Get Involved

Wildbird Recovery has been serving Western Pennsylvania since 2000. Our wild bird rehabilitation, education, and conservation work depends on our generous donors and volunteers. Wildbird Recovery provides care for more than 300 wild bird patients each year and cares for ten resident education birds year-round. Animal care is seven days a week, 365 days a year. We are the primary licensed rehabilitation center caring for Chimney Swifts in Western Pennsylvania. In 2023, our programming reached almost 10,000 people with the majority of the programs being hosted at Stormy Oaks Nature Conservancy, the home of Wildbird Recovery.

Although our licensed wildlife rehabilitator dedicates most of her time to caring for the wild bird patients, we rely on dedicated volunteers/interns to assist with the following:

• Hands-on experience with adult and baby wild birds
• Care of our resident education birds
• Environmental education for on-site summer camps and off-site programs
• Native plants including maintaining garden beds
• Conservation including data collection specific to Chimney Swifts
• Projects related to the upkeep and maintenance of the facility

Whether or not you are comfortable working with the animals, you have special talents we can use. If you love what we are doing and want to take part, please check out the positions we have available below.

VOLUNTEER – INDIVIDUAL

WBR volunteers provide key support to our daily operations. Volunteers assist with educational programming, daily care of wild bird patients and resident ambassadors, administrative tasks, event preparations, and more. Our goal is to provide volunteers with rewarding learning opportunities and experiences that leave a lasting impact in the community. All orientations will be in person at our location (120 Forsythe Road, Valencia, PA 16059).

Please email volunteer@wildbirdrecovery.org for more information about volunteering. WBR volunteers must be 18 years old. Individuals who are 16 years or older may reach out to us regarding opportunities to assist with summer camp (camps are offered June through August).

WBR volunteers who are wanting to assist with wild bird patients and resident ambassadors will need to be able to commit to a minimum four hour shift on a weekly basis. We are open seven days a week, 365 days a year. In winter, the shifts may be shorter, but the typical shift is four hours. Animal volunteer positions are not guaranteed and do depend heavily on the comfort and safety of the animal in the presence of a volunteer. Wildbird Recovery reserves the right to match a volunteer with a species that accommodates their skill level. The handling of an animal is at staff discretion.

VOLUNTEER – GROUP

This opportunities are available to businesses, organizations, schools and more. They vary by season and by our needs. All participants must sign a liability waiver before participating, which will be emailed to the group leader or contact. Activities may last between two or four hours depending on the task. All groups will have the opportunity to meet one of our resident ambassadors.

Typical projects include:

• Adding/removing substrate (pea gravel, sand or mulch) from enclosures
• Raking leaves, pulling weeks or picking up sticks throughout the facility (March/April)
• Gardening including digging up native plants to pot (April/May/June/July/August)
• Deep cleaning bird enclosures and classroom
• Various painting projects (picnic tables, outdoor benches, aviaries)
• Picking up micro-trash
• Splitting and stacking wood

Groups will typically need to bring:

• Work gloves
• Sunscreen
• Light jacket or hat
• Snacks or lunch
• Refillable water bottle

Group projects are typically available May through September. Please reach out to us by emailing volunteer@wildbirdrecovery.org to schedule your group.

INTERNSHIP

We accept applications for unpaid, experience-based internships. Each schedule is personalized and flexible. Internships are unpaid and do not include travel or accommodations. Any college student or recent graduate and at least 18 years of age is able to apply for an internship with Wildbird Recovery. While academic background knowledge of wild birds, education, and/or ecosystems and conservation is helpful, it is not required to be successful in any of our internships. Our internships may be used for academic credit. The intern is responsible for making arrangements to receive necessary credits.

We seek dedicated individuals who are passionate about wildlife, comfortable with animals, and ready to work hard for a good cause. Excellent organizational skills, strong communication skills, attention to detail, and reliability are vital for these internships.

Please reach out to us by emailing volunteer@wildbirdrecovery.org with any questions with the application process. Click here (link to be added when application window opens) to access the Wildbird Recovery 2025 Internship Application.

Application windows are as follows: