Northerly Island Bird Hospital’s Busy Bird Migration Season

Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation has treated more than 800 injured birds since the city’s only bird rehabilitation center opened last April on Northerly Island, 1400 S. Lynn White Drive.

"We treated 75 birds today. That’s an amazing amount of birds," said Dawn Keller, founder, president, and executive director of Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation. "We are lucky to have a site in the city to treat so many birds that might not have survived the trip to our main office in Barrington, Ill."

Fall migratory bird season started in early September and will run through late October.

The Chicago-based hospital serves as a satellite site to the main hospital in Barrington. Birds that are injured in the city are treated at the Northerly Site and released. Those whose injuries require longer care are transported to the main site in Barrington.

Keller is hoping to raise money to fund the operational costs of the bird rehabilitation center on Northerly Island, which will include the hiring of a full-time staffer. Although the facility will continue to accept animals by appointment only, the full-time staffer will allow the facility to offer more flexible appointment times for people to drop off injured birds.

In addition, the money raised would go toward general maintenance of the site, buying equipment, cages and medical supplies for the two-room hospital located in Northerly Island’s visitor’s center.

Tickets are now on sale for the chance to win a first-place prize of a 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid or $25,000 cash, a second-place prize of $2,500

Flint Creek Wildlife

Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation dedicated to the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife with the goal of returning fully rehabilitated wildlife to their natural habitat. Flint Creek promotes respect for wildlife and wildlife habitats through public education programs. Flint Creek also supports efforts to repopulate endangered and threatened wildlife species.

Established in 2003, Flint Creek Wildlife operates from a property along Flint Creek in the greater Barrington, Illinois area. Flint Creek is seeking a larger property that will support its longer term growth.

Donations to Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation are tax deductible.

Northerly Island

In 2004, the Chicago Park District returned Northerly Island to the people of Chicago, lauding the importance of increasing the city’s recreational space and parkland. The 91-acre peninsula relinquished its status as a small municipal airport in 2003, and has since undergone a series of landscaping and construction projects to convert the site into a park befitting of renowned architect and planner Daniel H. Burnham’s legendary 1909 Plan of Chicago.