Thank you for your interest in volunteering for Avian Haven!
Onsite Rehab Volunteer
As a Rehabilitation Volunteer at Avian Haven, you’ll play an essential role in caring for injured and orphaned wild birds. Your work helps maintain the clean, stable, and enriching environment our patients need to recover and return to the wild.
Volunteers assist with daily husbandry tasks such as cleaning enclosures, doing laundry and dishes, sweeping, and preparing food. With additional training, you may help with more direct animal care — weighing birds, assisting during exams, or feeding baby songbirds.
This role requires comfort working around wildlife, attention to detail, and a willingness to follow established procedures. Volunteers must be 18 or older, have reliable transportation, and commit to at least six months, visiting 2–3 times per month (or one 4-hour shift weekly during the busy season).
Transport Volunteer
Transport Volunteers safely deliver birds from finders, veterinarians, or wildlife officials to Avian Haven’s facility in Freedom, or help connect them through a multi-leg “relay” with other volunteers. Each transport provides a lifeline for a bird in need and supports Maine’s wildlife recovery efforts.
This role requires professionalism, compassion, and comfort communicating with the public. Volunteers must be 18 or older, hold a valid driver’s license, and have a reliable vehicle and cell phone. There is no set schedule—volunteers are contacted as needs arise in their area and can accept transports based on availability.
Avian Haven provides coordination, safety guidance, and ongoing support for every transport. All volunteers are expected to follow handling and privacy guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of both birds and people involved.
Facilities Volunteer
As a Facilities Volunteer at Avian Haven, you’ll help maintain the spaces that make our rehabilitation work possible. Working alongside our Facilities Manager, you’ll assist with upkeep, repairs, and improvements to enclosures, grounds, and buildings—ensuring our birds have safe, well-maintained environments for recovery.
Duties vary by season and may include mowing and grounds care, snow or leaf removal, painting, basic construction or repairs, replacing sand and gravel substrates, and maintaining tools and equipment. Volunteers should be comfortable working outdoors in varying conditions, capable of physical labor, and able to work independently or as part of a team.
Experience with carpentry, power tools, or trades is preferred but not required. Volunteers must be 18 or older, able to lift at least 50 lbs, and willing to assist with other projects as needed.