Tabea Goossen, a volunteer with the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, has been unofficially dubbed the “bird angel of Cannon Beach.”

That’s because she’s relocated and transported hundreds of ill or injured birds since she first moved to the coast from Alaska.

Goossen’s journey to Cannon Beach started with her beloved childhood best friend, who belonged to a foster family that had a vacation house on the coast.

After her friend died unexpectedly in 1995, Goossen kept returning to Cannon Beach, eventually finding a permanent home among the hemlock trees and rocky shorelines.

“I always expected that my best friend and I would grow old together,” she said. “She left early, and I’ve missed her. She loved Cannon Beach. I never thought I’d have a home here, but I’m guessing she thought differently!”

Goossen’s call to help injured and ill wildlife began on a typical beach walk, when she spotted a bird that had its wings ripped off by an off-leash dog. Not yet familiar with the Wildlife Center, she continued on, but couldn’t shake the image.

“I certainly would have taken him up there, had I known about that,” she said. “But it was just really hard for me to see an animal suffer. That leaves a lasting impression on you.”

The next time she came across an injured bird on the beach, Goossen knew who to call. But as she waited with the pelican, nobody from the Wildlife Center showed up.

“That was when I realized that they were short on volunteers,” she said. “Sometimes when I will go out to pick up an injured animal, someone will say to me, ‘I called the Wildlife Center a couple of times.’ And sometimes there’s just too many calls and not enough volunteers. It’s not that they’re not wanting to respond, it’s that nobody can keep up with the load.”

It didn’t take long for Goossen to decide that she would take the bird to the Wildlife Center, located in Astoria, herself.

That pelican would be the first of many disabled birds brought to safety in Goossen’s care.

In 2009, she joined the Wildlife Center as a volunteer, and began a long career of tending to ill or injured birds. Last year, Goossen drove a total of 4,000 miles for the nonprofit.

Now, Cannon Beach locals know her as the one to call when an ill or injured bird is spotted. Goossen said she’s not exactly sure how she became the designated point of contact, but she’s happy to be of service.

She has advice for people who comes across an injured bird and call the center: “Staying with the bird until we can meet you usually results in the most successful outcome,” she said. “But if we can’t make it there quickly, it’s best to try and bring it somewhere safe until we’re able to reach it.”

Due to funding limitations, volunteers with the Wildlife Center can only respond to rescue calls during business hours, so people are asked to leave a voicemail and keep the animal safe overnight.

For those who come across such situations, Goossen recommends covering the bird’s wings and head to immobilize it while it’s being brought to safety or waiting for volunteers to arrive.

But even after business hours, she often takes it upon herself to respond to requests for help regarding injured or ill wildlife.

“When I’m called, I usually bring a towel,” she said. “If I find one when I’m out walking and don’t have a towel, I have my jacket or a wrap of some sort.”

After covering the bird with a towel or clothing, the Wildlife Center instructs people to place it in a cardboard box with holes big enough for airflow and a towel at the bottom.

People should close the lid to the box and place it in a warm, dark, quiet place, away from children or pets, and keep human contact to a minimum. Food or water should not be given without first speaking with volunteers.

Beach safety

In addition to being a Wildlife Center volunteer, Goossen is also an outspoken advocate for beach safety, which often consists of keeping dogs on a leash while roaming the shore and dunes.

“The Wildlife Center gets more animals injured by off-leash dogs from Cannon Beach than any other town in Oregon, and that disturbs me,” she said. “You know, I don’t want people injured, I don’t want dogs injured, I don’t want wildlife injured. That’s my priority.”

When asked what she thinks about being dubbed a “bird angel” by Cannon Beach locals, Goossen laughed.

“It’s nice to have people advocate for you and what you’re doing,” she said. “But there are many other volunteers just like me, doing what I’m doing. There’s so many good people involved in rescues and rehab, I don’t think I’m anything special. But I’m happy to help.”

In addition to transport, Wildlife Center volunteers provide animals with medical care, make sure their living spaces in the facility stay clean and comfortable, provide educational outreach opportunities and more.

“You do not have to be a wildlife expert to support the Wildlife Center,” Goossen said. “If you have fundraising, grant writing, marketing skills, you are important. If you can drive and transport an animal, you are important.

“So that rehabber, that licensed rehabber, is really important, but so are all the other people. If you have maintenance skills to be able to go in and help repair the pelican enclosure, that’s awesome.”

The North Coast Wildlife Center is not state or federally funded, so it relies entirely on public contributions. To continue to protect and save coastal wildlife, the nonprofit will always be looking to have more volunteers.

While Goossen said that one of the most challenging parts of her work is seeing what people do or allow to be done to wildlife, the most rewarding aspect is tracking success stories and recoveries as animals prepare for release back into the wild.

“A lot of people leave us a voicemail saying they found a bird,” she said. “But what some people don’t know is that that’s just the beginning.”