Last week was fairly busy for LWR, with babies coming in, juveniles to be moved, adults to be released—and, of course, euthanasias, which are always a part of wildlife rehab.
When dedicated bluebird watchers witnessed a kestrel capture the female bluebird they knew had babies in the nest, they called LWR for advice, as the male seemed unsure what to do without his mate. Since it was late in the day when this transpired, per my advice, they allowed the babies to remain in the nest overnight, with instructions to call early the next morning if the male hadn’t resumed feeding the babies.
The next morning the male perched atop the next box and called but didn’t feed the nestlings, so all five ended up at LWR, where they’re thriving and almost ready to fledge.
When dedicated bluebird watchers witnessed a kestrel capture the female bluebird they knew had babies in the nest, they called LWR for advice, as the male seemed unsure what to do without his mate. Since it was late in the day when this transpired, per my advice, they allowed the babies to remain in the nest overnight, with instructions to call early the next morning if the male hadn’t resumed feeding the babies.
The next morning the male perched atop the next box and called but didn’t feed the nestlings, so all five ended up at LWR, where they’re thriving and almost ready to fledge.
They were joined by this gorgeous little man, a victim of last week’s nasty weather in our area. He and his sibs were actually in a nest I was monitoring, and when they all fledged on a nasty, windy, rainy morning, I was pleased to see most of them in the trees near the nest box. This little fellow, however, was sopping wet on the ground, unable to perch, shivering and quiet—making no attempt to alert his parents as to his location.
After warming up, drying off and being placed with the previous five bluebirds, he’s settled right in and seems quite content. Normally, he’d be reunited with his parents and sibs, since he’d already fledged, but I’m not seeing or hearing them, so he’s been permanently adopted by his new sibs.
On Monday, I took the previous weekend’s cat-caught cedar waxwing to Smalley’s Animal Hospital for x-rays, which confirmed a fracture at the shoulder. There was nothing to be done except euthanize; the bird would never have flown again.
On Monday, I took the previous weekend’s cat-caught cedar waxwing to Smalley’s Animal Hospital for x-rays, which confirmed a fracture at the shoulder. There was nothing to be done except euthanize; the bird would never have flown again.
And we had a tragedy with the female red-tailed hawk. She’d been progressing wonderfully, and late Monday afternoon I walked in to feed and check on the two of them, to find her left wing drooping badly. I feared she’d somehow broken it on something in the flight pen but couldn’t figure out what.
The next day I was back at Smalley’s, where x-rays showed an old, encapsulated pellet lodged in the humerus. It had not broken the bone on impact but had progressively weakened it, so that the more she used the wing, the more likely a break was. When it snapped, it also caused the radius to snap, effectively sealing her fate.
The next day I was back at Smalley’s, where x-rays showed an old, encapsulated pellet lodged in the humerus. It had not broken the bone on impact but had progressively weakened it, so that the more she used the wing, the more likely a break was. When it snapped, it also caused the radius to snap, effectively sealing her fate.
We had not x-rayed her on intake, a variation from our normal “x-ray everything” routine, as nothing was broken at that time. Vet Richie Hatcher and I discussed whether we would have done anything differently had we x-rayed and agreed we would have followed the same course of action, given that at that time there was no fracture and no way to remove the pellet since it was lodged in the bone. Our sole consolation is that this actually did occur while she was in captivity, as she would have starved to death very slowly had it snapped in the wild.
Obviously, any time there is suspected or confirmed illegal activity, it must be reported to the state and feds, but the frustrating thing here is we don’t know when or where she was shot, so there’s really no way to investigate the incident. I will remind everyone, however, so that you can pass along the word to friends and neighbors: Under the terms of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, injuring or killing raptors and songbirds is a violation of federal law, as is disturbing an active nest of either.
In further “keep your cats indoors” incidents, LWR received a late-nestling pine warbler and a fledgling brown thrasher, both taken from cats. When their rescuers were told that the wildlife in their yards would be safer if their cats were indoors, lame excuses and eye-rolls were the only responses. I fail to understand how anyone can claim to love wildlife or their cats while they place their cats in danger by allowing them to roam freely outside and thereby endangering the wildlife in their area. It’s just irresponsible on so many levels that it boggles the mind.
The pine warbler was uninjured but, because it had been in the cat’s mouth, required antibiotics as a safety precaution. He’s doing great and has a big appetite for such a tiny little bird.
Obviously, any time there is suspected or confirmed illegal activity, it must be reported to the state and feds, but the frustrating thing here is we don’t know when or where she was shot, so there’s really no way to investigate the incident. I will remind everyone, however, so that you can pass along the word to friends and neighbors: Under the terms of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, injuring or killing raptors and songbirds is a violation of federal law, as is disturbing an active nest of either.
In further “keep your cats indoors” incidents, LWR received a late-nestling pine warbler and a fledgling brown thrasher, both taken from cats. When their rescuers were told that the wildlife in their yards would be safer if their cats were indoors, lame excuses and eye-rolls were the only responses. I fail to understand how anyone can claim to love wildlife or their cats while they place their cats in danger by allowing them to roam freely outside and thereby endangering the wildlife in their area. It’s just irresponsible on so many levels that it boggles the mind.
