While there were only 10 new intakes this week, added to the over 30 already under care, it still equaled an exhausting and nerve-wracking week.
The week got off to a less-than-stellar start when a rat snake tried to eat one of the younger killdeer. Luckily, I was just down the hall, heard the commotion, and walked in to find a rat snake hanging on the wall with one of my babies in his mouth. I snatched him down to the floor and forced his jaws open so that he dropped the killdeer on the floor. A cursory one-handed exam indicated the poor baby was in shock; a more detailed exam had to wait until the snake was dispatched. I marched him onto my porch, planted my foot in his back and used the porch floor for leverage so I could operate the loppers one-handed—the other hand still had a stranglehold on his neck. Once he was summarily executed, with extreme prejudice, as a colleague likes to say, I gave the killdeer a more detailed exam. He was missing down from his neck and scared witless but otherwise unharmed. Given their high stress levels, however, I worried for the next 24 hours. I’m happy to report he’s doing well almost a week later! His sibs are fine, as well.
The week got off to a less-than-stellar start when a rat snake tried to eat one of the younger killdeer. Luckily, I was just down the hall, heard the commotion, and walked in to find a rat snake hanging on the wall with one of my babies in his mouth. I snatched him down to the floor and forced his jaws open so that he dropped the killdeer on the floor. A cursory one-handed exam indicated the poor baby was in shock; a more detailed exam had to wait until the snake was dispatched. I marched him onto my porch, planted my foot in his back and used the porch floor for leverage so I could operate the loppers one-handed—the other hand still had a stranglehold on his neck. Once he was summarily executed, with extreme prejudice, as a colleague likes to say, I gave the killdeer a more detailed exam. He was missing down from his neck and scared witless but otherwise unharmed. Given their high stress levels, however, I worried for the next 24 hours. I’m happy to report he’s doing well almost a week later! His sibs are fine, as well.
Adding to the general crappiness of the week’s start, a volunteer transporter delivered an adult Mississippi kite whose wing had been sheared completely off. There was absolutely nothing to be done for the poor bird but to euthanize, which I did immediately. The only photo I took was after he was down, of the wing so you could see the damage. Most likely he hit a side view mirror on a car, although whacking a power line just right would also result in the same type of damage.
And people who’d hit an adult mocker with their car and kept it for three days, knowing it had a wing injury, finally decided it needed help when it quit eating and brought it to LWR, asking if we had 100% release rate. I purely snorted. Right. Show me a so-called rehabber who has 100% release rate and I’ll show you someone who’s limiting their intakes to only the wildlife they’re positive they can save—and there’s also a good chance they’re lying on their annual reports. 100% release rate, my arse…like that’ll ever happen…
The mocker they brought died that night, probably from infection in the still very swollen fractured wing.
The snake-bitten red tail died Sunday night, despite our best efforts. And yes, it sucked to lose him when he was fighting so hard and showing some improvement.
The red tail recovering from a wing fracture continues to mend and will be due for follow-up x-rays soon, as will the pileated woodpecker, also recovering from a wing fracture.
The red shoulder quintet is ready for release, having passed their live prey test this week. They’d be gone now, but we’ve had a week of near-steady high rain chances and humidity levels that have wreaked havoc with my nerves. No photos of them, as now the mere act of walking in the raptor flight should qualify for hazard pay. I tuck my head, deliver the food and get out before I get whacked by strafing red shoulders!
Next up for the raptor flight will be the screech, who’s going stir-crazy. I give him maybe two weeks before he passes his live prey test and is good to go. He thinks he’s good to go now!
In other good-to-gos, three of the older killdeer quartet are ready for release. The fourth developed some sort of neurological issue Friday afternoon. He was standing normally Friday morning; he was unable to stand and looked as if he’d broken his leg Friday afternoon. I took him to Smalley’s for x-rays, which showed nothing. Vet Richie Hatcher suggested something neurological and we tried steroids, with no results as of today. Sadly, I’m going to have to euthanize the poor fellow.
The mocker they brought died that night, probably from infection in the still very swollen fractured wing.
The snake-bitten red tail died Sunday night, despite our best efforts. And yes, it sucked to lose him when he was fighting so hard and showing some improvement.
The red tail recovering from a wing fracture continues to mend and will be due for follow-up x-rays soon, as will the pileated woodpecker, also recovering from a wing fracture.
The red shoulder quintet is ready for release, having passed their live prey test this week. They’d be gone now, but we’ve had a week of near-steady high rain chances and humidity levels that have wreaked havoc with my nerves. No photos of them, as now the mere act of walking in the raptor flight should qualify for hazard pay. I tuck my head, deliver the food and get out before I get whacked by strafing red shoulders!
Next up for the raptor flight will be the screech, who’s going stir-crazy. I give him maybe two weeks before he passes his live prey test and is good to go. He thinks he’s good to go now!
