Mother weaves nests for CROW in memory of daughter
Outside Sara Hayden’s home, robins and finches were busy building nests of their own. Inside, she sat with a crochet hook and leftover yarn from winter scarves and hats, creating four soft springtime nests for orphaned or abandoned baby birds and mammals.
Hayden’s mother — Julie Hayden of Port Saint Lucie — had shared an article with her about the need for handmade nests to support the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW). CROW is the nonprofit where her daughter, Kyla Love Hayden, had volunteered for a short time on Sanibel in 2023.
Kyla would have been celebrating her 24th birthday on June 10, 2026. The Florida Gulf Coast University senior who was studying political science died unexpectedly in 2024.
So when Hayden read about the handcrafted baby nests at her home in Maryland, she paused. She had just taken up a hobby this year to help her heal and relax. Hayden took up crocheting.
The nest project seemed like it was meant for her. CROW uses handmade nests daily to support baby birds and small mammals during feeding, recovery and growth.
“Doing things with meaning is what brings me peace and healing out of her loss,” Hayden said. “It is nice to have a nest for CROW’s baby animals, and it helps me, too.”
At CROW, Kyla was training to be a first responder. She was learning how to answer phone calls from community members who wanted advice or help after finding an animal that needed assistance. First responders educate, arrange volunteers for rescues and ensure each animal is entered into CROW’s database.
“She would have loved taking those calls,” Hayden said. “Kyla loved what CROW does and loved working there.”
Wildlife first responder Tamara Wentworth was her trainer.
“I enjoyed training Kyla and was continually impressed by her compassion for wildlife,” she said. “She made a meaningful impact during her short time as a CROW volunteer, and we’re grateful to have worked alongside her doing something she loved.”
CROW has seen more than 2,540 patients so far in 2026 — 1,649 have been babies or juveniles.
The wildlife nonprofit had put out a call for handmade crocheted and knitted nests in mid-May. Care packages soon arrived from places like Florida, Vermont, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, New York, Ohio and even across the pond in England. Some crafters made the trip out to drop off the nests and take a campus tour. By the end of May, CROW was at capacity for the handmade creations.
This year on her birthday, Hayden grabbed Kyla’s favorite meal — chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A — and headed down to Oxford Beach in Maryland for a picnic. She also went to a local florist for some roses to give away in her daughter’s memory.
When the CROW wildlife team or volunteers grab a handmade nest to feed a baby woodpecker, comfort an owl or cradle an opossum, they will see the label “In Memory of Kyla Love.” They will also see a mauve crocheted rose in the middle of the nests that may bring a smile.
Perhaps it will be a reminder that orphaned wildlife babies just need a small act of kindness to be comforted. And some mothers need the same.
Founded in 1968, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the sick, injured and orphaned native and migratory wildlife of Southwest Florida and beyond. Through veterinary care, educational programs and a visitor center, it strives to improve the health of wildlife and the environment. For more information, visit www.crowclinic.org.