FAMILY TENDS TO WILDLIFE ON A WING AND A CARE : TIPS FOR HANDLING BABY BIRDS.

Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer

Eleven hummingbirds, two barn owls and one raven are in residence at the Vandewaters' bird rehabilitation center.

Is there any doubt that it's baby bird season?

``This is the time of year when people trim their trees and the nests get knocked out. That's where we get a lot of baby birds,'' said 17-year-old Molly Vandewater, a founding member of Wildlife Care of Ventura County, which cares for orphaned and injured baby birds and animals.

Since the season began a month ago, Molly, with the help and support of her parents, Maureen and Jerry, has rescued hummingbirds and young animals, including a fawn taken in Friday.

``The baby barn owls are loud,'' Molly said. ``I just put them in the bird room, and they're hissing and rocking. I'm afraid they're going to wake up the fawn.''

The family garage has again been transformed into an animal shelter, as it has every year since 1994, when Molly began her wildlife rehabilitation project.

``We've also seen squirrels, rabbits, woodpeckers, opossums and ducklings,'' Molly said.

At this time of year, Molly and other volunteers field three to 10 calls per day from concerned residents who have spied orphaned or injured birds or animals.

If the bird or animal is genuinely injured and not just out exploring or taking a test flight, the Vandewaters will care for it until it can be released.

``And right now is baby hummingbird season, so we have a lot of those,'' Molly said. Her mother added that they had also rescued several sparrows, which were put in the care of a volunteer in Ojai.

Molly has completed a training program in bird and animal rehabilitation, and she is licensed by the California Fish and Game Department to care for wildlife in her home.

``If you aren't licensed, it's illegal to try to keep and raise a wild animal,'' Molly said. ``If you take in a wild animal, you have 48 hours to turn it in to a rehabilitation center.''

The amount of time a bird or animal stays with the family depends on the type of animal and its health when it arrives.

``Last year, we had two raccoons stay with us for six months,'' Molly said. ``It depends on the type of animal and how long it will take for it to mature.'' The hummingbirds, whose bodies are pea-sized when they arrive, will grow to full, adult size and be able to fly and eat from flowers and feeders when they are released.

``We have an aviary that my dad built in the back yard, and they learn to fly there,'' Molly said. ``They eat from flowers by instinct, but we have an adult hummingbird who teaches them to fly.''

Molly feeds the tiny birds through a tube not much larger than a needle.

``It's a very soft plastic that goes right down the crop,'' she said. ``And we feed them a special powdered formula called Nectar that we have to order from Germany. It's made just for hummingbirds.''

When the birds are strong enough, they are moved from small, screened boxes to the outdoor aviary where they learn to eat and fly on their own.

After about a week of practice flights in the aviary, the birds are ready for release, Molly said.

Volunteers staffing the Wildlife Care phone lines not only care for orphaned or injured animals, they can also answer questions about critters.

``We'd had a lot of calls from Camarillo recently about robins hitting windows again and again,'' said Maureen Vandewater. ``Well, the robins are back, and what's happening is the males migrate first, followed by the females. And it's mating season, so males will show aggression to other males.''

Male robins flying into windows see their reflections in the glass, mistake it for another male and pick a fight, Vandewater said.

The Vandewaters recommend hanging a sheet in front of the offending window until mating season ends.

One thing the Vandewaters won't do is help those too skittish to live near rural boundaries.

``We get a lot of calls from people who ask us if we can relocate animals that are living in their natural habitat,'' Maureen Vandewater said. ``People who live in a house that backs up to wilderness will call us and ask, we saw a coyote, can you come pick it up so it doesn't get our dog? We tell those callers that they better keep the dog inside.''

The Vandewaters run the rehabilitation center without government funding, and supplies like special hummingbird formula can be costly. One-half gallon of hummingbird formula costs $80, and the Vandewaters will use about four half gallons this season. Donations are accepted and appreciated. For information, call [phone].

According to Molly Vandewater, here's what to do about baby birds:

Check trees for nests before trimming. If you find a nest, try to trim around it, leaving enough coverage to keep the nest from being visible to other birds. Highly visible nests are vulnerable to raids.

If you knock a nest out of a tree, or find one fallen, replace it in a secure spot in the tree. If the nest seems too fragile, nail a plastic strawberry basket in a secure spot and then place the nest inside it.

Don't be afraid to handle a nest or baby bird. It is not true that mother birds will reject their young if they have been handled by a human.

If you see a baby bird out of the nest, try to watch it for about an hour. If the mother bird does not come to the bird's aid within an hour, call Wildlife Care of Ventura, [phone], for information.

Never try to feed a baby bird. Human concoctions, including store-bought milk, will quickly kill them.

If you don't see the mother for a long time, or if the bird seems to be in distress, call Wildlife Care.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Box: TIPS FOR HANDLING BABY BIRDS (See text)

Photo: (1--Color only in Simi edition) Molly Vandewater, at right, cares for a young barn owl that was rescued after winds knocked it from a tree.

(2--Ran in SAC and Conejo editions only) Left, a baby raven opens wide for a mouthful of formula.