Just because there was no update the weekend of the Fourth doesn’t mean nothing was happening at LWR, although it was a mercifully slow couple of weeks.
The bluebird trio, both blue jays, Eastern phoebe and both mourning doves were released; the bluebirds, having been so close to fledging when they came in, wasted no time “getting shed” of human contact. The jays, surprisingly, stopped coming down fairly quickly too, although I can still hear them around the yard. The phoebe and doves also are around but not coming down for handouts. I managed post-release photos of a couple of them.
The bluebird trio, both blue jays, Eastern phoebe and both mourning doves were released; the bluebirds, having been so close to fledging when they came in, wasted no time “getting shed” of human contact. The jays, surprisingly, stopped coming down fairly quickly too, although I can still hear them around the yard. The phoebe and doves also are around but not coming down for handouts. I managed post-release photos of a couple of them.
An adult turkey vulture came in with no apparent injuries; after observation he was released. Not a great photo but he didn’t hang around to pose.
A juvenile barn swallow dropped off by the public at Smalley’s wasn’t as fortunate; his right wing had an open fracture. He was euthanized.
The Coop is maturing beautifully and is totally self-feeding; he’ll go into whichever flight opens up first.
A slightly older Coop came in June 29 with a mild concussion and some minor eye swelling. After a couple of days to get over his headache, he was released. Yeah, see that tiny moving blur in the video? He didn’t hang around for post-release photos.
The barred owl, after a three-day hunger strike, finally started eating like he should. It’s not unusual for raptors to refuse food for several days after being moved into an outdoor pen: new environment leads to stress. This is why we make sure they’re well-fed before a release, as they may go several days in the wild before snagging prey. He’s looking good and eating well now, though.
On the Fourth a second-year male red tail came in, rail thin and with a nasty case of frounce. Luckily, we caught it in time and within 24 hours of his first treatment he was already self-feeding. Now his only problem is that I have no elephants to feed him. Honestly, his appetite is VASTLY out of proportion to his size; he’s a small male—like female red shoulder-size.
Saturday a couple saw a cattle egret fly into a power line and immediately retrieved the injured bird and brought it to LWR. Unfortunately, the left wing was shattered. The bird was euthanized.
The screeches continue to entertain me when I place their food in the min-pen or freshen their water. So much attitude in such a tiny package!
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