Laurens Wildlife Rescue
  • Home
  • I found a wild baby - what do I do?
  • How can I help?
  • Contact us
  • FAQ
  • This week in wildlife

Bustin’ at the seams

9/26/2021

0 Comments

 
It’s turning out to be a busy fall, with raptors out the wazoo. At one point this week LWR had 10 raptors crammed into flight pens and the rehab room. I was doing the rehab version of gymnastics just to move around between boxes to feed everybody and change their paper.
​
Yet another red tail came in, another first-year bird. This fellow has a fracture right at the elbow. It’s pretty close to the joint but not badly displaced, so we’re gonna give him some time and hope the joint doesn’t freeze.
Picture
Picture
​My game warden sent me a first-year sharpie—we debated whether Coop or sharpie, as neither of us was sure and the juvies and adults of both species are remarkably similar. His behavior initially suggested Coop but his size suggested sharpie. Now I’m pretty sure he’s a sharpie. His x-rays showed no wing fractures but he does have a broken toe on his left foot, so he’ll stay with me for a while to give it time to heal.
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Coop that came in last Sunday didn’t survive; he was standing up glaring at me and then half an hour later he’d keeled over. Coops are really stressy birds, so it could have been internal injuries or it could have been sheer stress.
​
About the smallest male barred owl I’ve seen in a while came in from DNR. He has some head trauma but no fractures.
Picture
​A juvenile turkey vulture wasn’t as lucky; he was seen flailing by the side of the road in the rain. Initially, because he was still wet, I thought he was a black vulture, but as the feathers began drying the brown began to show. Sadly, he had no neural response in his legs and required euthanasia.
Picture
The former stargazing red tail was transferred to a falconer for further training. I’d planned to release him but the more I watched his behavior, the more convinced I was he wouldn’t survive in the wild without better hunting skills. Transfer to a licensed falconer will give him additional time to learn those hunting skills and when the falconer releases him in a couple of years, he’ll be a skilled and confident hunter.
​
Red tail #2, with the eye injury, is looking excellent. The eye is probably always gonna be a little scarred but he’s seeing out of it and flying beautifully in the raptor flight, so in another week or so, he’ll be released. 
Picture
Picture
​And red tail #3, with the hand fracture, is healing nicely. He’ll move from the mini-pen into the raptor flight when his hand is sufficiently healed.
Picture
​The red shoulder is eating like a vacuum cleaner and looking good. Once the mini-pen opens up, I’ll draw straws to see if he or the sharpie goes into it first.
Picture
​The great horned owl’s eyes still look funky but he’s finding his food with no problem at all and is getting antsy at his captivity. I’d prefer at least one of those eyes to look “normal” before release but I’m beginning to think this is as normal as they’re gonna get.
Picture
​The screech’s dislocated shoulder appears to be healing nicely. Most of the time he’s holding it perfectly level with the “good” shoulder so I’m fairly optimistic at the moment that he’ll continue to heal for release. 
Picture
​And, of course, the black vulture twins are still hanging around...I end up with more photos of them than the rehabbing birds each week because they tend to follow me as I go about my daily activities. It’s a vulture thing; they will eventually stop coming around. It just seems to take vultures longer!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008

    Categories

    All
    Baby Birds
    Baby Deer
    Baby Opossums
    Baby Possums
    Baby Rabbits
    Bluegray Gnatcatchers
    Carolina Wren
    Common Loons
    Epd
    Fawns
    House Finch
    Mbta
    Migratory Bird Treaty Act
    Mockers
    Mockingbirds
    Orphaned Birds
    Orphaned Deer
    Orphaned Fawns
    Orphaned Opossums
    Orphaned Possums
    Orphaned Rabbits
    Orphaned Wildlife
    Squirrels
    Wildlife
    Wood Ducks

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.