A falcon that is being nursed back to health at Wildbird Recovery.

Bird rehabilitation center Wildbird Recovery will hold a “Holiday Hoots: Shopping with the Birds” fundraiser sale at its campus at Stormy Oaks Nature Conservancy from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The event is a new addition to Wildbird Recovery's calendar, and has not been held in past years.

Visitors will have the chance to buy handmade craft items, ornaments, jewelry and honey from artisans in the Butler County area.

Included in the craft items are around 80 hand-carved wooden owl decorations, made by woodworker Joe Fabec.

“We felt that because there are a lot of items that are great for the holidays, that we would host this event,” said Melissa McMaster-Brown, who runs the conservancy with her parents, Beth and David McMaster, on a volunteer basis. “It is nice to bring everyone together.”

Santa will be present at the event from 2 to 3 p.m. and face painting for children will be available between 1 and 3 p.m. Visitors who wear an ugly sweater can be entered into a drawing for a raffle basket. The suggested donation is $10 per person or $25 per family, and donations all benefit Wildbird Recovery.

The center's education ambassador animals also will be on display during the event.

The sale benefits the care of birds that cannot be released back into the wild before the winter months as well as repairs to existing buildings on the grounds.“It benefits the birds in our care right now, and funds will also be used towards the repairs that will be needed for our older aviaries,” she said. “There's always ongoing costs. For example, one pen will need to have a new roof put on it next year.”Wildbird Recovery was founded in 2000, and is the only wildlife rehabilitation center in Butler County that offers bird rehabilitation care. It is staffed by the McMaster family and other volunteers, and provides care for injured birds, along with offering summer camp programs and activity classes for homeschooled students.Birds who are cared for over the winter at the center require additional costs for food and shelter, McMaster-Brown said.“We have a Merlin (falcon) that is being treated for a feather follicle infection,” she said. “She is a juvenile bird, so at minimum she will be with us until she molts in the spring of 2022.”