I had actually delayed doing an update, as all I had to report since the Feb. 2 update was the gray squirrels’ progress toward release…and then, within the space of four days, I got four calls and four intakes. One thing wildlife rehabbers NEVER do is complain about things being slow, because as sure as we do, we’ll get slammed!

Let’s start with the aforementioned squirrels, who are in release phase now. The pen door is open and they’re starting to wander farther from it during the day but are still returning its safety at night. Below are the best shots I’ve managed of them lately, as they’re hiding whenever I go near them now. This is actually a good thing, though, as it means I’ve done my job right and they’re wilding up very nicely.

This poor DOA barred owl was seen being attacked by another barred owl in a couple’s driveway shortly after dark. They called me, but he actually died while I was en route to pick him up.  There wasn’t a mark on the bird and he was very well-fleshed, and the couple said they watched him sit up after the attack and then fall over, dead. Who knows what happened? His frayed tail feathers and the numerous loose feathers that floated from his body when I picked him up would seem to indicate that maybe he strayed too close to an existing nest and the male of that nest quite literally beat the life out of him.

The next day, this red-phase screech owl was hit by a car. Luckily for him, the driver had just turned onto a dirt road and wasn’t going fast at all. Sir Screech escaped with only a mild headache and we were able to release him the next afternoon. A quick release was important, because this is the time of year that owls have eggs/babies in the nest, and this fellow needed to be back in his home territory in case he had a family to care for. They could manage one night without him; more than that, and his mate might have had to leave the babies unattended and vulnerable to attack while she hunted to feed them.

I tried for photos of his release when we took him back to his home territory, but he bolted out of the box and beelined into the brush. This little screech knew exactly where he was going!

The following day, the phone rang and the callers had found a small hawk by the side of the road. He didn’t move when they drove by, and he seemed stunned when they turned around to rescue him. Based on their description, I was pretty sure they had either  Cooper’s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk. Either way, I was getting a spastic little accipiter to deal with. Such fun…

Upon meeting the rescuers, I found that we did indeed have a Coop, a first-year bird, male. His eyes were clear, pupils equal and responsive; wings and legs seemed in working order, based on a preliminary parking lot exam as I transferred him from their pet carrier to my transport box. But he was rail-thin. Accipiters are designed for speed and maneuverability; they tend to be on the thin side. But this guy, despite being alert, active and aggressive, was too thin for my liking. I told the rescuers I’d put a little meat on his bones before releasing him.

Then, when I got him home and was able to perform a more detailed exam, I noticed that both feet had fresh wounds, as well as some older ones,  and he refused to use the perch I had in his box. Raptors are especially vulnerable to bumblefoot, a nasty and often lingering foot infection, and he had multiple wounds on both feet. I sent photos to raptor rehabber Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends for confirmation of what I already suspected: this Coop would be with me for a while as I treated his feet daily to try and prevent bumblefoot. Hopefully we caught these wounds in time to prevent the development of bumblefoot; we’ll have to wait and see. He is eating quite well, though—inhaling several small mice per feeding!

Later the same day I picked up the Coop, a caller said he had a baby rabbit rescued from a dog. I cringe when I hear that rabbits have been anywhere near a dog or cat’s mouth, as the saliva of both species is highly toxic to the poor little bunnies. (Okay, actually, there’s not a lot that’s NOT toxic to rabbits!) His flank had a largish wound, but he seemed fairly alert, and his eyes are just before opening. I started him on a gentle, rabbit-safe antibiotic immediately.

Rabbits do not fare well in rehab settings; a 10% release rate is considered acceptable. Even in the wild, only 10% of the rabbits born in a given year survive to their first birthday. So far this “wounded wabbit” is holding his own, but I never get my hopes up with this stress-prone, delicate species. We’ll take it a day at a time and see how things turn out.

I hope some of you have been participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, which started Friday, Feb. 15, and ends today. I’ve only managed 15 minute daily counts this year, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had Cedar waxwings visiting my yard yesterday, hiding in the dead leaves still clinging to an oak branch. Sometimes the camera lens can locate what the naked eye can’t see!

Yeah, that was my reaction when LWR received a downy great horned owl (GHO) on January 28. And not a hatchling, either—this guy was about a month old! A quick call to Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends raptor rehab confirmed my initial reaction that it was too early for downy babes—the earliest he’d seen downy GHOs prior to this was mid-February.  Add to that the fact that the January intake was 8—higher than January intakes for the previous two years, and it looks like my suspicion that 2013 is gonna be a hellacious year might be right!

Here’s a helpful hint with any downed and downy raptor—chances are, the parents are nearby and are feeding the baby on the ground. The person who found this grounded baby was very lucky that the adult GHOs didn’t attack her as she picked this fellow up, as GHOs are known to be especially aggressive in defending their nests and young.  Obviously, if the grounded baby shows signs of distress or is in imminent danger, by all means take action. But observe the situation for a while first, and you’re likely to see one or both of the parents providing food.

Luckily for this downy-butt, he wasn’t injured; vet Richie Hatcher of Smalley’s Animal Hospital loved examining those stubby wings full of blood feathers, though—we see GHOs this young only once or twice a year!

At each feeding, this little fellow engaged in such typical downy GHO behavior that it was laughable. First, he sat and stared blankly—this is apparently a skill they master early, as adults are also excellent at the blank stare.

Then he fell face-first into a nap, legs stretched out behind him and downy butt wiggling with each breath…

Then he bowed up his stubby little wings in threat when I started to feed him…

And then we were back to the blank stare!

The little downy-butt is now with Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends, thanks to volunteers Laurie Jackson and Amy Rodgers, who transported for us. He was joined on the trip by both the gunshot red tails, who were ready for flight conditioning before release. You saw the success story on the female in the last update; we were able to celebrate another success story with the male. Below is his original x-ray.

This is his x-ray from Jan. 23:

And his final paranoid glare as I was getting him ready for transfer:

LWR also received a HBC barred owl in late January. The rescuer saw the owl bounce off the vehicle in front of him and stopped to capture the concussed and wounded bird. Sadly, his wing was broken too near the joint to ever heal properly—see the x-rays below—so we euthanized.

The gray squirrels have hit a shy phase now; below is the only halfway decent shot I’ve managed in the past two weeks. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, as they’re getting closer to release, I’ll be able to snag a few more good shots of the stubborn little rascals.