In other good-to-gos, three of the older killdeer quartet are ready for release. The fourth developed some sort of neurological issue Friday afternoon. He was standing normally Friday morning; he was unable to stand and looked as if he’d broken his leg Friday afternoon. I took him to Smalley’s for x-rays, which showed nothing. Vet Richie Hatcher suggested something neurological and we tried steroids, with no results as of today. Sadly, I’m going to have to euthanize the poor fellow.
The fellow with the bad leg is far left; you can see it stretched out behind him. This photo was taken just before his vet visit.
Both the brown thrasher duo and the red-bellied woodpecker are ready for the songbird flight, once I seal the “leak” where I’m pretty sure the two snakes got in. There just hasn’t been time this week, and honestly, I wouldn’t’ve put birds out in that stifling humidity, anyway.
Look at the change in the red belly in just a week! No photos of the thrashers; they’ve decided they hate the paparazzi and freak out when I aim even my phone camera at them.
Look at the change in the red belly in just a week! No photos of the thrashers; they’ve decided they hate the paparazzi and freak out when I aim even my phone camera at them.
The barnie is now totally self-feeding and stable enough for transfer to Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends, to join the barnie mob he currently has. He’ll be accompanied by this gorgeous juvenile osprey, who has a broken wing. Steve has a flight just for osprey, so he’s better set up for this fellow than I am.
This nestling mourning dove was brought inside the finder's house by a cat. He’s uninjured but has been on antibiotics to be safe. As you can see from the videos, he seems to be doing just fine!
The downy red shoulder ain’t so downy these days—pretty much just his head! He’s hit that “feed me-no, I’ll do it myself-no, feed me” stage that makes me crazy, and he’s getting antsy, too. As soon as the screech has some flight time and passes the live prey test, Mr. Red Shoulder goes in the raptor flight.
This is what happens when stressy little birds like Carolina wrens go 24 hours with no food. The finders took them to a mammal rehabber the morning after they found them, and she arranged transport to LWR, but by the time the transporter arrived that afternoon—she was coming from near the Florida line—it was too late. Always, ALWAYS check with a federally licensed bird rehabber to see what can be done to keep the birds alive and stable until they’re with that rehabber or another federally licensed rehabber.
When a caller reported nearly mowing over a baby bird in the middle of their yard and texted a photo of a fledgling mocker, I asked that they place it safely in trees or shrubs near where it was found, so the parents could continue caring for their baby. The caller asked if it would be safe.
People, no rehabber can guarantee that a bird they tell you to re-nest or place in the bushes for the parents to locate will be safe. There are numerous factors we don’t control: hawks, owls, outdoor cats, coyotes, snakes…the list is endless. The point is, IF the baby can be reunited with its parents, that’s normally the route we’re going to suggest, because the parents will do a better job of raising their babies than we ever could. Placing it back where the parents can find it exposes the bird to the same risks it’s faced since hatching. It’s nature, “red in tooth and claw.”
However, if there are obvious risks, like a free-roaming cat, we’ll recommend bringing the baby to us for safety’s sake.
In this case, the caller said they had a free-roaming outdoor cat, because they live “in the country.” Well, guess what? So do I, so far in the sticks that we nearly have to have our sunshine piped in, but I don’t use that as an excuse to allow my cats to roam outside. If anything, it’s more of a reason to keep them in: rural areas are more prone to packs of coyotes, bobcats, great horned owls and other predators who’d love a nice cat-snack.
My lecture to this effect fell on deaf ears. The mocker arrived an hour later.
People, no rehabber can guarantee that a bird they tell you to re-nest or place in the bushes for the parents to locate will be safe. There are numerous factors we don’t control: hawks, owls, outdoor cats, coyotes, snakes…the list is endless. The point is, IF the baby can be reunited with its parents, that’s normally the route we’re going to suggest, because the parents will do a better job of raising their babies than we ever could. Placing it back where the parents can find it exposes the bird to the same risks it’s faced since hatching. It’s nature, “red in tooth and claw.”
However, if there are obvious risks, like a free-roaming cat, we’ll recommend bringing the baby to us for safety’s sake.
In this case, the caller said they had a free-roaming outdoor cat, because they live “in the country.” Well, guess what? So do I, so far in the sticks that we nearly have to have our sunshine piped in, but I don’t use that as an excuse to allow my cats to roam outside. If anything, it’s more of a reason to keep them in: rural areas are more prone to packs of coyotes, bobcats, great horned owls and other predators who’d love a nice cat-snack.
My lecture to this effect fell on deaf ears. The mocker arrived an hour later.
Another caller wanted to tell me her life story when all I needed to know was what bird she’d found and why she thought it needed help. Turned out to be an adult Mississippi kite (MIKI) that she swore couldn’t fly, whose only injuries, confirmed by Richie at Smalley’s, were scratches to the face. Normally I try to get adult birds back to their home territory; this person’s comments about wanting to keep the MIKI as a pet and “train him to sit on my shoulder” (yeah, good luck with THAT) led me to believe this bird would be safer released here and allowed to find his way back home—it was only about 35 miles, and MIKIs can fly pretty darn fast. He was probably home for…ummm…coffee the next morning.
And finally, the wood ducklings are, of course, adorable.
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