her mouth open.
And it's not because she was talking.
She had been absolutely roasting.

But a Bluebird's dedication to it's young is beyond question.
She was determined to keep the temperature of her soon to hatch eggs from becoming hard boiled...
no matter her misery.

Well....needless to say..... just watching her be that miserable...... made me the same.
So.....I had to do something to make her chore a bit more tolerable if at all possible.

I couldn't find a fan small enough to fit in her house...and finding and putting in a central air unit that small would have been way too labor intensive and expensive.

So after sitting on the porch for about an hour trying to do an Einstein.... I came up with this idea.

And it worked.

Real simple....you only need three things.....
1......A LARGE ( preferably black ) umbrella.
2......A very tall iron/metal pole. that you place into the ground....
( the kind that you hang plants or feeders from )
3......A couple clamps....get them at any hardware store etc. You can also use zip ties but clamps are easier to get on and off.

The pole that you attach the umbrella to must be taller than the pole that you have the nest box mounted to or it won't work.
And then all I did was clamp the handle of the umbrella to the pole.

I worked on my setup BEFORE I put it out by the nest box.
I made sure it was going to work....
And then after I knew everything was going to work.....I went out and quickly put the pole in the ground.
Work quickly because you do not want to scare the bazooka out of the Bluebirds by hanging around their nest.

And then VERY important.....if they are already using the box or have eggs...or babies....you HAVE to make sure that they are going to continue using the box after you put the umbrella up.
So when you are done.. go away and watch to make sure that Mom and Dad come back.

The first time I set this up ( many years ago ) ..........
I did a temperature check about an hour later just to see if it made much of a difference
I stood by the box...put my hand in the sun...then I put it under the umbrella and you could DEFINITELY tell a huge difference in the temperature..........it felt much gooder than badder.

I have always thought that Bluebirds were cool.....but now they are REALLY cool....at least in my yard...
All of the other Bluebird neighbors will be jealous...so please take care of all of them.

This way at least the Bluebirds and their babies won't bake.....they will have a better chance of survival out there.
I think we ought to help them when we can.

Yes they are wild birds.....but that doesn't mean that they don't have a rough road and that they don't appreciate or need some extra help at times.
We ALL need help from time to time.....so why wouldn't they ?

Mrs. Bluebird is now much more comfortable IN THE SHADE..........
and happier.........
and that makes me happier..
And she no longer hangs her head out of the box gasping for air.

And it's very strange but I think I heard the song from that Gene Kelly movie " Singing in The Rain " coming from that nest box.
And I certainly hope that Mary Poppins does not find out that I was the one who took her umbrella.

07/11/2026

I got these three little ones ( Barn Swallows )
in a couple of days ago.
Unfortunately the finder had them for 6 days feeding them only cat food and water.
These guys are in very poor condition....a mess....and very weak etc...etc.
Malnutrition and poorly developed...and that is because of the care and diet that they received.

They will be here for an extended period. Wish them luck.

07/08/2026

One Potato...
Two Potato...
Three Potato...
Four...
Ooops........
I mean...
One poSwallow...
Two poSwallow....
Three PoSwallow....

These 3 little ones all came in on different days several weeks ago.

Thank you Ruth and Nancy for taking the time to rescue and find help for these little ones :

Dr. Ruth Bolls ..... Northern Rough-Winged Swallow ( on the left )
and
Dr. Ruth Bolls ....Tree Swallow... ( on the right )
and
Nancy Backus ...Barn Swallow....( in the middle )

They all did great and are all finally eating on their own.
And they are ready for release except for the Tree Swallow.

So..........
Anyone know where Barn Swallows or Rough-winged Swallows are right now ?
I want to release my guys with others.
They all came in as nestlings so they need to hang out with some adults to learn how to be Swallows.

I am going to release the Rough-wing and the Barn together since they are really attached to each other...
so either colony will do.
I would prefer an area close to New Richmond..or Amelia...or Milford
so that I don't have to drive a thousand miles.

Swallows, as well as every other aerial insectivore
( flycatchers...swifts and nightjars ) are rapidly declining in numbers due to pesticides and pollution and climate change...all of which reduces the number of flying insects....which is what aerial insectivores survive on.

No big secret....humans are responsible for this ever increasing problem.
These are such important valuable birds....to this earth...and to you.
We should care more.....and do more.

07/05/2026

I just wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes. I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond to you but I decided to have a melt down from everything that has happened lately. They say everything bad comes in threes....well three came and added more...I think I am up to 5 right now.

Tents down had to cancel festival......
Tree came down on my garage....
Wasp nest too high up for me to reach....
Air conditioning decided to not work right
Huge dead tree hanging over my house has to be cut down.
Car needs brakes....
LOL... Ooops...that's 6 things. I thought it was only 5. :)

At any rate...I have not been taking any new birds lately....
so I am sorry I could not help those who called.

No plans to reschedule the festival this year....it will have to be next year. :)

06/12/2026

FESTIVAL CANCELLED
HIGH WINDS DESTROYED MY 9 TENTS share this for me and please let me know you saw this..,,need to let people know thank you.

05/27/2026

UPDATE FESTIVAL IS CANCELLED
due to high winds that trashed my tent/canopies
** Added a NEW vendor :
Gary Keuffer ...Brown County Beekeepers Association
If you are interested in Bees...come see Gary...

PLEASE SHARE THIS NOW...as many places as possible....

And call me for the address where the festival is.
513-797-7239

BIRD and NATURE FESTIVAL
Sat. and Sun. June 13th and 14th Details below :
10:00 to 5:00 both days
Free admission.
Outdoors....on 8 acres....
Bathroom ( Porta Potty ) provided.
Bring your binoculars and camera and wander around and see what you can find.
Lots of birds out here. You never know what may show up.
Vendors and presentations will include :
* Cincinnati Museum Bird Specimens...Emily Imhoff
* Bird Houses and Bat Houses and more...Bruce Brewer
* Bird Bander....Luke Thies
* Interesting insects...Elizabeth Lindemann
* Native Plants...Edna Lindemann
* Live Education Hummingbirds...Ride The Wind
* Live Education Neotropical Migratory Songbirds...Ride The Wind
* Turtles.....Julie Rachford
* Frogs.....Hannah Rachford
* Bats....Jen Martin Sims
* Face Painting...Jen Martin Sims
* Monarch Butterflies...Brittany
* Hazards Of Bird Migration...Don Morse Jr.
* Bird Habitats...Ride The Wind
* Bird Migration... Ride The Wind
* Papier Mache' Bird Art....Ride The Wind
* Blue Bird Bazaar...sales benefit bird rehab at Ride The Wind...
( so bring cash or checks because there will be lots of stuff to buy )
* Door Prize Drawings....
* And come see what bird rehab at Ride is all about
* Lots of free Educational Literature
* Free snacks...and cold bottled water provided just for fun
Mark your calendars ! ! !
All children MUST be with their parents at all times.
So we appreciate your careful attention with your children.
So come join us for some outdoor fun.....and relax...
and learn about birds and nature.
In case of rain.... dates will be the following weekend.
Please share this everywhere...and CALL Tracy for the address and details.
513-797-7239...Landline can not text this number.
CALL me for the address asap....( if you don't get the address you will miss out )
Hope to see you here...