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Flyers and kestrels and vultures…Oh my!

10/27/2013

10 Comments

 
Sorry…couldn’t resist. As soon as I’m done with the update, I’ll go bang my head against a wall to simulate a collective head slap from everybody who groaned and rolled their eyes at the header, okay? (Yeah, like I’m THAT stupid?!?!)

Let’s lead with the kestrel, just because this was a neat surprise for me. Kestrels aren’t as common around here as they used to be, so when I walked outside Friday and heard a kestrel’s unmistakable cry, I did a U-turn to grab the camcorder. Luckily, the mouthy little darlin’ stayed put until I could locate her, and then, to my surprise, I heard another kestrel answering her call across the field. She flew across the field to what I presume was her mate—he looked male from my angle—and they sat a few feet apart on the power line for several minutes before flying off. Tried for video of that, too, but they were a bit too far away for it to be useful.
And…earlier that day I’d heard at least one red tailed hawk calling from somewhere behind the house, and several nights last week before it got so cool I had to close the windows, I heard screech owls whinnying (I think I’ve mentioned before that “whinny” is the actual term used, as opposed to their trill).

I love it when I see or hear wildlife that doesn’t need my help!

Unfortunately, I can’t help this poor first-year turkey vulture, who will never fly again. An out-of-town cell tower inspector found him at his inspection site in Toombs County and was informed by people who lived nearby that he’d been down for a couple of weeks. His left wing is broken, badly enough that he’s been standing and pooping on it, although it’s not an open fracture. What really infuriates me is that had the people who lived near the site called me earlier, we might have been able to save this vulture. As it is, because birds’ bones begin to set within 48 hours of a fracture, he’s well and truly screwed.
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I spent a good 15 minutes trying to explain to his rescuer that he couldn’t be helped, that euthanasia was going to be his only option, and that because vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), they cannot be kept in captivity without the proper permits. He was not happy that “someone” couldn’t just build a pen in the back yard and keep the vulture there.

Folks, aside from the above-mentioned illegality of such an action, let me address the quality of life issues here. Rehabbers don’t make the decision to euthanize lightly. Yes, we’re experienced enough that we can often, upon initial exam, determine whether an intake is savable or not, so it may seem to the uninitiated that we casually toss off, “He’ll need euthanasia.”

But there’s nothing casual about that assessment. We’ve looked at the extent of the injury, the estimated length of time the bird’s been down, its general condition, its chances for release, and the possibility of placing it in an educational facility—and we’ve probably done all that while we had you filling out an intake form. In addition, we’ve taken into account the quality of life the bird (or other wildlife) would have in captivity.  See, it’s not all about quantity of life; it’s about quality.

Case in point: this turkey vulture.  Yeah, I could keep him alive. I could apply for and probably be granted an educational permit and use him to do programs in schools and such. But this is an adult bird. You see in the photos how he reacts to human presence. What quality of life is there in living in a cage, unable to ever fly again, and being dragged from one group of chattering school children to another, shooting his stress levels through the roof?

Euthanasia means “good death.” There are those who would argue there’s no such thing. No wildlife rehabber I know would agree. Euthanasia is a release, a humane end to pain and suffering we can’t fix. It’s better than the animal starving to death or being stung to death by fire ants or eaten alive by maggots. And in many cases, it’s kinder than a life of captivity. We don’t make the decision lightly, but we do take the action that’s in the wildlife’s best interest.

Okay, off the soapbox and on to some unbelievable cuteness. You’re getting four video clips of the flyers this week—how lucky can ya get? Mere words can’t do justice to the adorable little rascals, so…on to the videos!
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10 Comments
neener
10/27/2013 09:35:25 am

Sorry about the vulture- and idiots!! Flyers are too cute :) I couldn't get the 3rd one to play even on you tube (?) I even have windows cracked to hear the birds - heater is on tho! Best always and try not to punch those idiots, ok?

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
10/27/2013 09:46:59 am

Thanks neener! Checked all the vids--all play for me. Weird...

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Ann Feldman
10/27/2013 12:34:13 pm

Interesting observation about educ. birds. The best exhibit I recently saw was run by a young woman who strictly kept the kids quiet and showed one bird at a time (the rest were in their boxes and out of sight). She also thoroughly explained what had happened to them and why we should learn not to make the same mistakes. Group is Volunteers for Wildlife located in Locust Valley, NY.

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
10/27/2013 01:35:03 pm

Hey Ann, there are some birds that make great ed. birds. Most adult birds don't; distrust of humans is too deeply ingrained. Young birds that come in with injuries precluding their release can be worked with and often make great ed. birds. And some adults are amazing--Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends had a great horned owl with a shoulder injury that made him nonreleasable. He came in as an adult but had such a laid-back personality that Steve was able to use him as an ed. bird with great success for over a decade. He also had a black vulture who came in young and was a big hit at programs.

It has a great deal to do with time to work one-on-one with the birds to train them, too, and quite honestly, right now I don't have that kind of time. My focus is preparing them for release back into the wild, not a life of captivity--although I do understand the need for ed. birds and the valuable role they serve as ambassadors for their species and wildlife conservation as a whole.

When/if the right bird comes along, I'd gladly take it on as an ed. bird and somehow make the time in an already-overfull schedule to train it. Just haven't found "that" bird yet--the one I can see won't be overly stressed by crowds and captivity and that has the personality to make it "appealing" to people.

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Pipette
10/28/2013 10:06:21 am

So sad about the vulture. How stupid are people? Never mind, we already have the answer in this case.

How can anyone observe an injured creature for WEEKS and not take action? I don't understand that at all.

Thank you, though, for the info that birds' bones begin to set within 48 hours - that's something I never knew (or had reason to) until today.

The flyers are too cute; if there were a rating scale for cuteness, they'd *still* be off the end of the scale. What little scamps!

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
10/28/2013 10:44:48 am

Thanks Pipette. Yeah, two other rehabbers have made basically the same comment about uncaring idiots...You'll note that I was remarkably restrained in addressing that issue! As vet Richie Hatcher said this morning, though, people see vultures as "vermin" and don't understand their valuable role in the environment. They're not "glamorous" or cuddly, so people don't wanna be bothered...yet they'll pick up a worm-infested, possibly rabid raccoon without thinking twice about it because coons are "cute". (And coons ARE cute; I won't deny that. But knowing all the potential diseases they can carry, I just don't want them on the premises--they're best left to the folks who are comfortable taking those risks.)

Yep, now you have an interesting bit of trivia to toss out during the next awkward silence at a party, huh? "Did you know that birds' broken bones begin to set within 48 hours of the initial fracture?"

The flyers are impossibly cute and have personalities to match. This is why I'll continue to rehab them even though my main focus now is birds. (I'd also like to get my RVS license one of these days to work with bats only--none of the other rabies vector species. I guess if it flies or glides, I wanna rehab it!)

Reply
Ann Feldman
10/28/2013 04:58:15 pm

Did I mention that the day we got lost off the bike path in the Laurentians turkey vultures circled overhead constantly? ;-)

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
10/29/2013 03:38:42 am

LOL--even when you know why they do it (and I know you do!), it's still deeply culturally ingrained to get that sinking feeling at the sight of circling vultures, huh?!

Reply
Dianne Imarisio
11/3/2013 12:28:22 am

What is a flyer?????

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
11/3/2013 02:53:58 am

Hey Wiz! Flyers are flying squirrels--although they actually glide, not fly.

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