It was a busy year for LWR but you know that already! We topped the 300-intake mark again this year—currently at 312, if memory serves, and we still have all of today to go, so that figure may go up by one or two. Probably not, though…No retrospective this year—who has time with birds and flyers still under care?
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The sole new intake this week was an adult red shoulder found grounded in the rain by a gentleman out with his dogs. The poor bird was sopping wet and his feathers were full of mud that he still hadn’t fully preened out when he had x-rays at Smalley’s Animal Hospital the following day—the grit clearly shows on the x-ray, which also shows his right “hand” is fractured but the bones aren’t badly displaced and so vet Peggy Hobby feels fairly confident this should be an injury that will heal to allow flight.

No new photos of the barred owl, kestrel or red-tail, all recovering from wing fractures. They’re all doing well, though.
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The barnie is eating well and zipping from one end of the raptor flight to the other when I go in to feed him.

​The crow is purely cracking me up with his beak-crafted “window” in his box. His eye isn’t looking so good this week, though, like maybe there’s an issue with the tear ducts in addition to the corneal ulcer. I consulted with Peggy about it when I took the red shoulder in for x-rays and we’re doing all that can be done, so it’s just a matter of giving him time and keeping our fingers firmly crossed. He and the kestrel will go in next week for follow-up exams.

​The flyers were more interested in trying to flit past me and escape than in posing pretty for photos this week. Just a few more months and they can be released, which should make the little rascals ecstatic!

And to continue what has become a yearly tradition, here are several ways you can make 2018 wildlife-friendly:

1. Keep your cats indoors— this is safer for both wildlife AND cats. Indoor cats won’t attack birds, squirrels or rabbits, and they won’t run the risk of attack themselves by larger predators, disease or injury from fighting, or being run over. It’s a win-win situation.
2. Avoid the use of pesticides, insecticides, and rodenticides. Insecticides and pesticides on your plants kill bird food (insects). If the birds eat the poisoned insects, they die. If they feed poisoned insects to their babies in the nest, the babies die. They also get on the birds’ skin/feathers and are ingested when they preen, resulting in death. Further, the chemicals can rub off the adult birds’ skin/feathers onto the nestlings and kill them.  As for rodenticides, while you may think they’re a great way to control mice and rats, let me again point out that they have unintended victims. Poisoned rodents are eaten by raptors, who then succumb to the same poisons that killed the rodents. Also, domestic pets and children have been known to eat the rodenticides, with disastrous results. 
3. Allow a few “weeds” in your yard. Dandelions, for example, are much-beloved by bees, birds and rabbits—and they have quite a few old folk-remedy uses, as well, as you can read about here: http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/dandelion.
4. Create a wildlife haven in your yard. It’s not difficult: a few feeders for the types of birds you want to attract (and clean the feeders regularly); water sources (changed daily to avoid breeding mosquitoes) that can be as simple as a few shallow dishes set on the ground or on picnic tables; brush piles/shrubs in a corner of the yard to provide cover and potential nesting spots for birds and small mammals; a small plot “ignored” by the lawn mower and perhaps even planted with native-to-your-region wildflowers and shrubs; leave snags (dead trees) for cavity nesters such as bluebirds, flying squirrels, woodpeckers and screech owls; put up nest boxes for bluebirds, screech owls, barn owls and other species that will readily use them. 
5. No tree trimming or felling from March-September. Actually, I’d say there’s really no good time to trim/fell trees, as March to September is prime songbird nesting season, but owls have eggs/babies in the nest as early as January/February, and it’s not uncommon for squirrels—gray, fox and flying—to have babies in their nests by mid to late February and again throughout the fall, beginning as early as August and running through November. So at the very least, check the tree very carefully if it absolutely must be trimmed/felled, and don’t forget some birds, like woodpeckers and screech owls, are cavity nesters. Leave those snags (dead trees) standing unless they threaten your roof. Woodpeckers adore the insects they find in snags, and the snags also make great nest sites for cavity nesters.
6. Learn the name and contact number of your local wildlife rehabber. Share it with friends and relatives. Hope you never need it, but have it handy in case you do. In this day and age, there’s no reason not to just go ahead and program it into your phone! 
7. Donate to your local rehabber. Remember that rehabbers receive no state or federal funding, so consider a monthly donation. Every little bit helps!
8. Get outside more often and become aware of your environment, especially your own yard. Learn what species are normal for your yard. Get a good bird book and learn to at least identify the birds you see most commonly in your back yard. You’d be surprised how many people can’t identify common back yard birds like mockers, cardinals, wrens, titmice, chickadees and blue jays. For Georgia residents, I’d recommend Birds of Georgia by John Parrish Jr. & Giff Beaton and Birds of Georgia: A Field Guide by Stan Tekiela. For a general bird guide, I like Sibley’s. Go outside at night and listen for the night birds that you may never actually see, like the various species of owls and nighthawks—and even nocturnal mammals like flying squirrels that you’re more likely to hear than see. Your yard is its own little ecosystem; become familiar with it!

