On the topic of raptors, Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends says the Christmas Eve bald eagle and New Year’s Eve red tailed hawk are doing well. The BE is starting to use his wing more as it continues to heal; the RT still has numerous human-caused issues to be resolved, not the least of which are nutritional deficiencies from a crap diet before he came to me and then was transferred to Steve. He’s got months to go before “release” is anywhere near being added to the vocabulary for him.
This past week saw just three intakes, one of which was a window-strike cardinal, female. Somehow she hit the window just right to quite literally rip her leg off at the ankle. It was barely still attached when her rescuer got her to me, and the blood loss from that injury and possible internal injuries resulted in her death as I was placing her in a box for transport home.
I had also netted another grounded male cardinal in my own yard, who turned out to have a severely damaged, infected beak. The infection had spread and created a pus pocket beneath his eye.
When the call came from a lady who said she had a bluebird, I assumed she really meant blue jay. A lot of people use the terms interchangeably and inaccurately. To my delighted surprise, however, she was using the term accurately. She’d seen a grounded Eastern bluebird (EABB) in her yard; unfortunately, her dog got to him first but did no further damage that she could see. Still, he’d been in the dog’s mouth and needed antibiotics and a thorough exam to ensure there were no broken bones from the canine jaws.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hoz2tjx5j3crh7p/lwr%20ruby%20tuesday%20fundraiser%20flyer.pdf
Because the Dec. 2013 and Jan. 2014 fundraisers were listed jointly, I won’t receive a final figure as to funds raised until after Jan. 23, so let’s make an all-out effort to make it a nice sum—baby season will be here before ya know it!
One final “housekeeping” note: next week’s update will be Monday night, Jan. 20.