Humane Indiana Wildlife

06/02/2026

Our songbird nursery is in full swing, with over a dozen different species of local songbird orphans currently in care. Young birds are brought to our center after their nests are blown from trees, parents are preyed upon, or even they are preyed upon by natural predators or domestic pets.

This incubator contains two species currently, an Eastern Phoebe and a family of Eastern Bluebirds. The Eastern Phoebe was found on the ground, which for some fledglings would be a normal circumstance, but Eastern Phoebes actually leave the nest flighted and should not ever be found on the ground. The Eastern Bluebird family was brought to us after mom was found deceased and dad was around but not bringing food back to the nest. Fearing that the babies would starve, they would brought into our care.

These songbirds will remain in our care until they are capable of feeding themselves and are fully flighted. From their incubator space they will be moved to a soft sided enclosure with room to flit and hop around, and then eventually moved outside where they can forage and fly for a few weeks prior to release.

06/01/2026

**Donation Request!!** We are running low on produce (especially fruits)!! We are currently looking for donations of the following produce items to help feed our hungry patients:

🍎Apples
🍐Pears
🍓Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Grapes
🥒Cucumber, Zucchini, Yellow Squash
🫑Peppers
🥦Broccoli, Cauliflower

We saw this morning that Andershock in Chesterton received a new shipment but can't get away ourselves to go check it out!

05/31/2026

How many opossums can you find in this picture?!

Our Opossum moms, and their babies, are doing SO well! This adult opossum was originally brought to the center after being struck by a vehicle and sustained multiple wounds, thankfully nothing internal. When admitted, her babies were only about 50 grams each and still attached inside her pouch. Now, weeks later they are growing in their independence and are all eating on their own!

Mom is just about ready for release but with so many big babies, the struggle is choosing to release them with her, knowing she will likely lose a few when she runs off, or releasing mom and holding the babies at the center until they are old enough to be released. For now, they are all still together and will remain together once mom is moved to a pre-release enclosure outside. We have enjoyed watching this little family grow and can't wait to return them back to the wild!

To support our 200+ opossum orphans please consider donating opossum (Fox Valley 25/30) formula from our Amazon Wishlist at: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/12TH5G1M7K4DC?ref_=wl_share

Or at Henry's Pets at: https://xfkkeq.littleregistry.com/b7aeao

05/30/2026

✨️ HAPPENING TONIGHT! 🌙

Experience nature after dark at Nocturnal Nature Night - an evening of wildlife, wonder, and family-friendly fun you won’t want to miss!

Location: Cedar Lake Friary, 12921 Parrish Ave, Cedar Lake
Time: 5-9 pm
Admission: $20 per vehicle at the gate with discounts for seniors and children under 12. Cash and card are accepted.

Funds raised directly support local, native, injured and orphaned wildlife in the care of Humane Indiana Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Whether you're an animal lover, nature enthusiast, or simply looking for something unique to do this weekend, we’d love to see you there!

Enjoy these activities throughout the duration of the event!
🛍 Vendor Marketplace
🎨 Activities and Crafts:
🦉 Owl Pellet Dissection
🐦 Songbird Suncatcher Design
🐛 Bug Display presented by Humane Indiana Wildlife Staffer, Drew
🌼 Self-Guided Bird or Flower Walk
and MORE!

Humane Indiana Wildlife Animal Ambassador Meet & Greets 🦨
Enjoy meeting a new animal ambassador like Oscar (pictured) every half hour during the event!
5-5:30pm
6-6:30pm
7-7:30pm

📖 Story Time with Humane Indiana Mascots “Hoots the Owl” and “South Shore Simon”
5:30 - 6pm
6:30 - 7pm

🦉 Staff-Guided Owl Walk
8 - 8:30pm
8:30 - 9pm

🦇 Staff-Guided Bat Walk
8 - 8:30pm
8:30 - 9pm

05/29/2026

Thanks to the 3rd Grade and Kindergarten students at St. Stanislaus Kostka School a Cape May Warbler received the necessary care at our facility to be able to return to the wild after hitting a window! Educator, Drew W., provided a program to their students as a thank you and we released both the Cape May Warbler and a Tennessee Warbler at the school with their students, who are true wildlife heroes.

05/27/2026

This weekend, experience nature after dark at Nocturnal Nature Night - an evening of wildlife, wonder, and family-friendly fun you won’t want to miss!

Join Humane Indiana Wildlife for a special nighttime adventure featuring opportunities to connect with amazing animal ambassadors, enjoy interactive activities, explore the Cedar Lake Friary grounds on guided nature walks, and more!

