Five raptor intakes in one day midweek, plus two more in the days just before and after Christmas and the “guests” already present, made for a crowded Christmas at LWR.
On Wednesday, LWR had three birds arrive in the morning and two in the afternoon. Because I also had a red-tail from Thanksgiving who needed a healing wing fracture re-x-rayed, I checked with Smalley’s to see if they could work in the most critical birds late Wednesday afternoon, with the less critical to follow on Thursday.
Have I mentioned how much I love my vets and their staff?
Within minutes of my call, I had the merlin, Coop and screech in the car for vet visits.
The Coop, a second-year female, had an open fracture, which made her situation a done deal, but I wanted x-rays anyway. It’s always helpful to see just what caused the break to be open. She’d managed to break the bone right at the joint somehow. Even if it hadn’t been open, there was no fixing this fracture. She was euthanized.
On Wednesday, LWR had three birds arrive in the morning and two in the afternoon. Because I also had a red-tail from Thanksgiving who needed a healing wing fracture re-x-rayed, I checked with Smalley’s to see if they could work in the most critical birds late Wednesday afternoon, with the less critical to follow on Thursday.
Have I mentioned how much I love my vets and their staff?
Within minutes of my call, I had the merlin, Coop and screech in the car for vet visits.
The Coop, a second-year female, had an open fracture, which made her situation a done deal, but I wanted x-rays anyway. It’s always helpful to see just what caused the break to be open. She’d managed to break the bone right at the joint somehow. Even if it hadn’t been open, there was no fixing this fracture. She was euthanized.
The merlin had been with an incompetent vet in another county, who claimed the wing had been x-rayed and had then done an absolutely godawful job of splinting and wrapping it using the really hard, sticky surgical tape, causing the wing to dangle at an angle that would have required a do-over on the “repair” work by my highly skilled vets at Smalley’s if the wing was, in fact, fixable. You see, I’ve had dealings with this vet before and wouldn’t trust the person to accurately diagnose or treat roadkill.
My suspicions were correct, sadly. An x-ray at Smalley’s showed the wing was shattered—a splint and feather-ruining tape weren’t gonna repair this poor bird’s wing. He was also euthanized.
My suspicions were correct, sadly. An x-ray at Smalley’s showed the wing was shattered—a splint and feather-ruining tape weren’t gonna repair this poor bird’s wing. He was also euthanized.
Because the screech came from the same so-called vet, I wanted him checked out ASAP, as well. Luckily, he had only a cloudy eye and dilated pupil from a concussion and was alert and aggressive as only a screech can be. I adore screeches; there’s just so much attitude, all of it bad, packed in those tiny little bodies! I’ve said for years if they were as big as they think they are, I’d never go outside at night again.
I don’t normally post x-rays that show no fractures, but this one of the screech was funny because it showed just how tiny they are in proportion to human hands!
Sir Screech is recovering nicely and eating well and slated for release within the next few days.
I don’t normally post x-rays that show no fractures, but this one of the screech was funny because it showed just how tiny they are in proportion to human hands!
Sir Screech is recovering nicely and eating well and slated for release within the next few days.
The next day, the remaining two Wednesday intakes headed for Smalley's, along with the Thanksgiving RT, whose wing fracture is healing so well it nearly had us all doing a happy dance. I think nearly everybody had to take a gander at this x-ray!
There’s still not enough callus to even consider flight conditioning, but it’s only been a month, so he’s got a few weeks yet to finish healing.
The barred owl was recovering from a concussion and x-rays showed no fractures. He got so antsy as he recovered from his nasty headache that I opted to release him Christmas Eve. On exit from the box, he flew straight to the ground and sat there…I turned off the camera, swore mightily, grabbed the net and gloves, and started toward him to recapture him—at which point he basically gave me the avian version of the finger and flew to the highest branch he could find and glared down at me. Hey, not a “picture perfect” release, but I’ll take it!
The barred owl was recovering from a concussion and x-rays showed no fractures. He got so antsy as he recovered from his nasty headache that I opted to release him Christmas Eve. On exit from the box, he flew straight to the ground and sat there…I turned off the camera, swore mightily, grabbed the net and gloves, and started toward him to recapture him—at which point he basically gave me the avian version of the finger and flew to the highest branch he could find and glared down at me. Hey, not a “picture perfect” release, but I’ll take it!
He also attracted the aggravated attention of this yellow-bellied sapsucker, who flitted about scolding him vociferously for about 10 minutes—sorry, no vid of that; it was hard enough getting him on the right side of the tree to snap a couple of half-decent photos!
The red-tail, another first-year, this one a small female, also had no fractures and is beginning to get antsy herself. I’d like to release her ASAP but she’s awfully skinny so I think she’s gonna hang around a few more days and get some weight back on her.
On Friday a caller reported a windowstrike where she worked. She’d scooped the bird up and got it to me as soon as she got off work. It was a warbler—that much I knew. I first thought pine but then realized it didn’t look quite right, so I spent some time comparing photos of warblers in my various bird books and apps and online, finally deciding this was in fact a palm warbler.
The poor fellow had some serious neurological damage from the blow and his balance was badly off-kilter; he somersaulted rather than walked and was breathing heavily but with his beak closed (beak open heavy breathing can often be a sign of a ruptured lung). I followed standard procedure for windowstrikes: dark, cool space and checks every few hours to see if the bird has “snapped out of it” and might be releasable. By sunset he seemed more alert but still clumsy. He survived the night but died shortly after sunrise, still unable to walk properly or fly. The photos below were taken post-mortem to show the identifying characteristics of palm warblers—yellow-tinted breast, deep yellow rump and white spots on tail feathers.
The flyers still occasionally come out en masse when I’m still in the room; more often it’s just one or two. The millet provided such fun for them and me the previous week that we repeated the treat last week and managed some cute photos and video again.
The barnies are doing well, although we did have a self-release last week, so now there are only three. The oldest barnie had a bad tendency to perch on the raptor flight door, and I’d ease the door open just enough to reach up and prod him to make him fly to the back of the flight. On Thursday evening, he managed to squeeze through that tiny opening and soar off across two entire fields. I’m not happy about his self-release; he’d never been live-prey tested so his chances of survival in the wild are, quite frankly, extremely slim. I called raptor rehabber Steve Hicks to bemoan his probable fate and discovered that he’d had the same thing happen with a clutch of four he’d raised earlier this year—one of his bounced off his head and flew away as he entered their flight pen. Misery loves company, you know…
The remaining three don’t share his tendency to perch where they shouldn’t and are eating well now, but my heart still twinges when I walk into that flight and see only three birds…
And just this morning, this first-year male Coop came in. He’d been found under bushes on Christmas Day, unable to stand. I suspect a pelvic fracture but won’t know for sure until we can get x-rays tomorrow, when Smalley’s reopens after the holidays. In the meantime, he’s in a donut to ease pressure on his keel and make it easier for him to breathe.
Next week’s update will be back on schedule, so that’s it for –well, until next year, actually. See you on New Year’s Day!
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