Unfortunately, none of the new arrivals in the past week survived the night…not pleasant, but when they come in badly mauled by cats or dogs or severely oiled, all we can do as rehabbers is begin treatment and hope for the best. This week a cat-attacked fledgling mourning dove, a probable cat-attacked blue jay and a badly oiled fledgling Carolina wren didn’t make it.
Continuing the death count, the robin who was doing so well at the last update suddenly developed severe respiratory problems, which the antibiotics he was on should have prevented but did not. He checked out. All three of the rabbits rescued from the lawn mower died.
But wait, there IS good news! The mallard was successfully released on a well-monitored pond (thanks to Chris and Shelley Baumann for the release site!) and we discovered, to our delight, that she was capable of limited flight—enough to escape predators if the need arose.
Continuing the death count, the robin who was doing so well at the last update suddenly developed severe respiratory problems, which the antibiotics he was on should have prevented but did not. He checked out. All three of the rabbits rescued from the lawn mower died.
But wait, there IS good news! The mallard was successfully released on a well-monitored pond (thanks to Chris and Shelley Baumann for the release site!) and we discovered, to our delight, that she was capable of limited flight—enough to escape predators if the need arose.
Three of the woodpeckers and the bluebird went to the flight pen last week and were released just yesterday. The woodpeckers are enthusiastic about coming down for supplemental feedings; the bluebird, not so much. I’ve heard him and occasionally seen him today, but he refuses to come down. Given that he was a bit of a sullen “guest” at LWR, this doesn’t surprise me.
The runt woodpecker is still inside, as he’s waaay behind his sibs developmentally. Honestly, I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll be releasable. He’s only about 2/3 the size of his normally developed sibs. We’ll just have to wait and see…
The brown thrasher is slated for the flight pen this week.
More than likely joining him will be the Carolina wren quartet, who have hit the adorably shy phase and are starting to perch and attempt short flights…when they’re not hiding…Honestly, the fact that such loudmouthed little birds—according to ornithologists, Caros have one of the loudest songs in proportion to their body size—can be so shy always amazes me.
And folks, the calls keep coming in about deer, despite the fact that I state on my voicemail that I’m focused on birds during baby bird season and not taking deer. So far, nearly every call I’ve gotten has been a kidnapped fawn. Let me remind you that unless you see the mother dead nearby or the baby is obviously injured, ill or running around bleating for his mama, the doe has parked that baby in what she deemed a safe place while she grazes nearby. LEAVE IT ALONE!! DO NOT KIDNAP THAT BABY!!! The folks at Wild Heart Ranch in Oklahoma have developed a nice little rhyme to help you remember when NOT to intervene: Ears are straight, fawn is great. Ears are curled, fawn alone in the world. Commit that sucker to memory and share the hell out of it every chance you get!
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