Date: THIS Saturday, May 30, 2026
Location: Cedar Lake Friary, 12921 Parrish Ave, Cedar Lake
Time: 5-9 pm

Admission is $20 per vehicle at the gate with discounts for seniors and children under 12. Cash and card are accepted.

Funds raised directly support local, native, injured and orphaned wildlife in the care of Humane Indiana Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Whether you're an animal lover, nature enthusiast, or simply looking for something unique to do this weekend, we’d love to see you there.

05/26/2026

Our staff is continuing to see migrating warblers admitted to the rehabilitation center after experiencing window collisions. Our most recent warbler patient is this male Bay Breasted Warbler found in Griffith! This is the first time our center has admitted a Bay Breasted Warbler, and we were very excited to see this species!

Like most warblers, Bay-breasted Warblers feed chiefly on insects and small spiders during the breeding season. Although spruce budworm is the most important part of the diet, Bay-breasted also eats larvae of many beetles, flies, midges, moths, and butterflies, along with locusts, grasshoppers, and dragonflies.

Breeding Bay-breasted Warblers feed in the middle levels of the tree, usually away from the outer edges of the tree, on larger limbs, where they hop or fly among the vegetation searching out insects methodically and slowly on the upper side of the foliage or in lichen. Migrants forage in a similar manner but in many different habitats and at many different levels in the vegetation (even occasionally on the ground), often in company with mixed-species flocks.

05/24/2026

We are less than ONE WEEK Away from Nocturnal Nature Night! 🦉🦇🦨

Discover the magic of the natural world after dark at Nocturnal Nature Night, a family-friendly event hosted by Humane Indiana Wildlife!

Enjoy up-close encounters with nocturnal wildlife ambassador animals like owls, skunks, and opossums, hands-on activities and nature-inspired crafts, and the chance to explore the outdoors at night. The evening includes local food trucks and vendors, special character visits, storytelling, and guided hikes to spot bats, owls, and other nighttime wildlife.

📍 Cedar Lake Friary | 12921 Parish Ave
🎟 $20 per car; $15 per vehicle with seniors or children under 12
📅 Saturday, May 30th
⏰️ 5PM -9PM

Full event details can be found at the link below:

Discover the magic of the natural world after dark at Nocturnal Nature Night, a family-friendly evening hosted by Humane Indiana Wildlife.

05/23/2026

"An error may have occurred, the bird or band reported is unusually old."

There is a certain level of excitement surrounding the admission of a bird that has bands on its legs. Who is it? Where has it come from? How old could this bird be? For as many bands as we have reported to the USGS Bird Banding Lab, never have we gotten the above message.

We double; triple checked the numbers admitted to the system... They numbers are correct; there is no error. This bird just IS unusually old! Banded as a non-flighted nestling back in 2012, in Indiana, this male Peregrine Falcon from Wheatfield is 14 years old!!!!

When this bird was banded, his species was still on the endangered species list for the state of Indiana. In 2014, Indiana’s breeding peregrine falcon population was part of a long-term recovery effort that began in the late 1980s. By 2013, the state had just 24 breeding territories documented, with 27 nesting sites recorded in 13 Indiana counties. Most of these nests (59%) were located in the three counties bordering Lake Michigan (Lake, Porter and LaPorte), reflecting the species’ preference for industrial and urban areas such as steel mills, power plants, office buildings, and bridges!

The 2014 data from the Indiana Audubon Quarterly report showed that 88% of nesting attempts were successful, producing an average of 2.46 young per attempt to fledging. Eighty-seven percent of nestlings were banded before fledging, allowing researchers to track survival and movement. Productivity varied widely, with some individuals producing over 30 chicks in their lifetime!! We can't imagine the legacy this Peregrine has had. How many chicks he may have sired to bring his species back from the endangered status.

This bird had gotten himself trapped inside a building after chasing a bird and had been unable to get himself back out. Near starvation, he was approached by an employee who placed him into a box and brought him to our center. Our staff is slowly working on increasing his weight, to avoid re-feeding syndrome. We are so hopeful to be able to return him back to the wild in the coming weeks once he is back to good health.

05/23/2026

Join us TODAY May 23rd from 10:00-1:00 we will be at Hopkins’ Ace Hardware in Chesterton! Stop by our store for a chance to get an up close look at a few of our ambassador animals, including Calypso our Broad Wing Hawk, and to talk to our staff!
✨For the month of May Hopkin's is doing a round up to support our organization, so you still have a few more days to participate!!!

💥Although we love seeing their customers dogs, we ask that you leave them at home during that time as our animals aren’t the biggest fans of dogs! Thank you