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.
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.
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.
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.
There IS good news from this disastrous past week, however: the pine warbler, already mostly independent upon release, has stopped coming down for handouts.
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…
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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