Another whirlwind week

Oh Lordy, where to even begin?
The possums have been released and took off without a second glance. Before their release, though, I managed to snag a couple more videos of them doing their hissy-pissy routine and eating.

Another mocker was released; four more came in. One of them didn’t make it but the other three are doing well. And I just realized I didn’t even take any pix of the mockers this week…Oh well…

Another gorgeous little bluebird fledgling came in, male this time. He was never “right”, refusing to attempt flight even though he was clearly old enough and acting “cuddly”, which is just not normal for a healthy wild-raised bluebird. His rescuers said he was snatched up from the ground just before a dog got to him, leading me to wonder if the whole issue from the get-go was that the poor fellow just couldn’t fly, period.

At any rate, I was placing him in the flight during the day to encourage flight and bringing him back in at night, as perching also seemed problematic. His third night on this routine, he just…died. For no apparent reason. These are the deaths rehabbers hate—when the only explanation that can be offered is the generic, all-encompassing “failure to thrive.”

These Carolina wrens were found in a repossessed car on a salvage lot and have grown by leaps and bounds. They’re nearly ready for the flight, where they can join the Carolina wren who’s already out there; she and the house finch stubbornly refuse to leave; even though the escape hatch has been left open several days now…

Speaking of house finches, a lady had a nest of three in her fern and was horrified one morning last week to realize she hadn’t seen either parent in several hours. Since she had a picture window, she could observe without disturbing the birds and had been enjoying watching them. Unfortunately, because at least 8 hours elapsed between her initial concern that the parents were gone and getting the birds to me, one of the hatchlings was DOA. The other two, while fairly critical on intake, are doing well now.

This poor barred owl was found by a busy street in town; he had been hit by a car and suffered spinal damage. Meds didn’t resolve the issue, which we were hopeful was simply nerve inflammation, and his lower body remained limp and useless, so he was euthanized.

The flyer was moved into bigger digs, pre-release, and should be releasable pretty soon.

The killdeer is flying well and should be released soon.

The great horned owl with eye damage was moved to the flight pen, which he liked very much except that he refused to eat out there, so he’s back in indoor caging now. He wasn’t transferred to Bubba & Friends as initially planned because Steve Hicks is renovating several of his flights and has limited space at the moment.

This belted kingfisher had an old open fracture at the wrist; the bone had already turned black. She was euthanized.

This green heron chick is a recent hatchling who was fed cat food for two days before intake. His system is still recovering, but at least now he doesn’t reek of cat food. He came in yesterday and was so lethargic I didn’t expect him to survive the night. I contacted Connecticut colleague Grace Krick, who specializes in waterfowl, to ensure that my protocols matched hers in this situation, and we agreed I was doing all that was possible; it was now up to Nature and the heron itself. So far, so good, although his poop is still pretty whiffy and I’d be happier if he were more alert and vocal. It’s a feeding at a time with this guy; we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

When the operator of a local low-cost spay-neuter clinic called to say she’d caught a black vulture with an arrow through its body, I was shocked the bird was even still alive. Based on the position of the arrow in the photos I received, I suspect the vulture was at rest when shot.

It was after hours for Smalley’s Animal Hospital, but I knew vet Richie Hatcher was an archer, and vet Shelley Baumann owns Happy Tails Mobile Vet Clinic, so I contacted both. Richie walked me through how to remove the arrow without killing the bird, and Shelley was on standby in case we needed her.  Fortunately, the arrow missed anything vital and nothing even appears to be broken. The vulture is quite aggressive and an amazing escape artist, so since I’ve had to move the great horned back inside, the vulture is now in the flight pen, where he seems much happier.

Because shooting a protected bird is illegal, this poor guy’s injuries had to be reported to both the GA DNR and USFWS. Sadly, because he was found wandering in a field with the arrow lodged in his body, we have no actual idea where he came from, so finding and prosecuting his attacker will be like finding a needle in a haystack—and just as likely. And yes, the entire situation infuriates me.

Folks, just a reminder: ALL migratory birds (and this includes everything except pigeons, starlings and house sparrows) are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act—even game birds out of season. That makes it a federal crime to injure/kill them, possess their body parts (including feathers), disturb their nests or keep them in captivity. That’s ALL birds: songbirds, waterfowl, raptors—ALL of them. Leave them alone in the wild, leave their nests alone, and if you find a bird needing help, CONTACT A LICENSED REHABBER IMMEDIATELY.

Finally, to end on a more upbeat note, the pileated is still hanging around and demanding handouts periodically throughout the day, making for fun photo ops!