Nestled amongst the oak tree-strewn foothills of Santa Rosa lie the headquarters of a Sonoma County institution—The Bird Rescue Center. It is here, in World War II-era Quonset huts, that a small army of dedicated volunteers and part-time staff assemble seven days a week, 365 days a year to fulfill a mission that has been ongoing for nearly 40 years—to rehabilitate and release injured or orphaned native wild birds.

Over the course of a year, BRC will receive nearly 3,000 birds, the bulk of which arrive during the spring and early summer months, known in the halls of its hospital as “baby bird season.” Some, like a baby great-horned owl fallen from his nest, have been at the Center for only a few days, while others, like a robin with broken tail feathers, have had journeys lasting several months. But no moment inspires greater exultation and wonder than witnessing a bird returning home, to the sky.