Melissa Pearce became actively involved with wildlife when she took an extended break from work, wanting to get more balance in her life.

It is now a major passion. With three large backyard aviaries, and other enclosures for microbats and lizards, she is clearly devoted to helping our local wildlife.

Ms Pearce's particular interest is birds. They're her passion. She likes their different and constantly changing care needs.

At one stage she had five emu chicks in care and another time, six tawny frogmouths.

Each one becomes a favourite, especially galahs due to their personalities, but overall she doesn't have a preference.

"Whatever I've got, I fall in love with," she said.

While some rescues are simple, Ms Pearce enjoys those "where you do have to think a bit more and be strategic," such as when birds have fishing line caught around a leg, but are still mobile.

"It can be tricky trying to out-think them," she said, and can "require building trust over a few days".

One rescue involved wading through murky water to a cygnet (young swan) that had become separated from its parents and gone over a weir.

The lucky bird was not injured, but needed checking and then release back to its family.

Injured and sick birds can be a challenge, but Ms Pearce finds that when rehabilitation works, it is especially rewarding.

"Sometimes the best gift we give to seriously injured or ill wildlife is to end their suffering," she said.

"Knowing when it isn't in the best interest of the animal to continue on is a difficult but essential skill."

A particular interest is how to best support birds with traumatic wounds that in the past may have required euthanasia.

With a background in healthcare as a nurse/midwife, Ms Pearce's understanding of basic patho-physiology can be applied to animals in dealing with dehydration, wounds, organ damage, nutrition, healing, disease management and infection control.

Lessons are constantly being learned. For example, a bird with wing damage might need a small enclosure for better healing; more space isn't always best. Also, the healing process shouldn't be rushed.

Communicating with other carers is essential to draw on experience and knowledge in dealing with particular animals.

Ms Pearce believes she couldn't do it without those discussions and a network. "Emotional support is necessary because the work we do is at times very hard," she said.

A barn owl called Barnaby is a case example of slow progress over many months, after being hit by a car and sustaining serious head and eye trauma.

This has shown Ms Pearce that "so long as there is improvement and the animal is not distressed, it is worth continuing with rehabilitation". He remains in care and time will tell how he goes.

A recent highlight for Ms Pearce was the prolonged rescue, and then release, of 'Christina the Complicated Cocky', a sulphur crested cockatoo entangled on a cable above the Queanbeyan river.

The rescue took days of planning and perseverance, and while it was a "frustrating rollercoaster ride", Ms Pearce was stunned that Christina had no serious injuries and could be released after 10 days in care. Even though it was the most stressful rescue she'd done, it was amazing to see Christina fly away back to her flock.

Ms Pearce sees the main issues facing wildlife as the increasing impacts from heat events, bushfires and droughts.

While some species will adapt, many will not. Some are perceived by the public, as a nuisance, when native food sources are no longer available and animals move into urban environments.

"They are just trying to live their little wild lives as best they can, faced with many challenges including of course those inflicted by humans," she said.

"Our job is to help them continue to live their lives, back in the wild, by helping when they come unstuck."

Merran Laver is a volunteer with Wildcare.