​Of course, the fundraiser is ongoing, and we’re stalled at $1720, with no new donations in the past couple of days. Again, I want to thank those who’ve already donated; if you’re waiting for someone else to donate, guess what? YOU are that someone! So please consider a tax-deductible donation to help us raise the remaining $780—LWR’s ability to continue caring for our native wildlife depends on YOUR generosity!

​The other big story is a leucistic red-shouldered hawk who came in late yesterday. He was found near a road, so we presume he may’ve been hit by car. He is alert and well-fleshed at 400g but has some swelling under his left wing, so he’ll go in for x-rays on Monday.
 
Leucism is actually a moderate form of albinism and most leucistic/albino wildlife doesn’t survive—first off, the lack of pigmentation makes them moving targets; then there’s the issue of vision problems as true albinos, marked by pink or red eyes, usually have severe vision problems including blindness, while leucistic wildlife, often with blue eyes, seems less likely to be blind but may still have vision impairment.
 
Rather than continue to drone on drily about the characteristics of leucistic wildlife, I’ll just let you feast your eyes on this gorgeous fellow.

​In other guests at LWR, the mallard continues to grow like a weed and is getting in feathers under his down now, so he looks a bit frazzled!

​The red-headed woodpecker is in the flight pen now and doing quite well.

​The spazzy red-bellied woodpecker finally unspazzed and proved himself capable of perfect flight and has been released; the younger red-belly is almost ready to head for the flight pen.

​This barred owl was found in someone’s yard and his actions led me to believe he might have been a victim of rodenticide poisoning. Rat poison all too often kills more than its intended victims, as a poisoned rat or mouse will be sluggish and easy prey for hawks, owls, bobcats, etc., who then become victims of secondary rodenticide poisoning. This owl, while well-fleshed, was lethargic, the inside of his beak was so pale as to be almost white, and instead of casting a pellet, he more or less vomited up a black, oily substance—all signs of internal bleeding, most likely from rat poison. He didn’t respond to treatment and required euthanasia.
 
Bottom line: don’t use rodenticides, insecticides, pesticides or glue traps that can kill unintended victims.  

​This adorable towhee fledgling came in with a leg fracture. Because it was a recent injury, it was necessary to wait for the swelling and bruising to go down to see exactly how bad the fracture was. Unfortunately, it was very severe and a high-hip fracture, impossible to splint. Had he been a nestling who’d stay in a “donut”, we might have had a slim chance at proper healing. Given that he was a fledgling who wanted to hop around all the time—and that splinting was not an option—we had to call it on the sweet little fellow. And yes, it always hurts worse to have to euthanize a baby. At least with an adult there’s the consolation that they had their chance at life; with babies, all you can think is that they never even had a chance at life. It sucks, quite frankly.

​The screech has actually passed his live prey test with flying colors but I won’t release an owl whose head is still as “fuzzy” as his, so he’ll remain in the raptor flight for a while longer.

​And finally, the crow and all his released buddies are still hanging around for handouts but coming down less often—except for the crow, who delights in hamming it up for the camera.

…so we’re just gonna dive right in.
​
The fundraiser is going well; we’re at $1020 as of this morning—almost halfway there! And we really need the funds—as of yesterday, we hit 219 intakes thus far this year. That’s the GRAND TOTAL of intakes for 2015, and we still have the tail-end of baby season and then migration to deal with. Thanks to those who’ve donated already, and if you haven’t donated yet, remember your donations are tax-deductible!

​We had several more releases this week. Another mourning dove took the plunge into independence, but those stubborn Carolina wrens are gonna have to be netted and given the boot, it looks like. The house finch was released after a short stint in the songbird flight, and he didn’t look back.

​The broadwing was released back into his home territory, where volunteer AJ said he took off like a shot upon hearing his mate. Both barred owls were released, incensing the local blue jays at their release site—see videos of their releases below!

The juvy Mississippi kite was transferred to Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends, in exchange for a merlin who is likely slated to be an educational bird; we’re still working on the details on this one, and he’s still too unsettled for photos at the moment.
​
An adult Mississippi kite came in with a nasty wing fracture. The bone was snapped right at the joint and the wrist faced backwards when he tried to move the wing. The only release we could offer was an end to his suffering.

​Last week’s singleton swift was joined by four others, transferred from colleague Lynn Schlup, who was headed out of town due to a family emergency. Unfortunately, neither the original singleton nor the four transfers fared well. Swifts, in my experience, either do exceptionally well or exceptionally poorly; there seems to be no in-between.

​Several days later, another set of four swifts arrived, after having been without food for 24 hours. Given their rough start, they’re doing better than I expected but this could change rapidly. Nutritional deficiencies at such a young age can cause nasty side effects later on, so at the moment I’m cautiously optimistic about these siblings.

