The hummingbird had gotten itself into a sticky situation; it arrived at the Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic after having been stuck in a glue trap.

For a small bird, that's not just inconvenient; it's often deadly.

"While they are not meant for birds, we often get little wrens and hummingbirds that get stuck in them," said Pamela Bayne, one of the clinic's founders. "The odds are not with the birds, because in their struggle to free themselves a wing or leg is often broken in a way that makes it impossible to save them."

It takes hours, sometimes days, to remove the glue. Rehabilitators can only work on a bird for a few minutes at a time or it will die from stress. Each individual feather has to be cleared of glue, and often there is a great deal of feather damage that makes it necessary to keep the bird until it molts.

But Bayne doesn't think about the time and effort, only of saving the animal.

"I believe we have an obligation to these animals to do whatever we can to protect them and live in some kind of harmony with them," said Bayne, who is the clinic's acting director and the president of its Board of Directors. "They bring so much to our quality of life. This is what I can do."

The Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic was founded a year ago this week to fill the void left when the Piedmont Wildlife Center made the heartbreaking decision to close its wildlife hospital in July of 2009.

Bayne, who lives in Chapel Hill and is licensed to rehabilitate small mammals, raptors, and songbirds, was a board member of the Piedmont Wildlife Center. After the center closed the hosptial at 1417 Seaton Road in Durham, Bayne gathered like-minded rehabilitators, rented the Seaton Road space, and hasn't stopped moving since.

Since January 1, 2010, the non-profit Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic has treated more than 1,000 patients.

"We are here to make sure wild animals in need of assistance receive timely and appropriate medical, nutritional, and supportive care in order to recover and be returned to the wild," Bayne said.

The clinic functions with a part-time veterinarian, a part-time animal care person, and dedicated volunteers and interns. The clinic often receives 30 calls a day, and works with amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, including raptors, songbirds and water fowl.

An official celebration to mark the clinic's anniversary will take place sometime in the fall, after the baby bird season, but staff veterinarian Leslie Martin said informal celebrations occur frequently, sparked by successful outcomes for the clinic's patients.

An adult male cardinal was one such recent story.

"He had head trauma and a severe eye injury," Martin said. "After weeks of care and medications he recovered very well. He had only a residual eyelid injury, which didn't compromise his blinking or his vision. When he was given back to his rescuer, he flew back to his environment, and his mate was waiting for him."

Another recent case involved a hawk that had been shot. The bullet was lodged in the hawks' chest. After emergency care at the clinic, then rehabilitation at the Carolina Raptor Clinic, Bayne was able to release the bird in Pittsboro. She did her customary jig.

"I have the same sense of wonder and awe when any animal is released back into the wild." Bayne said.

Joy Gurganus, the clinic's volunteer development officer and a state licensed rehabilitator, said she is convinced that educating everyone about wildlife is key to its survival.

"Most callers and finders are so committed to helping these creatures but fall short of proper handling, care, diet, and medical treatments," Gurganus said.

Often that lack of knowledge means well-meaning people inadvertently do more harm than good.

Clinic volunteers are willing to speak at any public event to get the word out about living with wildlife, including those that appear injured.

Bayne said that every day confirms her belief that the public needs a wildlife hospital.

"When a mother brings in an injured baby bird, hands you a large tootsie roll canister filled with coins, and tells you that her young son wants to make a donation to help the animals, it touches your heart and lets you know the wildlife care facility doors need to stay open," Bayne said.

Information is at www.trianglewildlife.org or 544-3330.

Spread the word - give some time, adopt an animal, donate a jar of pennies. Add a little jig to your life.