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Busy two weeks for “slow” season

11/2/2012

10 Comments

 
Despite the “official” beginning of slow season, the critters do continue to trickle in; unfortunately, this time of year we tend to see more injured/ill adults and often there’s nothing we can do except end their suffering.

This was the case for the barred owl shown below. He was found in the middle of the road, and his left wing had an open fracture. It was an older wound, as the exposed bone had already begun turning black and the poor bird was rail-thin. Our only humane option was euthanasia.
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We had slightly higher hopes for this American coot, until closer examination revealed two open fractures, nearly hidden by the bird’s thick feathers, and multiple closed fractures, all on the right wing. Essentially, the wing was shattered, so again, euthanasia was our only option.
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Eastern screech owls rarely escape an eye injury when they have run-ins with vehicles. They don’t always sustain wing or leg injuries, but you can almost bet money on some sort of eye injury. This little gray-phase male had not a mark on him, not a feather out of place. But his right eye was filled with blood. We began treatment to bring the swelling down and wait for the blood to clear to the point that we could determine the extent of injury to the eye. This was on a Tuesday;  late Friday evening, the screech keeled over. He had eaten well Wednesday but hadn’t touched his mouse Thursday, which wouldn’t be unusual if he was still full—and he was well-fleshed, so he hadn’t been struggling for food in the wild. All we can figure is that the head injuries were more severe than we initially thought, perhaps with a slow bleed that killed him. Unfortunately, hemorrhaging and soft tissue damage don’t show on x-rays…
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This gorgeous female Northern flicker came in with a wing injury that at first glance appeared to be a fracture hidden by severe bruising and swelling. 
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A closer exam, however, showed that the bruising was actually massive infection, to the point that the tissue was blackish-green. We have no clue how the wing got so infected, but it had reached the point that she couldn’t fly. Because she was well-fleshed, alert, active and had quite a healthy appetite, we opted to give her a chance and see if we could clear this up before, as vet Shelley Baumann said, “her wing rots off.” 
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This is her wing a week later—still a bit swollen, but MUCH improved over its appearance on intake. She’s also much more…umm…vocal and bouncing-off-the-walls active. She has another few days of antibiotics before she’s moved to the flight pen prior to her release. She’s pretty much demolished the log you see in these photos; I’ll get photos of what’s left of it when I move her into the flight pen early next week.
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Thanks to Shelley Baumann for manning my camera to get the photos of me holding the flicker and the before and after wing shots!
Aaannnd…to round out this update with a healthy dose of cuteness, the flyers are down to one formula feeding a day and within the next week should be totally self-feeding. At that point, they’ll go into the big cage and be prepped for release!
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10 Comments
khpipwatcher Sally
11/2/2012 07:57:46 am

Oh, I am so sorry about the owls and the coot, but what a happy ending with that beautiful flicker!! and of course the unbearable cuteness of the flying squirrels.

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
11/2/2012 08:30:27 am

Thanks, kh! Isn't the flicker gorgeous, though?

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Jan Buckwald
11/2/2012 08:40:53 am

That sweet flicker IS gorgeous. So glad to see that one of these rescues will be OK. Heartbreaking about the owls and coot. Again, I don't know how my heart wouldn't be aching every day. So important to know there are people doing what you do, Lauren. Thank you for so many of us. Jan (from CA)

Ann Feldman
11/2/2012 08:31:16 am

The deaths are always sad but at least they got to die without drawn out suffering. The Flicker brought back memories. Years ago I went out on a rainy day to buy a barbecued chicken and found a little Flicker dazed and sitting in someone's front yard. I found a box nearby (oddly enough one that had contained some bird product, like a toy or food or something) and put him in it and turned around and headed up to Prospect Park. By the time we arrived, he had recovered because when I opened the box he flew right out without so much as a by-your-leave. Then I headed back down for the chicken. By the time I got home, spouse was about to call the Natonal Guard (this was pre cell phone days). I sometimes feel badly about eating chicken, It is about the only meat I eat, but odd digestion keeps me from getting whats needed out of plant protein...Ann

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
11/2/2012 08:39:49 am

Hey Ann, thanks for the flicker tale--probably just stunned, and you did the right thing by putting him in a box, where it was dark and quiet, to recover. This gal's probably gonna fly away without a by-your-leave when she's released, too. She's quite an energetic lady!

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
11/2/2012 08:49:24 am

Thanks, Jan! The flicker is gorgeous, but she's definitely not sweet! Woodpeckers of all species are notoriously ill-tempered--I always say if I had to spend my life banging my head against a tree, I'd be ill-tempered, too! (Have no idea how your comment ended up "out of order" and with no proper reply function...beyond my meager technology skills to figure out!)

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Ida Blanche Suskind
11/2/2012 10:58:38 am

The most appropriate and touching sentiments have already been expressed so well - I can only add, 'yea team' (meaning those of us so grateful you are there and doing such a good job of caring for our sometime hurt and ill, feathered friends)! And your photographs bring them right into our house. Thank you!!

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
11/2/2012 01:29:05 pm

Thanks, Kiku!

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CDM
11/2/2012 01:38:33 pm

I'm so glad that the flicker my Dad and I brought in is doing well. Thank you for the update :).

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
11/2/2012 01:49:58 pm

She's looking really good, eating enormous quantities of mealworms, and keeping herself "fit" by quite literally bouncing off the walls of her carrier all day long. I can't wait to see how she does in the flight pen next week when she's off the meds!

Thank y'all for being observant enough to realize there was a problem when you saw her in your yard, and for being responsible enough stewards of our native wildlife to rescue her and get her the help she needed. You saved her life; without your intervention that infection would have spread and killed her. Instead, she's had a safe, warm place to stay while she got the meds she needed to treat the infection. Good job!

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