…and in this rehabber’s house everything was stirring except the mice, since they were being thawed to feed the raptors and the crow. Yeah, crows adore small mice, in addition to just about anything else they’re offered; they’re omnivores, meaning their diet is quite varied!
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Only two new intakes this week, both barred owls—in fact, all four intakes this month have been barred owls. Of these two, one died overnight and the other has a fractured ulna. Vet Peggy Hobby of Smalley’s Animal Hospital says the location could be an issue if the callus that forms as it heals is too large and interferes with the movement of the radius. We’re hoping it heals for flight, though.

​The crow’s eye continues to heal, albeit more slowly than I’d like. The photo below showing a close-up of the ulcerated eye looks worse than it actually is, as it was taken right after applying ointment to the eye—that’s what you’re seeing there. He’s also busily redecorating his box, giving himself a small back window and the ever-growing front window pictured below. Yeah, I could put him in a new box, but he hasn’t totally trashed this one yet, and he’s having so much fun!

​The female red-tail is doing well and I did finally manage to sate her appetite…and it didn’t require a buffalo!

​The kestrel also continues to do well.

​The barnie is now in the raptor flight, where he continues to express his disagreement with life in general with vigorous head-shaking. That head-shaking is a defensive gesture but I have to admit I find it totally endearing.

​And the flyers remain adorable, of course!

Next week’s update will more than likely also be late Saturday/in the wee hours of Sunday, since next Sunday will be New Year’s Eve.

Merry Christmas, y’all! 

Nary an intake this week, which is a nice break, honestly. During baby season a week with no intakes would make me antsy; during the so-called “off” season, it’s a chance to catch my breath—and get a little more sleep than usual!
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Our poor GSW crow has now developed a corneal ulcer, mostly likely from where the pellet entered the eye, according to vet Richie Hatcher of Smalley’s Animal Hospital. We’re treating it and hoping for the best. Aside from being bored despite his enrichment toys and somewhat destructive as a result, the crow is a really good patient, tolerating having his eye gooped with antibiotic ointment and moistened with artificial tears with only the merest hint of protest. Crows are so smart!

​Clean crow first thing in the morning…

​Three hours later…Yeah, he’s steadily shredding his box, but it amuses him so who am I to argue? A crow’s gotta have SOME fun, right?

Unfortunately, the news for the GSW male red tail wasn’t as good; Richie decided, after studying his previous x-rays and examining the bird, that he wasn’t a good candidate for surgery. I think in the back of my mind I suspected this would be the case; hence the delay in taking him back in for that final examination. And I really was hoping extended time in the raptor flight would result in a flighted bird—sometimes it takes a while. But no, in this case, it just wasn’t gonna happen…
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The barred owl who came in with a concussion was released and shot out of the box before I could even press the record button on the camera. I did manage a short video of him flying away from the tree he initially landed in to one much farther away—and higher. He wanted to get as far away from me as possible!

​The kestrel will be due for a follow-up exam and x-rays shortly after Christmas. His constant wriggling out of/chewing through his wing wraps before we gave up on ‘em altogether may have lessened his chances of release, but we hope that’s not the case. He’s eating well and still quite defensive when I startle him!

