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A break in the rain...finally

2/21/2021

We had a slight break in the monsoons, and after Monday we’ll have several days of sunshine, so we’re aiming at releases next week. We did manage one release this week, though!

The goldfinch who came last Sunday turned out not to have finch eye after all. I’m still not really sure what was going on but within 48 hours he was acting as if nothing had ever been wrong and his eyes were perfectly clear—makes me wonder if he just got into something he shouldn’t have.

At any rate, since he would be released in my yard, near several feeders and abundant songbird shelter, I was comfortable releasing him with only a two-day break in the rain. And he did hang around; I saw him this afternoon with another goldfinch, drinking from a puddle. All I had to video them with was my phone, which has no real zoom, so forgive the image quality.

The red tail is now perching beautifully and still inhaling food like there’s no tomorrow. Honestly, I’m surprised and pleased at his progress—remember, he couldn’t stand, spread his wings or flare his tail when he came in, and now he’s perching! I’ve not seen him fly yet, and his balance still seems off at times, so flight may take a while longer.

All three screeches are still at LWR. I did try to move Screech 3 outside with Screeches 1 and 2 and got pretty much the results I’d expected. None of them were happy. Poor Screech 3 sat there trying to look small(er) and inoffensive; Screech 1 literally howled at him, and Screech 2 promptly hid, glaring at him from behind a post. Needless to say, he’s back inside...

Screech 1

Screech 2

Screech 3

The current plan is to release Screeches 1 and 2 after Monday’s rain moves through, and move Screech 3 outside then. We shall see...

There will be no update next Sunday, Feb. 28.

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“Who built the ark? LWR, LWR...”

2/14/2021

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For those who may not recognize it, that’s a spin on an old spiritual/children’s song that starts: “Who built the ark? Noah, Noah, Brother Noah built the ark.” Yep, STILL raining. And no real relief in sight next week...That means we’re still in a holding pattern in terms of releases.

The screeches are ready to go—at least the two outside are; the one inside needs some flight time first but I don’t wanna upset the balance in the mini-pen by adding him to the mix now, so he has to wait till the other two are released.

Meanwhile, inside screech serenades me nightly with that lovely trill. Since he stubbornly refuses to trill if he senses my presence within recording distance, I scoured the Internet to find a suitable recording of that gorgeous trill. The link is below.

https://nas-national-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/EASCOW_3.monotonictrill_SCle.mp3?uuid=60298d37c24e4

The red tail is able to stand in his box but not outside it—but he doesn’t lean against the walls (except when I take photos and he’s in full defensive mode); it’s like without the walls of the box enclosing him, he can’t keep his balance; he just falls over and won’t perch. Remember, though, he came in unable to stand, flare his tail or spread his wings, so he’s made amazing progress in just a couple of weeks.

With monsoons all last week and predicted for most of next week, people just aren’t getting out, so there’s been only one intake in the past week, and that came in today—a goldfinch with what may be early mycoplasmic conjunctivitis, or finch eye. Not sure yet, as it’s not advanced enough. We’re treating prophylactically, just in case.

For those who’re wondering just how much rain my area’s gotten, here’s my front yard as of today. It's currently shin-deep. I’m thinking koi and maybe a couple of ducks will look nice in my new pond...

Meanwhile, if you’re not busy looking for gopher wood for your arks, the GBBC continues through tomorrow.

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Weather delays

2/7/2021

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Last week was wet, windy, and did I mention wet? And this week’s just supposed to be wet. Apparently Georgia now has a monsoon season...

This meant the antsy screech couldn’t be released last week—not gonna release a tiny screech in winds gusting up to 30 mph, and surely can’t release in the rain. So she’s still anxiously awaiting her release.

The December screech is flying better than I expected this soon, honestly. He still tends to droop his wing a bit when he perches but he’s maneuvering around the mini-pen with amazing dexterity—his chances for eventual release are looking better each day!

And the head trauma screech is acting more like a screech now, so his brain seems to finally be unscrambling. I may try to move him out to the mini-pen again this week, rain notwithstanding.

The red tail has full use of both feet now, with a strong grip in both. He still props up against the side of his box, and his tail still skews to the side, so there’s lingering nerve/spinal trauma there. But boy howdy, can he pack away the mice—the highlights of his day are morning and evening feedings!

Finally, don’t forget that this coming weekend, Feb. 12-15, is the Great Backyard Bird Count. If I’m not busy building an ark, I’ll be participating, and I encourage y’all to do the same! (Join the GBBC, that is, not build an ark...)

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A break in the rain...finally

“Who built the ark? LWR, LWR...”

Weather delays

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