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

Mercury in retrograde, Murphy’s Law and other minor disasters

5/8/2016

6 Comments

 
Yep, been THAT kinda week. First, for a solid week the LWR voicemail wasn’t functional but until I was notified by a caller who emailed me that he’d left a message that I had no record of, I had no clue Verizon was apparently holding my voicemails hostage. Once I was alerted, turns out I had 26 missed messages; fortunately about half were from concerned callers repeating their initial messages. After an hour and a half of tardily returning voicemail messages and apologizing for the delay, I was furious but realized it could have been worse: the wildlife toll was three birds dead because of Verizon’s inefficiency, three birds arrived at LWR today, three fledglings had been reunited with their parents, and I left five voicemail messages/texts of my own for folks who didn’t answer right away, only one of which has been returned thus far.

This makes me livid on two counts: first, the possibly preventable deaths of wildlife due to Verizon’s ineptitude; second, the damage to my professional reputation. I’m not a happy camper, not at all. Verizon claims they were migrating all their customers to a “new and more reliable” voicemail platform, to which I say “horse hooey.” If it’s so all-fired reliable, someone explain to me how 26 voicemails could accumulate without a single notification. They are VERY aware of my dissatisfaction. VERY.

Then I was informed my name had inadvertently been omitted from the list of raptor rehabbers on our current state list, so while I’ve been assured by DNR this was an oversight, given that both my state and federal permits cover raptors, and has been corrected in their files, it will be July before they update the list again…So spread the word; I am raptor-permitted and will show copies of my permits to anyone who needs to see them…
​
Adding to the generally high level of frustration, the last two bluebirds, who were doing so well after their release, suddenly stopped flying, literally overnight. After watching them hang around in the old duck pen for an entire day, on the ground, I caught both and examined them for problems. Yep, they had problems, all right—somehow all their primaries on BOTH wings, for BOTH birds, had been totally trashed. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Given the level of aggression of the adult mockers hanging around the yard, I strongly suspect these poor babies were attacked by the mockers, breaking and pulling out their primaries. I know I’ve seen the mockers chasing the adult bluebirds.  Thankfully, because  LWR does soft releases, these two were in a place they could be monitored and brought back to safe confinement while their feathers grow back in.
Picture
​The brown thrasher, apparently expressing solidarity with his stubby-winged repeat pen-mates, managed to fall off perches several times and damage HIS flight feathers, as well, so he’ll be a guest at LWR longer than anticipated, also. He’s getting better at the perching thing, but it’s been at the expense of his flight feathers.
Picture
​There IS good news from this disastrous past week, however: the pine warbler, already mostly independent upon release, has stopped coming down for handouts. 
Picture
​All three GHOs are eating LWR into penury, and the youngest one will be flight-pen ready as soon as he starts eating larger mice and picking them up himself when he drops them. Yes, I know he’ll never fly with that jigsaw puzzle of a wrist, but he needs the room to stretch his wings, anyway. And who knows? He might just surprise us. Miracles do happen every now and then…
Picture
Picture
While I normally don’t take in mammals during baby bird season, when this little possum’s rescuer contacted LWR saying that no other mammal rehabbers she’d contacted would take possums and that he was the sole survivor after his mother had been found in the road dead, I couldn’t refuse the poor “leetle feller”. Although he was lethargic enough for concern on intake, he’s rebounded and is doing well now. Fortunately, since there’s just the one, he can easily be fed between bird feedings.

I’ve never understood the public—and even some rehabbers’—anti-possum sentiment.

Folks, please recall, if you will, that possums are very beneficial critters. In addition to aiding vultures in disposing of carrion, possums eat slugs, snails, and other creepy-crawlies you don’t want in your garden or house. They also eat snakes, including rattlesnakes, and are actually immune to rattlesnake venom. Additionally, current research indicates that because possums eat ticks—LOTS of ticks—they may play a major role in preventing Lyme Disease.
​
Some researchers call them Nature’s little garbage disposals—think about the disease they help prevent by eating things you don’t wanna deal with anyway!
Picture
Picture
Picture
​And another maligned creature is the vulture. Thankfully, the people who found this black vulture realized that carrion-eaters do serve a vital role in our ecosystem and rescued him. He just came in today, so we’ll be getting x-rays on that droopy left wing tomorrow.
Picture
Picture
​This lethargic brown thrasher fledgling was most likely cat-attacked. While the wing wasn’t broken, the flesh had been stripped away from a small area on the bone. Antibiotics and fluids weren’t enough; he died an hour after intake.
Picture
​High winds last week knocked down a tree containing a nest of red-bellied woodpeckers. When they were found, only this guy had survived the fall, but he’s doing well, all things considered.
Picture
Picture
​And this little screech was also found on the ground with his two dead sibs. He’s a teensy little fellow but eats well and was fortunate to’ve been found before exposure and/or predators cost him his little life, as well.
Picture
Picture
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go crawl under the bed, assume the fetal position and whimper, and hope and pray this week’s better than last week…
6 Comments
Pipette
5/8/2016 11:52:40 pm

I'm sorry you had such a crappy week, and I hope the week ahead will be far, far better.

Verizon deserves every choice invective you unleashed on them.

Murphy & Mercury in Retrograde ... a VERY nasty combination.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
5/9/2016 12:22:25 am

Thanks Pipette, and I hope it's a better week, too!

Reply
Leslie
5/9/2016 10:44:50 am

You know, I think we ought to put the screech owl's face on the $1.00 bill. :) I mean, really.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
5/9/2016 12:32:47 pm

Yeah, I could live with that... :)

Reply
Ann Feldman
5/10/2016 07:13:21 pm

Hi V...Verizon is on strike, so maybe a backup answering machine might be a good idea. You really have your hands full don't you. Too bad about the Blues but at least the Mockers didn't kill them. I need to ask you a question but will send an email

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
5/10/2016 10:11:12 pm

Hey Ann--great idea except the LWR line is through Verizon Wireless and I don't have time (or memory, most days) to check two lines constantly.

Yeah, the blues are NOT happy campers about being back in the flight, but hey--mockers is mean! ;)

Email away; I'll answer if I can.

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.