Waterlogged and homeless: local wildlife hit by flooding

As you are couped up inside sheltering from the rain, spare a thought for the local wildlife who have no 'inside' and are exposed to the full effects of the rain on their homes.

WIRES volunteer Rachael McInnes said there had been a big increase in call outs for injured, saturated or displaced animals in the last few weeks because of the torrential rainfall.

"We have had an increase in animals being waterlogged," she said.

She said the WIRES branch had helped many birds, particularly kingfishers. Their habitats became waterlogged and they had no where to go. They arrived at the branch caked in mud and unable to fly.

"We dry them off and make sure they are okay, and try release them back into the wild," Ms McInnes said.

"Releasing them is difficult because it just keeps raining."

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She said birds were especially perceptible to being grounded by waterlogged feathers - particularly baby birds just coming out of their nests.

However it is not just kingfishers. Wombat burrows can become waterlogged, leaving wombats displaced and exposed to the elements.

Ms McInnes said displaced animals will try seek out a suitable dry place to live; WIRES has seen an increase in call outs to houses where animals were trying to seek shelter.

"Everything is trying to stay dry," she said. "If that means going into a house, they will do that."

"We don't want people to be alarmed," she said.

"The best thing to do is to call your local wildlife rescue group."

READ MORE: Download International Fund for Animal Welfare wildlife app to help animals displaced by flooding

She said the situation will only continue to get worse with forecasts for more heavy rain this week.

Eurobodalla residents can contact WIRES on 1300 094 737.

For more information please go to wires.org.au