Bed & Breakfast for Birds I am welcomed into the apartment as an excited white cockatoo shrieks his noisy acknowledgment. This is the home of FLAP volunteer Lori Nichols who lives with her husband Jef, two cats, the cockatoo, a recuperating cardinal and a population of injured birds that goes up and down with the cycles of migration. Here, Lori runs a "west-end transfer station" for birds. She works in close association with the Toronto Wildlife Centre where she gained five years experience working with veterinarians and other rehabilitators. Attending wildlife rehabilitation courses and conferences has enhanced her knowledge. "Rehabilitation work should not be undertaken independently," she states emphatically. Her professionalism is immediately apparent. Off her kitchen a small closet has been transformed into a miniature avian hospital ward. It is immaculate. "No mess. No mould. No smell." Lori, a registered nurse, states the rules firmly. Inside the closet plastic mesh baskets with net covers stand vertically. All are empty today. It is only mid-summer when we meet but fall migration will begin in a couple of short weeks. Lori has begun to stock up on antibiotics, I.V. fluids, medications and bandages. With tiny 29-gauge needles she will also administer dexamethasone, a steroid that relieves swelling of the brain and counteracts shock. "Some supplies are donated by the Toronto Wildlife Centre and OWREN (Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network), some I buy myself," explains Lori. "Most of the medical supplies are the same ones used on human patients." Almost all of Lori's patients are FLAP birds, and most survive - a testament to the quality of care given. Her busiest day on record fell in September of 1996. FLAP volunteers brought in Ovenbirds, a Bay-breasted Warbler and several thrushes, including a Swainson's. "Luckily, I had the day off," says Lori. "These little guys have a high metabolic rate and they can starve to death in a matter of days. I had to hand-feed them every two hours." Most of the birds that day were insect-eaters who, because of their head injuries, could not eat from a dish. Lori had to hold each patient, drip liquid food onto its beak and wait for it to swallow. The birds ate about 3/4 cc at a time. "By nine o'clock that night about half of them were perky and pecky," says Lori. "Of the 32 birds brought in, 29 were released." Most of the bird rehabilitation centres FLAP works with are on the east side of Toronto, or on its outskirts. Lori's "special unit" means west-enders can get birds into care faster, increasing their chances for survival enormously. Sometimes a day of rest and feeding is enough to ensure the bird will live and can be released. "And that," says Lori "is what it's all about." Sé Keohane