​The female red tail has an insatiable appetite; I have yet to fully crop her out. Maybe if I could offer her an entire buffalo? Just kidding…I think…

​The barnie is most likely gonna get moved to the raptor flight around mid-week, after the rain we’re predicted to get early in the week moves through. 

​I suspect he’ll be happy to be away from the nocturnal shenanigans of the flyers. It’s gotta be frustrating to hear potential supper playing nearby all night when all you have “on your plate” is thawed mice! Thankfully, while he can hear the little rascals (owls have amazingly sensitive hearing), they can’t see or hear him, so they continue playing all night, without a care in the world.

​And while I’m thinking about it, since Christmas Eve is next Sunday, I’ll more than likely have the update posted late Saturday night. That’s the current plan, anyway…barring any unforeseen circumstances!

With only one new intake this week, it was a nice break from the unusually active winter LWR has been experiencing.  A short break, probably, but “loverly” nonetheless.
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The new intake, an adult male barred owl, had only a mild concussion but hasn’t been released yet due to the nasty weather we had immediately after he came in. He’s good to go and chomping at the bit but he’ll be with me through Monday, at least. “But he’s an adult; surely he’s used to the weather,” I can hear you muse. Yep, he is. But I still don’t release in rain or extreme temps, and I consider below-freezing nights extreme. It’s hard enough for wildlife to survive out there as it is; I’m not gonna add to the difficulty by releasing a bird, even an adult bird, into freezing temps.

The GSW male red-tail didn’t make it to the vet for a pre-op exam last week, also due to the weather. Unless it’s an emergency, I’m not dragging birds in and out in rainy, cold, nasty weather. They don’t need the added stress.

The second-year female red-tail is proving to be almost as big a bottomless pit as the young barnie; mealtimes are her very favorite times of day!

And the kestrel continues to do well and should be due for a follow-up vet visit in another week or so, for new x-rays to see how his wing is healing.
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The GSW crow is definitely feeling better; he’s perching now and starting to “sass” me when I change his paper and freshen his food. He’s off meds as of this weekend, and his eye looks about as good as it’s gonna get, I suspect. His vision is definitely impaired in that eye, but as long as the wing heals for flight, I don’t think the eye will impact his potential for release.

​Just look at the difference a  week makes in the life of a young barnie: downy fluffball one week, nearly all feathers the next! And he’s still a hissy young rascal, too, although he’s settled down some on the food intake now that he’s realized there’s no shortage of mice for him to inhale—just four or five large  mice a night now!

​And of course, the flyers are, well, inexpressibly cute. Their very cuteness is what leads some people to want to keep flyers as pets when they find them as babies.  Setting aside the illegality of possessing wildlife without the proper permits, let’s look at why having a flyer as a pet isn’t a good idea:

• They’re wild animals and deserve to live their lives as nature intended.
• They’re nocturnal. When you’re trying to sleep, they’re rarin’ to go.
• Their teeth continue to grow throughout their lifetime, so they MUST have something to chew on at all times to keep them worn down; if the incisors get too long it can kill them.
• Maintaining a proper, nutritionally balanced diet for them is expensive; they require very specific amounts of various vitamins and minerals.
• They can’t be potty-trained and will pee or poop wherever the urge strikes, whether that’s on your shoulder, in your favorite shoes or in their cage.
• They will also chew electrical cords, sweaters, bedspreads, etc. The gnawing instinct is strong!
• They need space to glide; if you turn them loose to do so in your home at night, you will have an unholy mess to clean up every morning, gnawed everything, plus an ongoing search for where they’ve decided to bed down for the day, as it may not always be in their nest box, if you’ve provided one.
• Caging any wild animal for your own “pleasure” is cruel. Would YOU want to be confined to a small space and fed the same boring diet every day for the rest of your life, with only a few  hours a day outside that cage—if your captors remembered or had time?

Bottom line: yes, flyers are adorable, as is the case with most wildlife, if truth be told. But ALL wildlife is best enjoyed in its natural habitat. If you want to see flyers in their natural habitat, put a game tracker near a bird feeder and see what kinds of photos and videos you get when they visit the feeder nightly!

