Mixed start to 2020

New Year’s Day started with promise, as the skies were clear, no rain was predicted for several days, and I was able to release four antsy birds and move the Coop into the mini-pen. However, nightfall brought catastrophe when a snag fell on my songbird flight, inflicting substantial damage.

The snag was actually closer to the raptor flight and I’d worried in the past that it might fall on it, but it fell in the opposite direction, on a calm, windless night, and the very top portion of it caught the end of the songbird flight. Below are images of the damage:

Hopefully the damage can be repaired before the onset of baby season; we’ll see. At least there were no birds in it this time of year, unlike the raptor flight, which remains in use year-round.
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The four birds released were the barred owl, red shoulder and both screeches. I managed short videos, below, of each release but no post-release photos.

​The Coop is doing well in the mini-pen, is slated to be moved to the raptor flight this week and should be released within the next couple of weeks.

The flyers are doing their little nocturnal thing—nothing’s changed since last week’s video. They peek their little heads out as I’m freshening their food each night but I only see them out and about if I use the red light after lights-out in the rehab room.
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And the search for permanent placement for Sisyphus the kestrel will begin this week. I have a couple of places in mind but won’t put them on the spot by mentioning them at this point.