While the fundraiser officially ended with just $2775 raised of the $5500 goal, the earlier Paul grant application was approved for the maximum $2000; that, along with a couple of late individual donations, pushed us to $4900, just $600 shy of the goal. So barring another clutch of four late-season, garbage-disposal barnies, we should be able to hang in there for the remainder of the year. Massive, heartfelt thanks to all those who donated to help us continue to “give Nature’s children a second chance.”
Sadly, after too many “second chances” we had to call it on the kingbird this week. If you’ll recall, the poor little fellow had been struggling from intake. I took him to the vet mid-week to see if there was anything I’d missed. Vet Peggy Hobby of Smalley’s Animal Hospital and two vet techs ran several fecals to make sure they didn’t miss anything; everything looked normal across the board. But by that afternoon, he was “stargazing” uncontrollably—this is also called wry-neck, when the neck twists so that the bird’s head is essentially upside down. The poor little one tried to control his head but it kept jerking back upside down. He refused to open his eyes and had to be force-fed. It was time to call it; he’d put up a good fight but it wasn’t gonna happen for him.
In better news, colleague Kathryn Dudeck of Chattahoochee Nature Center, who’d taken the little juvie broadwing from LWR last week, reported that he’d been released into a family of broadies who immediately accepted him as one of the gang. Good news indeed!
This little common ground dove nestling was found with a slight abrasion at the base of his wing; although the finder said her indoor/outdoor cat was “too old” to hunt, I’ve never found this to be the case with cats, so the wee one has been on antibiotics as a safety measure. He’s doing well and growing like a weed. The first photo is from day of intake, August 1; the second was taken today.
Sadly, after too many “second chances” we had to call it on the kingbird this week. If you’ll recall, the poor little fellow had been struggling from intake. I took him to the vet mid-week to see if there was anything I’d missed. Vet Peggy Hobby of Smalley’s Animal Hospital and two vet techs ran several fecals to make sure they didn’t miss anything; everything looked normal across the board. But by that afternoon, he was “stargazing” uncontrollably—this is also called wry-neck, when the neck twists so that the bird’s head is essentially upside down. The poor little one tried to control his head but it kept jerking back upside down. He refused to open his eyes and had to be force-fed. It was time to call it; he’d put up a good fight but it wasn’t gonna happen for him.
In better news, colleague Kathryn Dudeck of Chattahoochee Nature Center, who’d taken the little juvie broadwing from LWR last week, reported that he’d been released into a family of broadies who immediately accepted him as one of the gang. Good news indeed!
This little common ground dove nestling was found with a slight abrasion at the base of his wing; although the finder said her indoor/outdoor cat was “too old” to hunt, I’ve never found this to be the case with cats, so the wee one has been on antibiotics as a safety measure. He’s doing well and growing like a weed. The first photo is from day of intake, August 1; the second was taken today.
This red-tailed hawk was “pointed” by the finders’ dog. The two pre-teen boys were in the yard when the dog alerted them to something in the bushes. They walked over to find this mature bird on the ground, and they and their mother delivered the bird to LWR the next morning. Aside from a slight ding on the wing, which x-rays showed wasn’t a fracture, his main issue seemed to be near-starvation, probably due to capillaria (worms that fill the crop and make the bird feel full even as he starves to death). He’s being treated for that now and while still lethargic and requiring hand-feeding, he is showing slight signs of improvement.
As an aside, major kudos to the vet techs at Smalley’s who took the x-rays in this update. The light on their machine that allows them to ensure proper positioning of the wings, etc., for x-rays was blown, so they were shooting blind while they awaited the arrival of the new light. I think they did a great job!
As an aside, major kudos to the vet techs at Smalley’s who took the x-rays in this update. The light on their machine that allows them to ensure proper positioning of the wings, etc., for x-rays was blown, so they were shooting blind while they awaited the arrival of the new light. I think they did a great job!
Unfortunately, this red-shouldered hawk wasn’t as lucky. He was hit by a car; the person who hit him stopped, gathered him up and got him to LWR as quickly as possible. Kudos to them for doing the right and responsible thing. However, his wing was trashed—broken at the shoulder and elbow. He was euthanized.
Large dog versus small bird is never a good scenario; when this adult brown thrasher was rescued from the jaws of a Husky, he appeared to have no outward injuries but couldn’t fly. His finder followed my advice to give him a few hours to see if he was just in shock or stunned. When he still couldn’t fly she brought him to LWR, where he died overnight, most likely from internal injuries.
The wood ducks are ready to go this week, and I’m not sure who’s happier about that, me or them. It’s a toss-up.
The Eurasian collared dove is in the songbird flight now and should be good to go later this week.
The older Mississippi kite (MIKI) looks like he might be regrowing those flight feathers. It’s still too early to say for sure, and they don’t show well in photos yet, but by next week we should definitely know. It’s actually kind of exciting to think he may be able to make migration, after all, but we’ll curb our enthusiasm till we’re sure of what we’re seeing on that wing…
Taken before changing his box; afterward he throws himself in a corner and glares at me because I dared to touch him...
And he was joined early in the week by a younger MIKI, a transfer from colleague Steve Hicks of Bubba & Friends. He needed x-rays to see how bad a broken wing actually was. It’s iffy; Peggy said the radius and ulna looked as if they were fusing together as they healed, which could be a Very Bad Thing for this vocal little rascal. Time will tell. Meanwhile, he’s not shy about voicing his opinions on everything!
And finally, the screech is now in the raptor flight, where he perches in a corner and glares at me when I go in to freshen his water and put out his food. He’s flying well enough; he just needs to pass the live prey test and he’ll be slated for release immediately afterward.
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