Once upon a time—no, it’s not a fairy tale—LWR actually DID experience a truly slow season, with few or no intakes in a given month. Those days are apparently long past, as we had five new intakes last week alone—during so-called slow season.

The cutest by far was this downy barn owl. Now, before you exclaim, “But wait, baby season is over,” let me explain that barnies don’t have a set breeding season. They breed whenever the food supply is sufficient. This not-so-wee one was found on the ground in an ag center, but no parents or siblings were in sight, smell or earshot—and believe me, with barnies, even if you don’t SEE them, you’ll likely HEAR them, especially the babies, who like to hiss. A lot. It sounds like a massive gas leak—see the video below.

Despite having fallen around 20 feet, according to his finder, he had no injuries that I could find. We made a trip to Smalley’s just to confirm, where he was hailed as the ugliest thing ever, the cutest thing ever, and so ugly he was cute. I fall firmly in the cutest thing ever camp. There’s just something about a barnie…
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Of course, the Thanksgiving fish crow also required x-rays, which revealed pellets in both the left wing and left eye. Yeah, what I thought was an eye infection was actually inflammation from a pellet. Luckily, the eyeball itself is intact; the pellet seems to’ve missed it somehow and lodged in the eye socket. Talk about miracles…

It was vet Jim Hobby who suspected we might find a pellet in the eye. Thankfully, the wing should heal for flight and we’ll have to wait and see on the eye, but vision will probably be impaired.

And what REALLY infuriates me about this is that right now, it’s crow season in Georgia (every state has a different period designated for crow hunting), so it’s legal to shoot them from early November till late February—with no bag limit.

Yeah.

You read that correctly: crow season lasts for nearly FOUR months with NO bag limit, so idiots who get their jollies killing wildlife for “sport” can decimate entire populations of crows with no penalty. Nah, West Nile didn’t nearly wipe out crows in some areas; let’s just let “hunters” (and I use the term loosely in this instance) finish what West Nile started.

Understand, I have no issue with hunters who eat what they kill. They’re putting food on their table. That’s fine. But to kill a bird just for the hell of it? I have MAJOR issues with that. It sends my blood pressure soaring and reduces my vocabulary to semi-coherent obscenities. Rest assured, I’ll be seeing what we can do to at least reduce if not eliminate crow season in Georgia altogether.

​LWR had two barred owls come in this week. One had a leg fracture so close to the joint that it couldn’t be repaired; he was euthanized.  The other had what felt like a wing fracture right in the shoulder joint but died overnight, before we made it to Smalley’s for x-rays to confirm the fracture.

​This adult male red-shouldered hawk was seen struggling to perch; on intake, he didn’t seem to have any fractures but his left leg looked a bloody mess. X-rays at Smalley’s confirmed no breaks but vet Jim Hobby confirmed that the tissue on the left leg was already necrotic and, based on the bird’s smell and general demeanor—I didn’t expect him to survive the trip to Smalley’s, honestly—it appeared the necrosis was internal as well. We agreed euthanasia was the kindest option.

​When this utterly gorgeous second-year female red tail came in, I initially thought the break might be in her wrist, although it didn’t feel “crunchy.” I could feel nothing else, and the wing just “wasn’t right.” X-rays, however, showed a fractured ulna and metacarpal (hand). Neither was badly displaced, making it hard to feel them. Vet Richie Hatcher agreed that both should heal to allow flight, so this lady will be a guest at LWR for a while.

The GSW male red tail who’s been here a couple of months will go back in next week for Richie and Jim to assess the possibility of surgery to remove that embedded pellet and see if doing so will allow the bird to regain full use of that wing. Fingers crossed!
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And, of course, we have the flyers, who’ve decided blueberries are their second-favorite treat—first would be acorns!

Thanks to those who donated to the Giving Tuesday fundraiser through Facebook; we raised $620—$120 over the goal. And just in time, too, with a bottomless pit barnie to feed: that young rascal’s putting away SIX large mice a day!