Y’know, I don’t intentionally invite Murphy to the party, but I suppose I do tempt him with comments like last week’s “slow week” deal…Apparently he cackled with sadistic glee as he planned out this week’s schedule for me!
To begin with, the kestrel FINALLY got his turn in the raptor flight, where he needed to stay for a week or two to rebuild his flight muscles, right? “Nooooo,” sez Mr. Kestrel. He slammed himself into the roof hard enough to knock loose the hardware cloth and took off. This is what we call a “self-release.” I would’ve preferred he utilized the raptor flight at least a week, but hey, if he can fly well enough to hit with the speed to rip the hardware cloth loose, he can fly well enough… (The damage has since been repaired.)
To begin with, the kestrel FINALLY got his turn in the raptor flight, where he needed to stay for a week or two to rebuild his flight muscles, right? “Nooooo,” sez Mr. Kestrel. He slammed himself into the roof hard enough to knock loose the hardware cloth and took off. This is what we call a “self-release.” I would’ve preferred he utilized the raptor flight at least a week, but hey, if he can fly well enough to hit with the speed to rip the hardware cloth loose, he can fly well enough… (The damage has since been repaired.)
Then some folks’ son found a barred owl in the road and took it to them, as he was on his way to work or something, and they called LWR. Yep, another barred owl…this one’s left wing tipped backward at a funky angle and he had a big raw spot right at the inside wrist. It wasn’t an open fracture and I couldn’t feel any “crunchiness” but it definitely looked bad. I debated euthanizing him myself but decided I really wanted to see what kind of fracture caused that funky wing angle.
And this, boys and girls, is why it’s always a good idea to get x-rays first. As it turned out, nothing serious was broken—a small hand fracture—but apparently the wrist was dislocated, hence the odd angle. It audibly and palpably popped back into place when we stretched out the wing for x-rays, but he still needs time to rest the wing and allow it to heal. It’s now lightly wrapped to forestall movement while it heals—don’t want it popping back out of joint again!
Hot on his heels came another screech, this one found in the middle of the road—literally. His finder said he was dead-center of the double yellow lines and offered no resistance when he stopped to pick him up. X-rays showed no fractures but he does have a swollen left eye, with dilated pupil.
And THEN another barred owl came in—yep, looks like barreds are gonna be the number one raptor seen at LWR again this year…This fellow has a cloudy left eye but no fractures. He’s also quite feisty, even for a barred!
This Baltimore oriole had been with a mammal rehabber for over a week before arriving at LWR, so I really wasn’t hopeful we could do anything for what looked like a left shoulder fracture. He was also very sticky from not having anything but his oranges to perch on.
X-rays, however, showed a coracoid fracture—similar to a collarbone fracture in humans. These fractures don’t always show on x-rays so I was honestly rather pleased that this one did. There’s no way to wrap a coracoid fracture, so we just confine the bird to limit movement and hope it heals for proper flight. They usually do, so Mr. Oriole will spend the next month or so at the LWR B&B while he heals.
X-rays, however, showed a coracoid fracture—similar to a collarbone fracture in humans. These fractures don’t always show on x-rays so I was honestly rather pleased that this one did. There’s no way to wrap a coracoid fracture, so we just confine the bird to limit movement and hope it heals for proper flight. They usually do, so Mr. Oriole will spend the next month or so at the LWR B&B while he heals.
As for the long-termers, the red-tail, red shoulder, and barred owl need follow-up vet visits but there was no time with all the new intakes this week. The crow, I think, is actually ready for the flight pen. I’ve discussed him with vets Peggy Hobby and Richie Hatcher at Smalley’s and they agree that, given his perfect wing alignment and movement, it’s probably time to see what he’s capable of. The Screech Who Wouldn’t Leave is still here because it’s rained nearly every day this week, so no chance for another attempted release yet.
No new photos of the flyers this week; they’ve got just another few weeks before their release and they seem to know it, as they’re getting increasingly camera-shy!
Finally, a reminder that next weekend, Feb. 16-19, is the Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s free, easy, and fun—and there are mobile apps for both Android devices and iPhones, or you can keep your own list. You can participate every day or for just 15 minutes—this is truly the most flexible of the official bird counts out there. For info on getting started, click on this link: http://gbbc.birdcount.org/get-started/.
No new photos of the flyers this week; they’ve got just another few weeks before their release and they seem to know it, as they’re getting increasingly camera-shy!
Finally, a reminder that next weekend, Feb. 16-19, is the Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s free, easy, and fun—and there are mobile apps for both Android devices and iPhones, or you can keep your own list. You can participate every day or for just 15 minutes—this is truly the most flexible of the official bird counts out there. For info on getting started, click on this link: http://gbbc.birdcount.org/get-started/.
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