PELHAM, AL (WBRC)- The recent rainstorms may be good for our lawns and gardens, but it's negatively impacting the local bird population.

The Alabama Wildlife Center is receiving close to 50 injured birds a week to care for. Staffers say that in many cases, baby birds are blown from their nest and injure their feet or wings.

This is the time of year the center starts seeing an increase in the amount of birds needing help. The center is a nonprofit organization located inside Oak Mountain state Park. The center has cared for wildlife since the 1980s and Scottie Jackson says treating this many birds wouldn't be possible if it weren't for caring community members.

"It's been a labor of love for a lot of years. And I will be the first one to say we'd be sunk without our volunteers. We have a fantastic group of people that give of their time and energy," Jackson said.

From the University of Alabama at Birmingham:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Children are at increased risk for eye injuries in the summer, according to University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers. Eye injuries are much more common in May and June before reaching a peak in July, then falling off as school begins in the fall, says Gerald McGwin, Jr. Ph.D., a professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Ophthalmology at UAB. 

“Overall, the leading cause of eye injury in children 15 and younger is sports, specifically swimming,” said McGwin.

He notes that pool chemicals, which can cause eye irritation, play a prominent role in these injuries, as does being hit by water toys or flying elbows and feet. 

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- The national leader of the Nation of Islam spoke on behalf of keeping the Voting Rights Act intact at Birmingham's historic Kelly Ingram Park on Friday.

Shelby County has challenged Section Five of the act, which calls for preclearance of any changes to voting laws. Attorneys for the Shelby County Commission contend the requirement is no longer needed due to advances in minority voting.

More than 200 people greeted and gave a enthusiastic welcome to the Minister Louis Farrakhan.

"Farrakhan, Farrakhan, Farrakhan," chanted through the park. Farrakhan, using the words of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said the Voting Rights Act should not be changed in any way.

"Laws passed for the Negroes' benefit are so widely unenforced that it's a mockery to call them laws," Farrakhan said.