​The red shoulder Steve sent for x-rays last week required euthanasia. The fracture, an old injury, was too close to the joint and had corkscrewed as it healed. There was no way this bird would’ve ever flown again.

​Last week’s red-headed woodpecker continues to mature nicely. Red-headeds tend to be shyer and less aggressive than red-bellies.

​This matters because when this younger red-bellied woodpecker came in late last week from mammal rehabber Libby Carey, I was unable to house him with the red-headed, as he would’ve bullied the older bird! He’s currently in a box similar to what swifts are normally housed in.

Last week’s neuro red-belly has actually improved enough to go into the songbird flight, where he’s able to climb the mesh and fly short distances, but his landings are painful to watch at the moment. I’m still not sure he’s gonna be releasable, so we’ll have to play it by ear with him.
​
This red-shoulder hawk was hit by a car and although he was transported to LWR posthaste, it was still too late. He died en route, shortly before the volunteer transporter arrived here.

​Other late-week arrivals via Libby included a Carolina wren, mocker fledgling and brown thrasher pre-fledge. All are doing well and currently housed together, which makes for interesting sleeping arrangements. The pre-fledge thrasher was nestled in with the Caro this morning but moved before I could snap a photo!

​The crow is still showing up for handouts, along with two of the recently released great-crested flycatchers, a recent mocker release, one of the blue jays, and a red-belly released over a month ago who’s taking full advantage of the handouts for as long as he can.

​The screech is now in the flight pen, where maybe his poor cere can finally heal now that he’s no longer slamming it into mesh repeatedly. He’s just not so sure yet how he feels about his new digs, as you can see from his expression!

​And the mallard is still impossibly cute and growing like a weed—he’s at least tripled in size in just the past week…

LWR saw a slew of releases last week, with all three great crested flycatchers, all three mockers, a mourning dove and all five chimney swifts gaining their freedom!

Of course, Nature abhors a vacuum, so they were quickly replaced with new intakes…

Aside from the swifts, who were released into an existing colony, most of the other releases are still coming down for frequent supplemental feedings, along with the blue jay and crow—both “slow to independence” corvids who are perfectly capable of fending for themselves but won’t pass up a gravy train!
​
Below are photos of the swifts in the flight pen pre-release and of the crow being… well, a crow!

​More swifts came in, not in good shape. The finder did everything right: she attempted to re-nest but the nest was shattered when it fell. She left them where the parents could hear their calls, but no parents showed. Then she decided that, given her indoor cats’ growing interest in them, it would be safest to get them to LWR. We don’t know how long they were down before she found them. Sadly, while they did fairly well on the afternoon of intake, they died overnight.

​The catbirds and house finch are slated to go in the songbird flight this week. They’re adorable together, although one of the catbirds is a “slinger”, i.e., he slings food all over his cage-mates, me and anything else within range. We all need wipedowns after a feeding!

​This red-bellied woodpecker, a recent fledge, was found outside someone’s front door, on the ground and head tucked. On intake I didn’t hold out much hope—he was lethargic and couldn’t cling at all. He tended to lie on his back in the nest box, legs flailing uselessly.

​However, he’s slowly improving and can cling now, although he does still end up on his back occasionally. I suspect he was a window-strike victim who’s still dealing with neurological damage.

​Libby Carey, my mammal rehabbing colleague in South Georgia (I’m trying to encourage her to get her songbird permit, yep), sent this red-headed woodpecker today. His nest fell during a storm. He’s a bit stressed and quiet from the transport right now but is eating well.  

​Raptor rehabber Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends sent a couple of birds this way last week, as well. The red shoulder needs x-rays on a wing fracture, which we hope to get done Monday or Tuesday, and the broadwing had an eye injury that needed treatment.

Normally raptors of different species aren’t housed together; however, space is at a premium at LWR at the moment and these two are close enough in size that predation didn’t seem to be a risk. Thus far they’re tolerating each other.

​From Libby also, we have a brancher Mississippi kite, meaning he’s old enough to perch outside the nest but not old enough to be on his own. He was found grounded near several large dogs, so for his safety he was sent to LWR. He’s also eating well and getting more vocal. If things work out, he’ll be headed for Bubba & Friends this week, to free up a little space at LWR.

​And also from Libby, another chimney swift, a singleton this time. He’s older than the ill-fated trio from earlier in the week and seems healthier, so fingers crossed. Swifts can be difficult to rehab.

​This hummer was found tangled in a spider web—yeah, they’re small enough that this can happen—and was stressed and lethargic upon rescue. After a night’s R&R at LWR, he was happy to go his merry way!

