Blog Posts - Laurens Wildlife Rescue

Laurens Wildlife Rescue

One release, one intake

2/2/2025

Last week was slightly calmer weather-wise, as well as on the intake front—and the recalcitrant barred finally decided to regain his freedom!

Let’s start with that barred. He sat on the glove forever, glaring at me and beak-clicking threats, until suddenly the light went on in his dim little brain and he realized he was free to fly away. Maybe those two working brain cells actually finally communicated with each other… Where owls got a reputation for being intelligent is beyond me, ‘cause I promise y’all, they ain’t smart!

The sole intake for the week came from a small mammal/RVS (rabies vector species) colleague in a neighboring county. She works at a vet clinic and the bird, a first-year red tail, was brought there. She x-rayed the broken left wing which, although somewhat displaced, may possibly heal for flight. Since the wing was noticeably drooping, I wrapped it once he arrived at LWR…although he refuses to turn where I can get photos of the wrap. It’s an instinctive behavior, keeping his weak side angled away from “the enemy,” as he perceives me.

The mature red tail continues to offer death glares when he’s fed and to attempt grievous bodily harm when his paper is changed. He’s footed me through the glove once, bruised through the glove multiple times, and makes it clear through those death glares that I’m only allowed to live because I feed him. I’ve nicknamed him Vlad the Impaler. Of course, I always hope every bird can be released, but this guy’s amazing genes REALLY need to be in the gene pool.

The sharpie is starting to get “cabin fever,” so fingers crossed he doesn’t start doing anything stupid or self-destructive, which they can and will often do.

And I gather both the Yankee groundhog and Georgia’s own General Beauregard Lee have predicted another 6 weeks of winter…Oh frabjous joy… (Actually, our weather looks to be warmer than usual for the next month, so I think General Lee’s prediction is off this year!)

Weather made last week a slow one

1/26/2025

A wide swathe of South and Middle Georgia experienced snow last week—an uncommon occurrence here—along with temps that struggled to rise above freezing for several days, meaning that snow and ice lingered for most of the week. The result was few people on the roads and, aside from playing in the rare snow, few people even outside. This, of course, meant no new intakes for the week, making this a short update.

The barred owl is good for release this week; we have rain predicted for tonight and tomorrow, but a clear forecast for the remainder of the week, with warmer weather, so he’ll be on his way ASAP after the rain moves out.

The sharpie continues to make his anger at captivity known, but his “wrist” fracture hasn’t had time to heal yet. He’ll be at LWR for another month, at least.

The red tail remains alert and aggressive. His wing may not heal for flight, but we’ll give him the time he needs to heal and test it.

And we’ll end this week’s update with a photo of last week’s snow for your viewing pleasure…

Releases ahead of frigid temps

1/19/2025

Our predicted “rainy season” for the weekend turned into wind bringing Siberian cold with it tonight and through this week, but LWR did manage several releases last week in plenty of time for the birds to adjust…and we had a couple of euthanasias as well.

Starting with the three birds who needed vet visits for x-rays, the mature red tail that I really thought was just too full to move turned out to have a body full of birdshot that had broken a toe and an ulna. The toe should heal just fine; the ulna may be too displaced to heal for flight. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Because he’d been shot, his injuries had to be reported to the state and feds. Given that dove season is in till the end of this month, it’s highly likely he’s a victim of “pray and spray” over a dove field.

The first year red tail with spinal trauma also had a right wing fracture that would never heal for flight; he required euthanasia.

The barred owl who came in last Sunday also had a nasty fracture that required euthanasia.

Two of the three remaining barreds were released; the third seemed reluctant to fly to freedom but is flying perfectly well in the main flight, where he was moved after a day or two in the mini-pen. We’ll try again when this cold snap ends.

The other two barreds wasted little time heading off into the wild.

Same for the red tail who’d been at LWR since mid-November of last year—his finder graciously provided the release video below.

And the sharpie continues to do well, all things considered (meaning he hasn’t yet started self-mutilating or any of the other self-destructive behavior these high-strung birds are prone to in captivity).

Laurens County and most of Middle Georgia are predicted to get some sort of “wintry precipitation” Tuesday, so keep y’all’s fingers crossed that we don’t lose power during whatever weather we get.

