Found a bird? 707-484-6502 8:30am to 5:30pm
Native Songbird Care & Conservation is dedicated to the conservation of native songbirds through
rehabilitation and release back to the wild, educational outreach, and community engagement.
Located in Sebastopol, California, Native Songbird Care & Conservation (NSCC) was founded in 2004 by Veronica Bowers. NSCC is dedicated to the conservation of native songbirds through rehabilitation and release back to the wild, educational outreach, and community engagement. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, supported entirely by donations and volunteer staff. We are licensed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game.
Each year, we care for approximately 1,000 songbirds of 70+ different species. Nearly 80% of our patients are received April through August, the Baby Bird Season. We provide life-saving care to injured and orphaned songbirds seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Our goal is to restore our patients back to their full health and return them to their free and wild lives.
We are a specialty hospital for native songbirds. We are the only wildlife rehabilitation facility in Northern California dedicated exclusively to the care of native songbirds. Most of our patients are received from our Sonoma County community, but we also serve the entire greater Bay Area and beyond. As a specialty hospital for native songbirds, we receive patients transferred to us from partner organizations in 11 other counties from Santa Clara to Mendocino and Sacramento to Sierra.
NSCC is known for our gold standard of care and rehabilitation techniques for songbirds. As a diverse group of species, songbirds require a high level of specialized and well-managed care. Every aspect of our facility is set up exclusively to support the needs of injured, ill and orphaned songbirds. Based on their age and species, each bird has specific requirements for care, diet, housing and release back to the wild. Focusing our expertise on the rehabilitation of songbirds allows us to provide the best care possible for this unique group of birds and give them a second chance to return to their free and wild lives.
Our work is made possible through the dedication of our volunteers and the generous support of caring community members.
Veronica has a life-long appreciation for songbirds. Her earliest memories of being completely captivated by them were as a child in her grandmother's garden watching Hooded Orioles and Anna's Hummingbirds. She fell in love with her favorite bird, the Cliff Swallow, at age 9 when she observed them gathering mud from a nearby pond and building their magnificent nests on a barn.
In 1999, Veronica began volunteering for a local wildlife rescue. Shortly after, she became very involved with Madrone Audubon Society, the Sonoma County chapter of the National Audubon Society, and eventually served as board president and Christmas Bird Count coordinator. These experiences shaped her understanding of the plight of songbirds in today's world. In response to declining songbird populations and recognizing the need to improve the standard of care for injured and orphaned songbirds in the rehabilitation setting, Veronica founded Native Songbird Care & Conservation in 2004.
An expert in her field, Veronica teaches NSCC’s gold-standard songbird rehabilitation protocols to peers and colleagues throughout North America and has served as a consultant for wildlife facilities and scientific institutions around the world. She has published a wildlife rehabilitation manual, contributed eight chapters to three wildlife care manuals, and has served on the California Council for Wildlife Rehabilitators board of directors.
In her free time, Veronica can be found working in the garden, spending time with her horse, participating in avian field studies, or simply watching birds for enjoyment.