‘Birdwoman’ eyeing outdoor haven
People from all over come to Traci Vivian so she can care for wounded birds they’ve found
Traci Vivian was that kid who would steal the lab rats at school to save them from being dissected. “I was the lab monitor so when I found out what was going to happen to them I thought ‘nope’,” she says.
She’s known as Waihi’s “birdwoman”, rescuing and nurturing birds of all descriptions in her own home. She’s a lover of all animals and can’t say no to helping any animal in need.
When Hauraki Coromandel Post visited Traci last week, four gorgeous yorkshire terriers demanded kisses and cuddles, while three birds fluttered in sizeable cages in the main room. An eastern rosella preened herself, a myna spoke about how pretty he was and Traci’s pet possum Emmett — which she’s had from when he was a baby — sleepily poked his head out of his sleeping bag to greet his mum.
There’s a seagull and a sparrow in cages in the kitchen, which leads out to a foyer where 13 pigeons frolic. They have access to the outdoors and follow Traci around like the puppies.
Her ultimate goal is to build aviaries in the backyard to house the birds outside. But with no funding, it’s up to her to gather building materials and to build in the future.
“There’s birds in nearly every room. I sacrifice my rooms so it’s all done in the house.”
Traci is the bird rescuer behind last year’s Hauraki Coromandel Post story on Harry the Hawk, who was found by Tatana King at Goldfields Railway. The bird had suffered a broken leg, two bruised wings, a loss of tail feathers and was about a third of the weight he should be.
But Harry is just one of thousands of birds Traci has helped to recover. When birds are injured, they are taken to Waihi Veterinary Services for medical attention and recover at Traci’s.
When Traci was a child living in Auckland, her family took in stray cats which she’d tame and find homes for. At one stage they had 19 cats and 33 rabbits. She’d volunteer at the local veterinary clinic and foster kittens for the SPCA.
Her love of birds all started with a little sparrow that had fallen out of a tree.
“I found this little bird and I thought ‘oh, no it’s dead’, so I filled a hot water bottle and put it on it which brought it back to life. I tried to feed it with dog and cat food — I didn’t have anything else. Then I contacted Frances Southorn in Thames who was a friend of my mum’s who also rescues animals and she gave me some information. Frances is my mentor. Since then if someone has an injured bird they contact me.”
Mario the sparrow couldn’t fly properly.
”So I kept him with me for eight years until he passed away. To have let him go — he wouldn’t have survived.”
Birds recover at Traci’s and she releases them if they have a good chance of survival. Otherwise, they stay with her until they pass.
A great way to be able to support her and Waihi Veterinary Service, she says, is to contribute to a wildlife account at the vets. Traci often puts out the call to the community for things such as linen, cages or birdseed.
Every bird has a different diet, she says, and the bigger birds such as hawks may require rodents.
To contact Traci, look her up on Facebook.
There’s birds in nearly every room. I sacrifice my rooms so it’s all done in the house.
Traci Vivian