Busy week for January

1/12/2025

LWR saw four intakes last week through today, making it the busiest week of 2025 thus far. (I’m being facetious, people; I’m aware it’s only the second full week of the year…)

The first intake was a gray-phase screech found in the roadway several counties away. He was lethargic and unresponsive on intake and didn’t survive the night.

The second was a first-year red tail with spinal trauma, who came in just before our predicted “winter storm,” which dumped only cold rain on Laurens County Friday, but in sufficient quantity that it seemed safer to hold off till this week to get him in for x-rays.

The third, a barred, came in early this morning and has a very obviously broken right wing. It feels like it’s right in/at the shoulder, so x-rays will be needed for this one, too.

And the fourth, arriving just after noon, is a feisty, full-cropped mature red tail who I suspect is totally uninjured but was just sluggish due to that bigger-than-his-head crop. If his x-rays confirm this, he can be released back into his home territory by week’s end; his finders have already expressed willingness to do so.

As for the “older” LWR residents, the red tail in the main flight is good to go; I’ll be in touch with his finders tomorrow to arrange his release.

The barred in the mini-pen and the second barred inside are good to go.

Barred 3’s eye injury was confirmed to be an existing condition that the bird had adjusted to, so he’s also good for release.

And the sharpie’s right wrist fracture is minor, not displaced, and doesn’t seem to be interfering with his ability to move the wing, so we’re giving him time to heal fully and then he’ll be tested in the main flight…assuming he doesn’t injure himself worse trying to escape his box. Sharpies aren’t far behind Coops in being psychotic little birds.

So if all goes well, next week there should be a slew of releases to report: three barreds and two red tails. We have a very short window for these releases before another “rainy season” moves in toward the end of the week, so fingers crossed…

Ending one year and beginning another on the same “note”

1/5/2025

Talk about a weird coincidence…2024 ended with a New Year’s Eve barred intake, and the first intake of 2025 was—yup, you guessed it: a barred!

The NYE barred had a minor concussion that began resolving itself within 48 hours, so he’s actually ready to be moved to a flight as soon as one’s open.

The first bird of 2025 may not be as lucky. His right eye is totally deflated, and it’s hard to tell if this is a new injury or one that occurred so long ago that he’s already adjusted to it. Given the lack of aqueous or vitreous humor draining from the eye on intake, I’m leaning toward an old injury. He’ll most likely be making a vet trip to confirm my guess, and then we’ll decide if he’s releasable or not, as owls hunt more by hearing than sight.

And just yesterday, a juvenile sharpie with a broken right wing came in. The break feels very close to the wrist joint, so we’ll need x-rays to see if this is one that can be mended.

As for the “older” barred, he’s in the mini-pen now and indicating he’s ready to go; unfortunately, with the extreme cold predicted for Georgia for this week, he’s not goin’ anywhere. Yes, I know birds can survive in intemperately cold weather, but such conditions make hunting more difficult, so I’d rather go into a holding pattern until temps are more moderate.

The red tail was moved into the main flight and should be ready for release by early next week. If y’all recall, his finder wanted to release him back into his home territory on his property, always the best option for mature birds, so I’ll be in touch with him toward the end of this week to see what days next week will be convenient for him to retrieve this gorgeous fellow and restore his freedom.

According to the weather-guessers, this cold front is supposed to affect a wide swathe of the US, so y’all hunker down and stay warm this week!

And the rehab year winds to a close…

12/29/2024

Hope y’all’re ready for a new year, ‘cause it’s comin’ whether we’re prepared or not!

LWR had two new intakes in the two weeks since our last update: the first was a juvenile sharpie found grounded outside a pool shelter, unable to fly. His wings were fine; he had spinal trauma. On intake his legs were straight out behind him and unresponsive to the pinch test. He also had slightly labored breathing. After a round of steroids, he showed no improvement; in fact, the trauma was so bad he had no bodily functions—couldn’t even poop, in other words. And he was only able to eat if he was hand-fed, as he couldn’t stand and use his feet to hold his food. The poor fellow required euthanasia.

The second intake was a barred owl with head trauma who is now ready to go into the mini-pen.

Of course, currently the mini-pen is occupied by the red tail who had the inexplicable issues with his left side. These have now resolved, he’s perching like a pro and moving from perch to perch, and he’s even putting his full weight on the left leg when he’s at rest and draws up a leg, a gorgeous sight after watching him initially struggle to perch using both feet. So he’ll be moved to the main flight this week so the barred can go into the mini-pen.

