And fittingly enough, the new eagle came in on July 4… Obviously, eagles always lead, so let’s start with the new one, the third this year.
On July 3, DNR Head Biologist Bob Sargent called to ask if I could take a juvenile eagle UGA’s veterinary school had been holding since June 21. I’d need to hold it till colleague Kathryn Dudeck at Chattahoochee Nature Center has room for it…which she won’t till the eagle I just sent her passes a live prey test and is sent back to LWR for release. So we’re talking a month, minimum.
I told Bob I could take it but would, of course, need FWS authorization, so he reached out to the feds, who granted authorization for me to hold the eagle for 30 days.** We then set about arranging transfer from UGA to LWR, and the staff at the vet school found transport for July 4.
The folks at UGA had told Bob the bird had a right wing droop; their paperwork accompanying the bird indicated a non-displaced furcula (wishbone, clavicle) fracture. Upon release into the main flight at LWR, he stepped all over the wing, fell on his back and couldn’t get up, and couldn’t jump three feet to reach a perch. He also had mites, which I hate worse than flat flies (if you’re not familiar with either, look ‘em up; discussing them would take too long and besides, just thinking about mites makes me itchy).
On July 3, DNR Head Biologist Bob Sargent called to ask if I could take a juvenile eagle UGA’s veterinary school had been holding since June 21. I’d need to hold it till colleague Kathryn Dudeck at Chattahoochee Nature Center has room for it…which she won’t till the eagle I just sent her passes a live prey test and is sent back to LWR for release. So we’re talking a month, minimum.
I told Bob I could take it but would, of course, need FWS authorization, so he reached out to the feds, who granted authorization for me to hold the eagle for 30 days.** We then set about arranging transfer from UGA to LWR, and the staff at the vet school found transport for July 4.
The folks at UGA had told Bob the bird had a right wing droop; their paperwork accompanying the bird indicated a non-displaced furcula (wishbone, clavicle) fracture. Upon release into the main flight at LWR, he stepped all over the wing, fell on his back and couldn’t get up, and couldn’t jump three feet to reach a perch. He also had mites, which I hate worse than flat flies (if you’re not familiar with either, look ‘em up; discussing them would take too long and besides, just thinking about mites makes me itchy).
I rigged steps up to the perches at each end of the flight and as soon as the eagle had figured them out—didn’t take long—I treated him for the mites. I’ll re-treat in a few days, just to make sure we got ‘em all, the nasty little things.
I also alerted Bob to the severity of the wing droop and have had several text and phone conversations with Kathryn about the situation. Quite frankly, neither of us is real hopeful this is going to heal for flight, and the severity of the droop pretty much precludes his use as an ed bird because no raptor educator wants a “pity bird”—one whose injuries are so obvious that they inspire pity rather than interest in learning about raptors. We’ll see, though. Time will tell…
Meanwhile, he’s eating well and has mastered the steps up to the perches, so maybe his wing feathers won’t get too much further trashed from dragging the ground.
Of course, to make room for the eagle, I had to release the great horned. I would’ve preferred another week or so for him to remain in the flight but he was getting antsy and quite aggressive, so release was best anyway. I didn’t manage photos or video of the release; the little snot lunged out of the box, turned on me and tried to foot my shin, then flew off. I did manage a few photos of him in the main flight pre-release, though.
Of course, to make room for the eagle, I had to release the great horned. I would’ve preferred another week or so for him to remain in the flight but he was getting antsy and quite aggressive, so release was best anyway. I didn’t manage photos or video of the release; the little snot lunged out of the box, turned on me and tried to foot my shin, then flew off. I did manage a few photos of him in the main flight pre-release, though.
On July 3, a second-year red tail and a juvie sharpie, both also from UGA, arrived at LWR.
The red tail is recovering from a coracoid fracture; he’s aggressive, alert, inhales his food and is, of course, gorgeous, as is every red tail.
The red tail is recovering from a coracoid fracture; he’s aggressive, alert, inhales his food and is, of course, gorgeous, as is every red tail.
The sharpie (sharp-shinned hawk] was mistakenly identified as a Coop, but his diminutive size made it obvious as soon as I opened his box that he was a feisty little sharpie. Based on the UGA paperwork, I’d say he just had a concussion. He’s also inhaling food and glaring at me nonstop…Sharpies are kinda like the screeches of the hawk world—much bigger in their own minds than they are in reality.
The first year red tail continues to mature beautifully; colleague Steve Hicks and I are discussing the possibility of transferring him to Steve to be housed with a red tail who’d suffered methane burns to his feathers and was transferred from CNC to Steve for long-term care till he molts and regrows the damaged feathers.
And the barnie is ready for a flight pen but at the moment, both of mine are occupied…My goal this fall/winter is to renovate and repair my old songbird flight to make it a third raptor flight. That will ease space issues considerably.
**For those who’re wondering, a separate permit is required to rehab eagles. Due to space considerations (I’m unwilling to give up my hay field to build an eagle flight; my cousins need the hay for their cows), I don’t have an eagle permit, hence the need for FWS approval to keep one long-term.
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