LWR released two birds last week, the mature red tail who came in rail-thin and the barred owl who came in the previous weekend with head trauma.
As antsy as the red tail was, I was sure he’d be gone quickly. Not so...he sat on the glove in threat posture. And sat. And sat. And sat. Finally, I gave up trying to record his release, put the camera up, and reached for the glove I had tossed over my shoulder. And then the uncooperative little snot took off like a rocket. So no release video and no post-release photos, but isn’t this a lovely shot of him just prior to release? (Yeah, those green stains were on his underwing when he came in, from where he pooped in the box he was being transported in. A month later, he still hadn’t fully groomed them off.)
As antsy as the red tail was, I was sure he’d be gone quickly. Not so...he sat on the glove in threat posture. And sat. And sat. And sat. Finally, I gave up trying to record his release, put the camera up, and reached for the glove I had tossed over my shoulder. And then the uncooperative little snot took off like a rocket. So no release video and no post-release photos, but isn’t this a lovely shot of him just prior to release? (Yeah, those green stains were on his underwing when he came in, from where he pooped in the box he was being transported in. A month later, he still hadn’t fully groomed them off.)
The barred owl decided to get vocal with me the day before his release; that, coupled with his general alertness and healthy appetite, convinced me he was ready to go, so he was released late in the evening on the same day the red tail was released. The barred didn’t waste time, as you can see below—if I do say so myself, that’s a gorgeous release video! Go full screen for the best results.
The first-year red tail recovering from the elbow fracture isn’t looking promising. He makes no real attempt to fly. He needs to show me some effort, some slight improvement, or we’re gonna have to start thinking about hard decisions.
Tried to get below him slightly to get this photo so you could more clearly see his relaxed posture with that one foot pulled up.
The screech refuses to let me see him fly but I know he can. He’d rather give me the screech death glare. I’m so terrified...NOT. Gotta love screeches!
While there were numerous calls last week, none resulted in intakes. Honestly, I’m never sure if that’s a good thing or not. In a couple of cases, the would-be rescuers did let me know the bird they were attempting to rescue was able to fly away so at least I know those birds should be okay. I know: “You can’t save ‘em all.” Doesn’t stop you from wishing you could, though.
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