Within another week or two, both should be good for release—a good start to the new year.

Happy New Year, y’all!

Releases!

12/15/2024

After rain, cold and wind, the weather finally cooperated and two birds were released just this morning!

The barred owl had an unusual release: flew forward and then circled back overhead. The result was the camera lost focus on him, so it’s not a great release video, but it’s still an interesting one.

And yes, normally owls are released close to dusk, but barreds are opportunistic hunters, meaning they’re active day and night if prey is available, so an early morning release isn’t out of bounds for them.

The red shoulder flew to a nearby tree and then took off for a farther branch; I followed and snagged a second video of him flying out of sight this time.

The red tail is in the mini-pen—for today, at least, to see if he’s perching properly by day’s end. He stands perfectly level, weight equally distributed on both legs/feet; he snags mice with that left foot; his grip with it is strong…and yet he seems unable/unwilling to perch…I dunno; as the King of Siam famously said, “Is a puzzlement.”

There will be no update next Sunday, Dec. 22, so let me go ahead and wish y’all a very Merry Christmas! (The next update will be Dec. 29.)

Temps moderate, rain moves in…of course

12/8/2024

Beginning Saturday, our temps became more seasonal, i.e., moderate, and so that very afternoon, attempts were made to move birds outside.

The red tail, while managing a low perch, still favors his left side and has difficulty hopping onto the perches in both flights. Recall that his rads showed no fractures, so apparently he had some massive bruising/soft tissue damage on that side, in addition to the balance issues it took him a while to recover from. He’s unhappily inside for a while yet but still eating like he’s starving…and believe me, he ain’t! Six large-to-extra-large mice a day definitely qualifies as more feast than famine!

The barred owl, on the other hand, was ready, willing, and able to perch and fly beautifully and will be released later this week, after the rain predicted for early in the week moves through.

Saturday a youngish red shoulder was found on the roadside by a Good Samaritan from a neighboring county, who brought it to LWR. Aside from a little blood on the beak, the bird seems alert, aggressive, and potentially releasable within the week, as well. There are no signs of fractures and he’s perching well, so he may go in the mini-pen within the next couple of days, as soon as he’s self-feeding.

And that’s it for this week; if the rain moves on through as predicted, there should be at least one release video for next week.

Who left the freezer door open?

12/1/2024

Thanksgiving departed with a freeze rather than a bang! It’s coooold in Georgia right now, and is predicted to remain frigid throughout this week.

And why does that matter for LWR’s wildlife update, you may be asking?

Well, in the wild these birds have to survive in whatever the weather, but when they’re in rehab they get a little pampering, as it were, i.e., no releases, no moves into outside pens for inside birds, and extra rations for those already in outside pens.

So the barred owl recovering from head trauma is sitting inside rather than being in a flight pen to test her flight capabilities prior to release.

The red tail’s balance issues are finally starting to improve; he’s mostly perching, albeit on a very low perch. But given his emaciation on intake and the lingering balance issues, which we now suspect were from severe head trauma rather than any kind of infection or parasite, he’s obviously inside—can’t have an already-thin bird burning calories needed for healing just to stay warm.

So these two birds will remain inside and continue their “spa treatment” for the remainder of this week. Next week’s temps are looking a little warmer, so we’ll see about getting them both outside early next week.

There were no new intakes last week.

Releases, finally!

11/24/2024

It looked iffy for most of the week, between rain and high winds, but Saturday the weather finally cooperated, and the two barreds and the screech were released!

The screech went into the lower branches of a bush; when I put down the camera and went to check on him, he took off.

The Helene barred landed in an open area, so I went after him, as well—but I’d learned my lesson with the screech and kept the camera handy. The barred flew farther into the open area, but I wasn’t breaking my neck chasing him; he’d proven he could obviously fly where he wanted.

The second barred had a much prettier release and flew deeper into the woods when I tried for a post-release photo.

The red tail is still inside because he has severe balance issues and can stand only in the confines of a box; he won’t even use the low perch in the box. He’s still very alert and food-aggressive; he just has trouble standing without those walls around him. He’s not leaning against the box but will fall slap over if he’s in an open space…We’re still trying to figure out what’s causing the balance issues.

And today another barred came in, this one a runt male with a massive concussion. Nothing feels broken, so he just needs time to get his horizontal and vertical hold straightened out.

Hope y’all all have a happy Thanksgiving!