Laurens Wildlife Rescue
  • Home
  • I found a wild baby - what do I do?
  • How can I help?
  • Contact us
  • FAQ
  • This week in wildlife

Lordy, what a week…ups and downs and head-scratchin’…

5/4/2014

4 Comments

 
Yeah, it’s been a weird, weird week, with intakes, losses and a mystery nestling who’s not looking real good at the moment…Where to start?

The Carolina wrens have dropped in number; there are three left.  For some reason, I seldom have a full nest of Caros make it, so while I’m not happy about losing two babies, it is almost a given that it’s gonna happen. These three seem to be doing well, though, so fingers crossed for them. Carolina wrens are stressy little birds.
Picture
Picture
The nest of house finch hatchlings that came in last week after being alone all night didn’t survive. I had high hopes for the wee ones, but apparently there were some underlying issues that didn’t show on a physical exam, poor babies. They were alert and eating well…and then they were gone, just that quickly. Died in their sleep. This is one of the frustrations of wildlife rehab: critters that should have every chance at eventual release just keel over for no apparent reason.

On the bright side, the six older finches were all released this weekend, after a week of daily rain delayed their release to the point that they were as eager to go as I was for them to go. They flew the coop and didn’t look back. I managed one shot of the last one to leave.
Picture
Two brown thrashers came for an extended stay at the LWR B&B this week, one confiscated by school officials from a child who brought it from home and another that a lady had kept illegally for a week, but “now it’s ready to put out and I don’t know how.” I commented on how interesting it was that she kept the bird a week, looking up how to feed it online—a diet that wasn’t the worst I’ve seen but wasn’t balanced, either—and yet none of those sites apparently mentioned the illegality of her actions, but now suddenly, when the novelty wore off, she discovered she was breaking the law and was miraculously able to find my contact info.  Didn’t faze her. Some people are hopeless.

At any rate, both thrashers are doing fine, other than not being able to decide if they like or hate each other. Sometimes they’re cuddled together; other times they’re at opposite corners of the cage. They’ve been given some water and “big bird” food. So far they play with the mealworms but they do know what the bath water’s for!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
When a call about downed pileated woodpeckers came in after a particularly nasty, rainy, windy day last week, I was saddened to hear that four of the six babies were found dead after their nest was destroyed when the snag it was in split in two. Of the surviving two babies, one didn’t look good and the finders thought maybe the second had a chance. The first one died en route. The second, suffering from exposure in unseasonably cool, rainy weather; maggot eggs in his nose, ears, beak and pretty much everywhere else; a broken leg and massive internal bleeding, lasted about five minutes after I walked in the door with him. As I adore pileated woodpeckers, this really sucked. These babies’ eyes were just starting to open…
Picture
Picture
See the massive internal bleeding on the poor fellow on the right?
Picture
Picture
The grebe was released, and never was there a happier little bird. He dove under the water and disappeared; we started looking for him, and within seconds, his little head popped up like a cork a third of the way across a large pond…and then it disappeared again…and bobbed up even farther away! Grebes are expert divers; they dive to escape predators, since they’re such lousy flyers. One source actually describes them as part bird and part submarine! They even build floating nests, because they can’t maneuver on land. Talk about neat birds…
Picture
No baby season would be complete without a mockingbird or two, but honestly this little guy is psychotic. He acts like there’s some Cooper’s hawk somewhere in his ancestry! (NOT possible, folks, but it’s the best analogy to explain his insane behavior.) I’ve even had to move him back into a cardboard box because he managed to scrape and bloody his beak on the pen I had him in—he flings himself at the sides of whatever he’s in…over and over and over and…
Picture
This red-tailed hawk was hit by a truck Saturday and not gotten to LWR until today because the callers “got your voicemail yesterday”. Okay people, what part of “LEAVE A MESSAGE” is in Swahili?? If you don’t leave a message, I presume you have a species I’m not currently taking or live outside the area I serve. This ain’t rocket science, folks—leave a message! Nine times out of ten, I call back within 5 minutes!

At any rate, the RT isn’t lookin’ real good. His legs dangle limply but do respond when tested for feeling, so…we’re trying a little anti-inflammatory to see if maybe there’s just swelling compressing the nerves. My gut says we have an unfixable spinal injury, but I’m not willing to give up on the guy without a fight.
Picture
And here we have a downy…well, I originally said red shoulder, but it’s actually a Mississippi kite. I have a history of confusing the young of these two species, but he’s a kite. He was found on the ground with a dead sib nearby, and his rescuers drove about two hours one-way to get him to me, so he’d have a chance at life. Given his relish for food, I think he’ll be just fine.
Picture
This little flying squirrel was also driven quite a distance to get to LWR after she was found on the ground in the rain. She’s about 6 weeks old and loves her formula but doesn’t care much for solids yet, aside from blueberries.  She can chow down on a blueberry! Mostly, she still sleeps, though.
Picture
Picture
And rounding out today’s update, we have…I dunno. It’s a bird. It’s a nestling. I can reel off all the birds it’s NOT, but right now, I’m not sure what it IS. Too small for a mocker, too big for a blue-gray gnatcatcher…And it may not matter in the long run. This baby was gotten to me within an hour of being found but he’s weak-eyed and somewhat lethargic, and I’m not happy with his breathing—it’s too labored.  Antibiotics to the rescue—we hope.  We’ll see how the meds work and hope for the best. (And if any of my fellow rehabbers recognize the species, let me know!)
Picture
EDIT: Pretty sure my mystery nestling is a barn swallow. (But still willing to entertain suggestions from fellow rehabbers!)
4 Comments
Ann Feldman
5/4/2014 03:59:00 pm

Love the Thrashers and the Kite especially. Don't fret the losses. You are not God.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
5/4/2014 04:29:22 pm

Thanks Ann. Thrashers are always such sweet birds--and I love the gorgeous golden-yellow their eyes turn as adults. Just beautiful.

The kite's still a bit stressed, bless his little heart. His world's been turned upside down--lost his nest and his sibling and now separated from his parents...poor baby.

I'll always fret the losses. It's just in the makeup of a rehabber. We know we can't save 'em all, but it doesn't stop us from grieving over the ones we lose. And it always hurts my heart worse to lose the babies--they never even had a chance at life.

Reply
Pam M
5/5/2014 05:32:35 am

Hoping the grebe thrives in his private pond. That baby kite is adorable - I bet he pulls through with your awesome care.

Another great look at the daily trials, tribulations and delights of the rehabber...!

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
5/5/2014 05:42:31 am

Thanks Pam!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008

    Categories

    All
    Baby Birds
    Baby Deer
    Baby Opossums
    Baby Possums
    Baby Rabbits
    Bluegray Gnatcatchers
    Carolina Wren
    Common Loons
    Epd
    Fawns
    House Finch
    Mbta
    Migratory Bird Treaty Act
    Mockers
    Mockingbirds
    Orphaned Birds
    Orphaned Deer
    Orphaned Fawns
    Orphaned Opossums
    Orphaned Possums
    Orphaned Rabbits
    Orphaned Wildlife
    Squirrels
    Wildlife
    Wood Ducks

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.