We had no new releases and only one new intake last week: a first-year red tail with a massively swollen toe that falconer Dennis Mock called to say he was taking in and would get to me the following day. There are no puncture wounds or scabs to indicate bumblefoot, and the toe is too swollen to feel any potential breaks. He’ll be headed in for x-rays to make sure we don’t have a toe fracture.
He was delivered to LWR by falconer Kayla Simmons. You may recall that Kayla is the falconer who took 2023’s “star” red shoulder—the one who came in as an app. 24-hour-old hatchling and had no surviving sibs and no other red shoulders in rehab to learn from. She’d been hunting yesterday with Bleu, as her husband named him, and had him with her. Look what a gorgeous bird he matured into! He and Kayla obviously have a great partnership.
Aside from that, it was the usual: the screeches are approaching the date that their fractures should be healed enough to test for flight—more to confirm those injuries didn’t heal for flight than anything else, as we know based on their x-rays it’s highly unlikely either will ever fly again. But the raptor educator interested in them has already been back in touch to see where things stand with them.
The falcon placement looks as if it’s going to fall through; the raptor educator who was planning to take her had second thoughts based on her described behavior and has found a bird who’s less problematic. Her spastic behavior is going to be an issue with any potential placement, I’m afraid, but I’ll be contacting Georgia DNR’s head biologist Bob Sargent this week to see if he has any leads. As harsh as it may sound, the reality is that she’s taking space and resources I need for other birds…
The barred owl with the wing fracture required euthanasia; both the radius and ulna were broken, right at the joint.
The other barred is one of the birds who needs to be in a flight.
Red shoulder 1 remains in the mini-pen for the moment; I didn’t get him and the falcon switched out last week.
Red shoulder 2, who came in with the nasty eye infection, is looking great; given his reluctance to eat in captivity—it’s been a struggle since intake—he may be a candidate for release next week, with no time in a flight. I know his wings work just fine, thanks; he’s gotten loose a couple of times as I was medicating his eye and led me a merry chase inside…
Feb. 5
Feb. 7
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