The pine warbler was uninjured but, because it had been in the cat’s mouth, required antibiotics as a safety precaution. He’s doing great and has a big appetite for such a tiny little bird.
Not the clearest video of the little fellow, but he's so tiny the camcorder has trouble focusing on him!
The brown thrasher has what appears to be a “nest injury” to his right leg, meaning the leg was broken or twisted awkwardly in the nest and healed/grew that way. At first glance it looks broken but the bone is solid and is actually curved rather than straight, leading me to believe it resulted from awkward positioning in the nest. It’s definitely affecting his ability to use the leg and foot, so we’re going to work with him and see if we can get it functional enough for release. It was likely his inability to perch that made him easy prey for the cat that attacked him, and adding insult to injury, the poor fellow was fed bread and water for 24 hours before arriving at LWR.
The brown thrasher has what appears to be a “nest injury” to his right leg, meaning the leg was broken or twisted awkwardly in the nest and healed/grew that way. At first glance it looks broken but the bone is solid and is actually curved rather than straight, leading me to believe it resulted from awkward positioning in the nest. It’s definitely affecting his ability to use the leg and foot, so we’re going to work with him and see if we can get it functional enough for release. It was likely his inability to perch that made him easy prey for the cat that attacked him, and adding insult to injury, the poor fellow was fed bread and water for 24 hours before arriving at LWR.
And that leads me to another soapbox rant: DO NOT feed wildlife unless directed to do so by a licensed wildlife rehabber. The plethora of sites out there blithely telling people how to break the law by raising state and federally protected wildlife also feature crap diets. Bread, milk, and processed meats are NOT appropriate diets for wildlife, so just DON’T. And don’t expect a rehabber to give you detailed instructions on raising wildlife; we will provide you with information on stabilizing the animals for transport and, in the case of birds, an emergency diet to tide them over for the trip to a licensed rehabber.
The only exception to the “don’t feed wildlife” rule is hummingbirds. Because of their high metabolisms, they MUST feed every 15-20 minutes. If you find a hummer in need of help, quickly mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water and offer it to the hummer. THEN call a rehabber.
Late in the week, a lady rescued an adult great horned owl from the road in a neighboring county. Upon intake, he had no neural response at all below the neck. I explained that he appeared to have a spinal injury and that it might prove fatal. Vet Peggy Hobby at Smalley’s Animal Hospital, after examining the owl, agreed that the lack of response in his feet and wings signaled an injury that wasn’t fixable. He was euthanized.
The only exception to the “don’t feed wildlife” rule is hummingbirds. Because of their high metabolisms, they MUST feed every 15-20 minutes. If you find a hummer in need of help, quickly mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water and offer it to the hummer. THEN call a rehabber.
Late in the week, a lady rescued an adult great horned owl from the road in a neighboring county. Upon intake, he had no neural response at all below the neck. I explained that he appeared to have a spinal injury and that it might prove fatal. Vet Peggy Hobby at Smalley’s Animal Hospital, after examining the owl, agreed that the lack of response in his feet and wings signaled an injury that wasn’t fixable. He was euthanized.
The juvie great horned owl was joined this week by an older GHO, a transfer from Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends. He had no GHOs at the moment; I had this one juvie. We suspect this guy might have some imprinting going on, meaning he was raised illegally by some idiot out there. He initially refused to eat anything but small mice and wouldn’t pick them up if he dropped them—this is baby behavior that most GHOs quickly outgrow. He showed no threat response—no hissing or beak clicking—around people. He made no attempt to jump out of his box. And—and for me this is pretty much the kicker—when I took him in for x-rays, just to be sure we hadn’t missed anything, he lay on the x-ray table on his back, unrestrained, while I stretched out first one wing and then the other for x-rays. Yeah, not normal behavior at all.
However, since being placed with my younger GHO, who’s full of youthful piss and vinegar and “teen angst”, he’s progressed to large mice that he will reluctantly pick up if he drops them, and he’s hissing at me…sometimes. But he still doesn’t fly as well as the younger bird, probably because he was confined for so long that his flight muscles atrophied somewhat. But the juvie appears to be a good influence on him, as he’s wilded up noticeably in just under a week.
However, since being placed with my younger GHO, who’s full of youthful piss and vinegar and “teen angst”, he’s progressed to large mice that he will reluctantly pick up if he drops them, and he’s hissing at me…sometimes. But he still doesn’t fly as well as the younger bird, probably because he was confined for so long that his flight muscles atrophied somewhat. But the juvie appears to be a good influence on him, as he’s wilded up noticeably in just under a week.
Speaking of the juvie GHO, he and the new guy are now in the raptor flight. The juvie is loving it; he has room to really stretch his wings and fly.
And the fact that they’re in the raptor flight leads us to this cause for celebration: the red-tailed hawk who came in back in February with the wing fracture was released late last week!
No release photos, as when he flew off, he disappeared around the bend. But I did manage a short video of his release, below.
No release photos, as when he flew off, he disappeared around the bend. But I did manage a short video of his release, below.
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