Thankfully, things have slowed down a bit—only two new intakes since last week’s update, which has given me time to breathe (and SLEEP!!) a bit. It won’t last, but it’s a welcome break right now!
All the birds who were in the flight pen last week are out…and in…and out again…They’ve discovered how to return whenever they please, and it pleases about half of them to hang out in the flight pen most of the day, with the great crested flycatchers and the mockers, who are now awaiting their turn at freedom. It won’t be long; the flycatchers are getting antsy and snapping at flying insects, which is a good sign! The flycatchers are just adorable birds, with their loud, emphatic “WHEEP!” and their cheerful little personalities.
All the birds who were in the flight pen last week are out…and in…and out again…They’ve discovered how to return whenever they please, and it pleases about half of them to hang out in the flight pen most of the day, with the great crested flycatchers and the mockers, who are now awaiting their turn at freedom. It won’t be long; the flycatchers are getting antsy and snapping at flying insects, which is a good sign! The flycatchers are just adorable birds, with their loud, emphatic “WHEEP!” and their cheerful little personalities.
Below are some shots of the released birds in the trees around the flight pen.
Gray catbird
Gray catbird sunning
Mourning dove and brown thrasher
Mockingbird
Blue jay
The red bellied woodpecker hangs out in two trees right at the flight pen, and I have to admit I’m rather inordinately fond of him. For one thing, I just like woodpeckers in general—they’re neat birds. For another, unlike so many other releases, he actually comes down where I can supplemental-feed him, instead of perching 30 feet above me and screaming for food. Woodpeckers are actually pretty darn smart birds; it took him all of one hour to figure out that coming down the tree trunk or clinging to the outside of the flight pen would result in food!
The fawn from last week has been transferred to another rehabber, necessitating loading all the birds who hadn’t been moved to the flight pen at that point into the car and driving 90 miles round-trip on one hour’s sleep…the things we do for these critters…he’s better off with the other rehabber, who had four other fawns to place him with, so he’ll learn to be a deer and not imprint on humans. Deer are incredibly time-consuming and expensive to rehab, and even though the family member’s dog I mentioned last week decided—after a few well-aimed blasts from an air rifle—that the deer pen really wasn’t that interesting, after all, there was just no way I could take on multiple fawns and give them and the birds the care they needed. Feathers trump fur for me, any day, so…enjoy these shots of the little guy before transfer.
This adorable little downy broadwing hawk was found by a local sheriff’s deputy during a search for marijuana in the woods of a neighboring county. He was on the ground with no nest in sight, so the local law enforcement boxed him up, called LWR, and met me at a halfway point. He and the screech from last week’s update were transferred to Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends today—thanks to volunteers Laurie Jackson and Amy Rogers, who “pony expressed” them to Steve!
And this afternoon, this pretty little brown thrasher came in. He’s pretty close to fledging, maybe another two or three days—still refuses to perch, which is a good sign he’s out of the nest too soon. The person who rescued him saw him on the ground and was going to leave him alone until he saw a cat headed in that direction, at which point he scooped up the thrasher and called LWR.
Brown thrashers, catbirds and mockingbirds are in the same family, but thrashers don’t really resemble their smaller cousins to me. Besides being slightly larger, their beaks are longer, and as adults, they have striking yellow eyes. That long beak is used to thrash around in the underbrush in search of insects, hence the name. The brown thrasher is Georgia’s state bird, which means I have a bit of a soft spot for them, too…Yeah, yeah, I know—I say that about nearly every bird I rehab!
Brown thrashers, catbirds and mockingbirds are in the same family, but thrashers don’t really resemble their smaller cousins to me. Besides being slightly larger, their beaks are longer, and as adults, they have striking yellow eyes. That long beak is used to thrash around in the underbrush in search of insects, hence the name. The brown thrasher is Georgia’s state bird, which means I have a bit of a soft spot for them, too…Yeah, yeah, I know—I say that about nearly every bird I rehab!
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