It was a strange week at LWR. We almost had our first eagle of the year, and we almost had our first two babies—both great horneds—of the year. And we did manage a release in the midst of the chaos, too!
The eagle, apparently a young adult, had been found hanging by his wing from fishing line in South Georgia last week and had been taken by DNR to UGA for treatment before transfer to a rehabber; because CNC is bustin’ at the seams already, DNR and FWS worked together to obtain authorization for LWR to hold the eagle once it left UGA. Unfortunately, the vets at UGA determined the injuries to the wing were so severe that it required euthanasia.
Then two calls came in almost back to back, both with brancher great horneds in the brush near trees in their yards. I have nothing but kudos for these two families, as they did EVERYTHING right. They contacted LWR to see what needed to be done; when I questioned them about the demeanor of the birds, the callers said their respective birds were quiet and calm except when approached. Both callers indicated they could hear adults in the woods. Both callers said there were no dangers (dogs, cats) to the birds in their yards. I suggested monitoring the birds and if they hadn’t moved along within four hours or so, we might need to intervene. In both cases the parents coaxed the errant branchers back into the woods, where they could complete their job of raising their babies. Way to go, finders! Y’all’s common sense and willingness to follow instructions kept those young birds with their parents! (Can we clone these folks???)
Now for the release: The adult red shoulder wasted no time vacating the premises once he was offered his freedom. He showed out a good bit before realizing I actually was barely holding him back, then bounced off the ground before taking off.
The eagle, apparently a young adult, had been found hanging by his wing from fishing line in South Georgia last week and had been taken by DNR to UGA for treatment before transfer to a rehabber; because CNC is bustin’ at the seams already, DNR and FWS worked together to obtain authorization for LWR to hold the eagle once it left UGA. Unfortunately, the vets at UGA determined the injuries to the wing were so severe that it required euthanasia.
Then two calls came in almost back to back, both with brancher great horneds in the brush near trees in their yards. I have nothing but kudos for these two families, as they did EVERYTHING right. They contacted LWR to see what needed to be done; when I questioned them about the demeanor of the birds, the callers said their respective birds were quiet and calm except when approached. Both callers indicated they could hear adults in the woods. Both callers said there were no dangers (dogs, cats) to the birds in their yards. I suggested monitoring the birds and if they hadn’t moved along within four hours or so, we might need to intervene. In both cases the parents coaxed the errant branchers back into the woods, where they could complete their job of raising their babies. Way to go, finders! Y’all’s common sense and willingness to follow instructions kept those young birds with their parents! (Can we clone these folks???)
Now for the release: The adult red shoulder wasted no time vacating the premises once he was offered his freedom. He showed out a good bit before realizing I actually was barely holding him back, then bounced off the ground before taking off.
The one new intake was a small male great horned found in the road. He had no fractures and his pupils were even and responsive but I still suspected head trauma and possible optic nerve damage. Unfortunately, there were apparently also internal injuries; he didn’t last 48 hours.
Both red tails continue to “keep on keepin’ on,” as it were. No real progress, but at least no regression either, so I guess that’s good. We shall see…
Nothing to report on Operation Eagle Flight; we’re still in a holding pattern awaiting the quote.
Next week’s update will be early, on Saturday the 12th, and there will be no update on Easter Sunday, April 20th.
Next week’s update will be early, on Saturday the 12th, and there will be no update on Easter Sunday, April 20th.
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