The barred owls are slated for release this week, after which we’ll test the broadwing in the raptor flight; if he can fly, he’ll be released back where he was found. Then the screech will finally get his turn in the flight.
​
The mallard is doing well and impossibly adorable. The video below was filmed from above so you can watch the little rascal dive and swim under water. It’s one of those neat things to see!

And finally, as indicated last week, LWR has officially started a fundraiser to help with expenses for the remainder of the year. We’re at 204 birds thus far, which is more than we normally see in an entire year—and we still have the rest of baby season and migration coming up. Donations are tax-deductible, as LWR is a 501(c)(3).

​(With abject apologies to the Bard)
 
Extreme content? What do I mean? I mean *sob* every. damn. bird. currently in the songbird flight refuses to leave.  All 14 of them just…sit there.
 
Well, to be fair, three of them did leave, one—one of the great crested flycatchers—long enough for me to snap a great release photo and get a lovely video…

​But then he, like the other two (Carolina wrens), came back… Apparently the offer of free unlimited crickets and mealworms was just irresistible. To be clear, these birds are self-feeding. I just toss the live insects and watch ‘em have at it.
 
So this week, it looks like the landlord’s gonna have to evict some freeloading tenants.
 
We did have a couple of actual releases this week: the crow and the hummer. The hummer dilly-dallied till I was sure it wasn’t gonna happen and shut off the camera and reached to close the cage door—and THEN, of course, he zoomed right past my hand and up into the trees. No sign of him since.

​The crow, however, typical corvid, is hanging around like a feathered puppy at the moment. This phase will ease as he becomes more convinced of his ability to fend for himself and as the local crows begin to tolerate and then accept him. Right now, though, it’s exasperatingly funny.

​The barred owls are flying well and giving lovely threat displays when I walk into the raptor flight to feed them.

​Three additional swifts came in; the runt of this litter was already checking out on arrival, however, and didn’t survive the night. You can see him at the far right of the photo below. The remaining 5 are beginning to test their wings, which is always fun to watch.

Callers who found a barn swallow on the ground were worried even though the parents appeared to still be feeding. An attempt to renest ended with the little darling on the ground again, with good reason—his left wing is broken. It’s near the shoulder—not a good place for a fracture on any bird but especially a barn swallow, with their long migration. We’re basically doing cage rest and waiting to see what happens.
 
The swallow was joined a day later by a fledgling house finch who was found near the dog runs of another county’s Animal Control. No parents or sibs in sight, so off to LWR for Sir Finch.
 
The two had no problems nesting together—rehab makes for unusual bedfellows sometimes!

​Both these catbirds of different ages were cat-attacked. The older seems uninjured but is on meds because, as you should well know by now, cat saliva is toxic to birds. The younger has an issue with his right leg/foot. It doesn’t appear broken, so there’s apparently nerve damage. Of course, he also is on meds. 

​And you knew this was coming: PEOPLE, KEEP YOUR DAMN CATS INSIDE AND AWAY FROM OUR WILDLIFE!!!
 
The people who found this mallard duckling after a storm said he was floating along, exhausted and about to drown. Fortunately, they did hear his frantic peeps and scooped him up. Mallards aren’t nearly as stressy as wood ducks, and this little fellow inhaled the food he was offered this afternoon, so that’s a good sign.

How can you tell a mallard duckling from a wood duckling? Easier than you’d think. See the dark stripe behind this guy’s eye? It extends past his eye to his bill. Mallard. In wood ducklings, the stripe stops behind the eye.

​And the mallard makes 192 intakes for the year thus far. We’re going through 15,000 mealworms a week, plus an additional 1000 or so crickets. That doesn’t include the songbird formula that supplements all this to ensure all nutritional needs are met. Then we have the special formulas needed for doves and hummers…And we have one full bag of mice left in the freezer; gotta order more mice for the raptors this week.
 
Why am I telling you all this? To give you a heads-up: fundraiser on the horizon! I hope to have it organized by the weekend, if not before.

​YES!!! The great horned owl trio have left the building! They flew in three different directions, too. I managed short video clips of two flying the coop; the third shot out so quickly I had lovely Impressionist-style video of blurred green leaves!

​The remaining blue jay also declared his independence…sorta…kinda. You may recall from previous years that jays are notorious beggars, and he’s still in that phase at the moment—he was much younger than his erstwhile buddy (he never fully trusted me) when he came in, so this guy’s continued visits for handouts are fine by me.

