Made With Love, For Love

June 8, 2026

A woman with long blonde hair crochets a wildlife nest for CROW in front of a photo of her late daughter.
Sara Hayden crochets a wildlife nest for CROW in memory of her daughter, Kyla Love Hayden.

Mother’s handmade nests for CROW weave together wildlife care & memories of daughter Kyla Love Hayden

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has reached capacity and is no longer accepting handmade nests in 2026.

Outside Sara Hayden’s home, robins and finches were busy building nests of their own. Inside, Hayden 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.

Sara’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 Sara’s daughter, Kyla Love Hayden, had volunteered for a short time on Sanibel Island in 2023.

Kyla would have been celebrating her 24th birthday on June 10, 2026. The Florida Gulf Coast University senior studying political science unexpectedly died in 2024.

So when Sara 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. She took up crocheting.

A gray baby Northern Mockingbird stands on a gray handmade nest at CROW's wildlife hospital.
A young Northern Mockingbird stands on a nest at CROW’s wildlife clinic during feeding time. The nest was crafted by Sara Hayden in memory of her daughter Kyla Love Hayden.

This 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,” she says. “It is nice to have a nest for CROW’s baby animals, and it helps me, too.”

A Downy Woodpecker baby sits in a brown handmade nest at a wildlife clinic.
At the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, a young Downy Woodpecker sits in a nest that was crocheted by Sara Hayden in memory of her daughter, Kyla. Kyla was a CROW volunteer in 2023.

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,” says Sara. “Kyla loved what CROW does and loved working there.”

A young woman with blonde hair holds a black bunny.
The late Kyla Love Hayden and her bunny Darnell.
A girl with blonde hair sits on a sculpture and a bench at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The late Kyla Love Hayden was a student at Florida Gulf Coast University and volunteer at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife.

Wildlife First Responder Tamara Wentworth was her trainer.

“I enjoyed training Kyla and was continually impressed by her compassion for wildlife,” says Wentworth. “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.”

A gray baby mourning dove sits in a charcoal gray crocheted nest and paper towel while another mourning dove baby sits behind it.
A young mourning dove sits inside a nest handmade by Sara Hayden in Maryland for the Clinic for the Rehabilitation on Sanibel Island.

CROW has seen more than 2,540 patients so far in 2026. Of those patients, 1649 have been babies or juveniles.

The wildlife nonprofit 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 CROW to drop off nests and take a campus tour. By the end of May, the nonprofit was at capacity for the handmade creations.

This year on her birthday, Sara will grab Kyla’s favorite meal — some chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A — and head down to Oxford Beach in Maryland for a picnic. She’ll also go to a local florist for some roses to give away in her daughter’s memory.

A charcoal gray crocheted wildlife nest with the label "In Memory of Kyla Love" and a heart sewn on the bottom.

Gray and tan crocheted nests with a crocheted mauve rose.

When the CROW wildlife team or volunteers grab a handmade nest to feed a baby woodpecker, comfort an owl, or cradle an opossum, they’ll see the label “In Memory of Kyla Love.” They’ll 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.

Volunteer at CROW

Volunteers assist with a wide range of tasks at CROW, such as transporting injured animals, answering phones as a first responder, doing laundry, and working in the gift shop, to name a few.

To learn more about volunteering at CROW, please https://crowclinic.org/get-involved/volunteer. As of publication, the next volunteer orientation was set for 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at CROW, 3883 Sanibel Captiva Rd. on Sanibel Island. Check here for future orientations.