And injury season begins…

Baby season appears to be over; now, with the beginning of migration, the ill and injured are beginning to trickle in. Most rehabbers I know claim fall as their favorite time of year. I agree, as it signals the end of a long and usually grueling baby season. What we all conveniently ignore—or try to forget—is that with fall come the birds we usually can’t do a lot for, with such mangled bodies or so far gone with starvation that we just can’t do more than end their suffering.

There was good news to begin this past week, though, with the red-headed woodpecker finally opting for release—about time, too; I’d left the escape hatch open for most of two days before the rascal decided to leave! He’s still hanging around and getting handouts, of course, and will continue that for another couple of weeks.

Early in the week I got a panicked late-night call about a hawk that had been dog-attacked. The rescuers heard the ruckus after dark and searched until they found its source, shining a light just in time to scare off the attacking dog. Unfortunately, by the time they found the young Cooper’s hawk, his right wing was mangled beyond repair. In fact, there was little left aside from exposed bone, and that was broken at the wrist.

The poor bird was such a little fighter that even after I got him home and was setting up the euthanasia chamber, he pulled himself upright in the transport box, head feathers flared, determined to fight again if need be.  I stopped just long enough to snap a photo of his defiance in the face of death, then quickly and humanely ended his suffering.

The close-ups of the wing damage below were taken after he was euthanized.

Hummingbirds are also in their fall migration, and this little female was found in the back yard of a couple who said they had over a dozen hummer feeders up. They noticed her on the ground and called LWR. On intake, her left wing was at an angle that usually indicates irreparable damage, but over the past few days she’s begun keeping it almost level with the right wing, so…fingers crossed.

That's just sugar water on her wing; some spilled from the feeder her rescuers had in her box during transport.

At least now the stubborn little male has a buddy of sorts. I’m beginning to think he had a coracoid fracture (for lack of a more precise analogy, it’s sorta like a collarbone fracture in humans) on intake. His rescuers said he was flying a bit but couldn’t get lift, and I’ve seen the same thing when he tried to fly out of his cage on yet another abortive release attempt. He actually made it out of the cage and glided to the ground; when I went to pick him back up, he flitted from my hand and glided back to the ground. Coracoid fractures usually heal to allow flight, but on the rare occasions they don’t, the bird can’t get lift for proper flight.  We’ll give this guy more time to see, but he and his new buddy need to be on their way pretty soon if they’re gonna make migration.

This red shoulder hawk was found grounded but with no apparent injuries. She just couldn’t stand. On intake she refused to flare her tail, which was skewed to the side, and she had no grip at all in her feet. I was hopeful but not optimistic that a steroidal anti-inflammatory would help, and I also suspected a pelvic fracture, which almost never shows on x-rays. She got her meds and a “donut” bed to ease the pressure on her pelvis, and over the past few days she’s shown marked improvement.  She still can’t stand, but her tail is flaring, she has strong grip in both feet and is kicking strongly with her legs, and she continually maneuvers herself out of the donut. 

I realize standing on her head isn’t exactly what we’re aiming for, but the fact that she can even manage that is nothing short of a miracle in my book. I’m guessing she whacked a window or plate-glass door head-on in pursuit of a bird. The impact would be enough to compress spinal nerves, fracture a pelvis, and—in extreme cases—even rupture a lung. So she’s actually a very lucky lady, all things considered.

The screeches are back in the raptor flight and are quite content there now. They’re eating well and building up flight muscles and stamina, so as soon as they prove they can capture live prey, they’re good to go. The female does worry me a bit, as she seems to be constantly trying to focus her vision, but she flies well and accurately and she has no trouble locating her food, so I’m probably just being paranoid.

And finally, I’m hearing all too many accounts of people spraying their yards with weed killers and other pesticides seeking the “perfect” lawn. Folks, regardless of the time of year, those chemicals KILL WILDLIFE, especially birds. What are you trying to get rid of—dandelions? Rabbits and deer eat those. Clover? Rabbits and deer eat those, too. And let’s not forget the bees and butterflies who rely on “weeds” for food. Is it worth an unnatural, pristine expanse of sterile grass, knowing you’re a mass murderer?  My yard may look a bit shaggy but it’s wildlife-friendly. I’ll take THAT over a “pretty” yard any day. Why don’t you aim at a wildlife-friendly yard, too, and educate others to do the same?