The frouncy red shoulder was released late last week, as well. No video; sorry.
​
However, this broadwing hawk came in with a mild concussion and as soon as he stopped hanging from his box “lid” like a bat and showed me he could eat on his own (concussed raptors rarely eat the first couple of days), he was good to go, as well…although, as you can see in the second video clip below, he may’ve thought I’d simply relocated him to a fresh hell, as the vireos (I think; hard to tell for sure) harassed the living bejeezus out of him!

So with all the releases, there’s a little breathing room at LWR, right? HAH! As fast as we turned ‘em out, more took their place.

These Carolina wren hatchlings were found in a car after it had been purchased in Florida and driven to Georgia. They weren’t discovered until the day after the purchase and were transported from South Georgia to LWR with no supplemental heat, arriving ice cold and with one of four DOA. A second baby died while I waited for them to warm up enough to start fluids prior to actual feeding. Feeding cold babies and/or feeding dehydrated babies will kill them, so this was a necessary delay. Because they’d missed so many feedings, the other two babies were kept under a full-spectrum lamp and fed small portions until late at night, way past the normal “bedtime” of a diurnal bird. This is normal procedure to attempt to compensate for missed feedings.
​
Unfortunately, the two remaining wrens didn’t survive the night.

Yet another grackle came in, younger than week’s and this one in pretty bad shape initially but by day’s end he’d perked up considerably and I thought he had a good chance.  Unfortunately, he didn’t survive the night, either.
​
Grackle one is doing well, though, and is in the songbird flight now.

The single great crested flycatcher was joined by two sibs who’d been found on the ground covered with mites. Mites can cause fatal anemia in young birds, especially, so it was imperative they be treated ASAP. The mammal rehabber who received them followed my instructions to rid the birds of mites while she sought transportation to LWR, and they arrived hale, hearty and mite-free.
​
Three great cresteds—oh, the rehab gods have smiled on me! The adorable little sweethearts moved to the songbird flight late last week, after some “nest time” with ill-fated barn swallows.

​This killdeer was attacked by a dog last Sunday night and brought to LWR Monday morning. Nothing appeared broken and aside from a ding on his head, he seemed to’ve escaped the dog’s jaws unscathed—physically, that is. Killdeer are highly stressy little birds, and the stress of the attack and a new environment made his chances for survival slim to none. He died within hours of intake.

​The same transporter who brought the Carolina wrens and the great cresteds also delivered a red-headed woodpecker fledgling from the mammal rehabber. (I’m still trying to convince her she wants to do birds…) This juvie had all the right instincts but zero flight capability, and he died 24 hours after intake. 

​This adult red-headed woodpecker was found by the roadside with a single puncture wound and massive swelling near the elbow. Initially, I suspected the swelling hid a fracture, but as it went down, I was delighted to be proven wrong. But there does seem to be some general neurological issue on that left side, as he tends to keep that foot balled up, as well, and he lists to that side when perching. He’s still a bit lethargic but is on meds as a precaution. 

​With the raptor flight emptied of Three Stooges, the young barred owl and an adult barred recovering from a concussion moved in immediately.

​The screech is less-than-patiently awaiting his turn in the raptor flight; he keeps his little cere scratched. Soon, leetle feller, soon…

​When callers said they had what they thought might be a baby hawk but it had “a mouth kinda like a turtle” I was 99% sure they had a chuck-will’s-widow, the largest member of the nightjar family and found widely throughout Georgia during breeding season. Sure enough, it was a fledgling chuck-will’s, rail thin but alert.  Since all my previous experience with chuck-will’s-widows has been with adults, I put out a call to colleagues who’d had more experience with young ones and had my proposed protocol approved. Unfortunately, he began spitting back all his small meals undigested and then vomiting some sort of bile-like black substance and died during the night. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he’d been exposed to insecticides of some sort.

​The crow continues to announce his presence to the resident murder but thus far they’re too busy with young of their own to investigate. I’m hoping when things slow down for all of us, corvid and human alike, they’ll check him out and accept him into the clan when he’s released.

In the “just what I need late in a hectic baby season” category, last week a fledgling hummer AND three chimney swifts came in.
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Luckily, the hummer was at just the right age to quickly figure out syringe feeding of his special formula and I was able to rig the syringe so it hangs in his cage while he learns to self-feed. Win-win: hummer learns how to self-feed; I’m not tied to 15-minute feedings all day! 

​The swifts are at least older birds, but not so old that they resist feeding by a human.

​Nothing special here—just a typical view in the songbird flight!

​And now, if you’ll excuse me, this rehabber—between editing (what pays the bills) and rehabbing (what creates the bills)—is now approaching 84 hours on 2 hours’ sleep, and that 2 hours was nearly three days ago—and the LWR website host has been a technological ass tonight, which hasn’t helped my sleep-deprived stupor. So I think I’ll crash for the night!