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Releases, part the…whatever; I lost count

8/27/2023

During LWR’s short break from updates we had two gorgeous releases, both red tails, and a couple of new intakes, as well.

Beginning with the releases, the gorgeous female red tail was released after she finally showed me she could indeed fly, and fly well. Y’all, I don’t mind admitting this was one gal I kinda hated to release. She was so breathtakingly gorgeous I could’ve just sat and stared at her all day. But she needed to be free to live her life as God intended, so…Just look at her, though—what a work of art!

Shortly after her release, one of the three males was ready to go. He’d been antsy from day one, waiting for his very minor ulna fracture to heal, so he was delighted to “get shed” of me. He didn’t hang around long enough for a post-release photo.

That leaves two male red tails still at LWR: the young fellow with the humerus fracture and the starvation-thin mature guy who’s slowly gaining weight. They’re both getting antsy, too, but the young feller still has a couple of weeks before he can go into a flight pen, and it’s just too dang hot to put the old man outside—besides, I’m still not satisfied he’s gained enough weight yet.

But look at them; they’re gorgeous too! Y’all know I love my red tails…

Young feller:

Old man:

During the week’s break from updates, a barred owl came in, thin and lethargic; he didn’t survive the night. Friday of this past week, a starvation-thin red shoulder came in. He’s alert but reluctant to eat. If he’ll start eating like he should, he’s got a good chance at survival.

And, of course, the MIKI (Mississippi kite) continues to grow, although he stubbornly refuses to self-feed. He’ll eagerly take food from the forceps; he just won’t pick it up himself. He has started attempting to use his feet to hold bits of food that he snatched from the forceps and positioned awkwardly in his beak, though—that’s a good sign, as MIKIs use their feet to hold their food and eat it while on the wing. THAT is an amazing sight to see!

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Fundraising goal met! (And more intakes…)

8/13/2023

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LWR’s fundraising goal of $2000 was met mid-week. As always, heartfelt thanks to those who donated!

We’ll begin this week’s update with the red tail who, in last week’s update, was en route. He’s a mature male, keel (breastbone) 1.5 (starvation level) but alert. He tends to fall over on his side at the slightest stress but is eating well. He just needs to gain a lot of weight back before we can even consider release, and with the heat advisories we keep having, he’s inside until he’s more stable nutritionally.

Maintaining the red tail theme, the big ol’ gorgeous female ain’t stupid, y’all. She stubbornly refuses to let me see her fly, although I know she can; I’ve walked to the main flight and heard her leaving the perch above the door just as I reached it. But until I actually SEE her fly the length of the flight and back, she’s not going anywhere…which appears to be what she wants. Can’t blame her—three hots and a cot, as it were, plus shelter from the elements in the flight blind…she’s got it made right now!

The “older” of the two male red tails with wing fractures—older in this case meaning he’s been here the longest—got loose in the rehab house twice last week, so since his fracture was a hairline “wannabe” break and he was flying quite well inside, it seemed safe enough to move him into the mini-pen for the duration of his stay at LWR. He’s doing well outside.

The more recent of the two younger males is still eating like he’s starving. His philosophy is “don’t come near my box without food in hand,” and he watches me, well, like a hawk while I’m feeding everybody, after he’s inhaled his mice.

The barred owl did require euthanasia; once the swelling went down it was obvious without x-rays that the wing wasn’t fixable.

The paralyzed red shoulder, though, has surprised me immensely. After a couple of days of steroids, he was able to sit back on his hocks. By week’s end he was able to move his feet and legs, although he’s still not standing. He may stall at this level, or he may, in a couple of weeks, be able to stand. At this point, given his progress thus far, I’m willing to give him the time he needs to see what happens.

The MIKI who’d been trying to escape but was too fat to fly slimmed down to the point that one morning last week he slipped past me as I opened the door to feed him, and he took off, strong and straight. No release photos, as he self-released on his schedule, not mine.

However, within two days of his self-release, a call came in for another MIKI, this one a nestling. He was stressed out of his gourd on arrival but once he realized he would get fed rather than be eaten, he settled down nicely. MIKIs are amazing little birds at all ages!

There will be no update next Sunday, August 20. Regular updates will resume on August 27.

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Fundraiser at 97% with 9 days left—and a release!

8/6/2023

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We’re doing well with the fundraiser, with $1935 of our $2000 goal raised—just $65 to go to meet the goal, folks! Many heartfelt thanks to those who’ve donated; for those who haven’t, if not now, when? If not you, who?

The barred owl who came in with a massive concussion was released last week. As you can see in the video, it took him a few seconds to realize if he’d just stop biting the glove, he was free, but when it sank in, he wasted no time taking off! I tried to walk over to where he landed for a post-release photo and he flew off again, so I zoomed as far as my camera would go and got the not-great shot of him glaring at me.

The third red tail from last week’s update, the one who needed x-rays to confirm what I suspected was a shoulder fracture, actually had a fractured humerus. It’s not a promising-looking fracture, but vets Jim and Peggy Hobby and I agreed it was worth giving the bird time to see what would happen. It’s a long shot, but long shots have paid off with releasable birds in the past, so…we’ll see. Meanwhile, he’s inhaling everything I offer him, making up for the meals he’d missed in the wild. And he apparently has “fainting goat” genes somewhere in his lineage, as the shot below is what I see every time I look in his box with no food in my hand…

Red tail #2 is still recovering from a fractured ulna and is doing well. He’s very antsy, and much unhappier at confinement than the other two red tails are.

And the big ol’ female red tail remains utterly gorgeous and stubbornly refuses to demonstrate that she can fly; I’ve only seen a half-flight from her, which is not enough to warrant release. Honestly, I think she’s decided she’s got the proverbial “three hots and a cot” and doesn’t plan to go anywhere anytime soon…not that I’m actually complaining, as walking into the flight to feed her still takes my breath away. She’s just…perfect.

The MIKI has been moved into the mini-pen and is apparently a bit…ummm…pudgy. Okay, he’s too fat to fly. I overfed him. We’ve cut back, which he’s not thrilled with, but he’s already making better progress with his flight. He really, really wants to fly away, so once he’s at flight weight, he won’t be at LWR too long.

A red shoulder came in late Friday evening exhibiting full paralysis of his legs and tail but full use of his wings. He’s starvation thin but alert and hungry, so we’re trying steroids for a couple of days to see if the problem is inflamed nerves. My gut says this is a fatal injury but sometimes a couple of days of steroids will reduce swelling that causes paralysis.

This morning a barred owl came in with a right wing fracture. It’s still very swollen but the crunchiness I felt during his intake exam leads me to believe it’s not going to be a fixable break. Since it’s a Sunday and Smalley’s won’t be open till Monday, we have a little time for the swelling to go down before attempting an x-ray. Poor baby’s also experiencing a massive molt, so his head looks all funky!

And a call just came in as I was working on the update: Another red tail is en route and should arrive before 6 pm…

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Releases, part the…whatever; I lost count

Fundraising goal met! (And more intakes…)

Fundraiser at 97% with 9 days left—and a release!

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