April showers did not appear this year and the two-inch deficit in rainfall is impacting nestling and fledgling water birds like Great Blue Herons, Yellow-Crowned & Black-Crowned Night Herons and Cattle Egrets and raptors like Red-Shouldered Hawks according to Sharon Schmalz, Executive Director of Wildlife Rehab & Education (WR&E).

The Wildlife Rehab & Education wildlife care center near downtown Houston is reporting an increase in the number of babies that are arriving daily in critical condition. Schmalz says, "The lack of rain in March and April is seriously impacting our native water birds and making life extremely difficult for mom and her brood." Schmalz says these baby birds are coming to the WR&E wildlife care center in critical condition suffering from starvation and dehydration. The staff and volunteers at WR&E will help feed and care for these babies until they are ready for release back into the wild.

Wildlife Rehab and Education is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to caring for injured and orphaned wildlife through rehabilitation and public education. For more information on Wildlife Rehab & Education, visit their website at http://www.wrande.org or call 713-861-WILD.