Busy couple of weeks

Grab a chair and sit a spell, ‘cause the past two weeks were pretty darn busy!

On May 4 an osprey came in from Laurens County, supposedly found grounded near a pond. His right wing was broken, and my gut said he needed rads for more than just the fracture. Sure enough, the next day at Smalley’s, he lit up like a Christmas tree, making LWR’s first illegal activity report to the state and feds for the year. Fortunately, the break was a “good” one, meaning if the bird had to have a fracture, this one should heal for flight—if the birdshot didn’t damage any tendons or ligaments.

Two days later, a juvenile red shoulder came in from Tift County in what the volunteer transporter and I agreed was a case of general human stupidity. The bird had been taken to a Tift-area vet clinic, where it remained for A WEEK before they decided to do anything about getting it to a rehabber. Honestly, had this volunteer transporter been contacted at the beginning of that week, she probably could have reunited the bird with his parents; she’s experienced at reunification. He’s doing well and antsy to be outside but because the flights are full, he’s stuck inside for a while yet.

Then on May 8, screech twins came in from Emanuel County after a tree cutting destroyed their nest and killed a sibling. The finder immediately did the right thing, contacting LWR and getting the birds here ASAP. Y’all know I love screeches, but I did try not to go overboard with the photos of the irascible little rascals.

The next day, another osprey came in, again from Laurens. This one was found near a road and had a broken leg. The goal was rads the next day to see if the leg was fixable, but the poor fellow must’ve also had internal injuries, as he didn’t survive the night.

Aaaaaannnnd…today a young adult barred owl came in from Dodge County with a cloudy eye and a bruised ear that indicated a concussion. He was found in the middle of the road. Everything seems functional, so we’ll just give him time for the eye to clear up and the headache to go away.

In releases, the Bulloch red shoulder regained his freedom and was utterly delighted to leave LWR behind him—so much so that I couldn’t manage a decent release video, as y’all can see. I did manage a quick shot of him getting his bearings post-release, though.

And the great horned brancher gained her freedom, as well, showing her gratitude for her bed and board and flight conditioning by screaming insults and beak-clicking all the way to the release site, where she offered one final insult by whipping her head around and biting me, leaving a nice bruise and nearly breaking the skin—through a shirt and bra, mind you. Great horneds are not to be taken lightly; those beaks can break bones, and their feet have a grip strength of up to 500 psi.

The barred quadruplets are now in the main flight, where they tend to spread out. They’re flying beautifully and finding their food wherever I hide it, so they’re not too far from release themselves.

And that’s it for this week’s update!