While I understand your rebuttal, I would wonder if this points to a real problem of these agencies seeking to keep their stats up and funding / personnel safe. We see police cracking down on lemonade stands and Girl Scout cookie sales and have to ask if that a good use of LEO resources? Law Enforcement is to fight CRIME and this does not meet that criteria. If this mother fights this idiocy in court as I hope she will, it could end up costing these bureaucrats far more than just money, it will cost respect for fair dealing - an irreplaceable commodity.
The blame is with those who keep insisting that the function of government is to fine tune every aspect of our lives. For one thing you are right such codswallop is a waste of LEO resources. It is also wrong that no distinction is made between good intent (rescuing the bird) and bad intent of an action. There is no reason why exceptions can not be written into the law. I assume there must be one to cover wildlife rehab centers.
Oftne the people who write laws have no clue on how those laws will translate in real life application. The application of laws is usually left to beaurecrats who have rule making authority. They in turn tell their officers how the law is too be enforced. Unless the law is written plainly enough to leave no room for doubt or for embellishment you end up with such sights as police ticketing lemonade stands.