Last week was another typical fall week, with few intakes, a couple of releases, and the three “long-termers” biding their time.
First, the releases: both the mourning dove and house finch were released. True to predictions, the finch didn’t waste time leaving; the dove, however, did actually hang around for a day or two, so I was able to get a couple of pretty decent post-release shots of him.
First, the releases: both the mourning dove and house finch were released. True to predictions, the finch didn’t waste time leaving; the dove, however, did actually hang around for a day or two, so I was able to get a couple of pretty decent post-release shots of him.
Sunday’s possible Coop turned out to be a broad-wing hawk. I see so few of them I actually had to check my bird ID guides to make sure that’s what I had. They’re fairly common in Georgia; LWR just doesn’t see many of them. Upon intake, I was sure the right wing was trashed, although the “professional” who found him or had him for several days before transport—whichever—told the volunteer transporter it was a fixable break. X-rays at Smalley’s showed my assessment was correct; the wing was shattered like a jigsaw puzzle from shoulder to elbow. It was not fixable, and he was euthanized. There are times being right purely sucks.
I didn’t get photos of him before taking him to Smalley’s, but I do, of course, have his x-ray, which shows the damage to his poor wing.
I didn’t get photos of him before taking him to Smalley’s, but I do, of course, have his x-ray, which shows the damage to his poor wing.
Monday a barred owl came in from the game warden in a neighboring county; he’d retrieved it from someone who’d had it a week, attempting to feed it canned cat food mixed into water—supposedly on the advice of “experts” (the finder’s words) in Fort Valley. To my knowledge there are no raptor “experts” in Fort Valley, and for the record, canned cat food is NEVER appropriate for raptors. NEVER.
His left wing felt broken in the wrist, and x-rays at Smalley’s showed it was actually his entire hand that was shattered, with no signs at all of calluses forming after a week. Given the lack of any evidence of healing and the fact that barreds are nearly impossible to place as ed birds, we opted for euthanasia. Again, I forgot to take photos of him prior to his trip to Smalley’s, so all I have is his x-ray.
His left wing felt broken in the wrist, and x-rays at Smalley’s showed it was actually his entire hand that was shattered, with no signs at all of calluses forming after a week. Given the lack of any evidence of healing and the fact that barreds are nearly impossible to place as ed birds, we opted for euthanasia. Again, I forgot to take photos of him prior to his trip to Smalley’s, so all I have is his x-ray.
And yesterday a sweet little approximately six-week-old flyer came in, the victim of a dog attack. His rescuer called LWR but I could tell from his voice he had no intention of attempting to bring the poor fellow to me, so I contacted colleagues John and Luanne Brooker, who are focusing solely on deer this year but are in the same county as the caller, and asked if they could get the flyer from the individual and to me, which they did. The rescuer and the Brookers all mentioned the little fellow biting them, which is unusual for flyers, especially babies with their eyes still closed.
While he never offered to bite me, his intake exam revealed a broken right leg and a punctured patagium (the skin flap between their front and back legs that allows flyers to glide) just below the left elbow. I started meds, got a little food in him and put him on low heat—all SOP for flyers.
While he never offered to bite me, his intake exam revealed a broken right leg and a punctured patagium (the skin flap between their front and back legs that allows flyers to glide) just below the left elbow. I started meds, got a little food in him and put him on low heat—all SOP for flyers.
Four hours later I went back to check on him and feed him again before heading to bed myself, and he was in that adorable position baby flyers often assume: on his back with his legs spread-eagled like a little human baby. When I opened the “nursery box,” the sound of the door clicking should have made him jump. It didn’t. I was using a red light, which is also my SOP for feeding flyers at night, so I shone it directly on him for a closer examination, and he was dead. He apparently had internal injuries. At least he just died in his sleep, so there’s that small comfort…
The barred owl recovering from a wing fracture continues to do well. He’s an aggressive little snot who lunges at the camera when I try to get photos, so no pix of him again this week. He can lunge at me all he wants but I’m not risking my camera lens!
The screech recovering from a wing fracture is also doing well and is proving a true master of the screech stinkeye.
The barred owl recovering from a wing fracture continues to do well. He’s an aggressive little snot who lunges at the camera when I try to get photos, so no pix of him again this week. He can lunge at me all he wants but I’m not risking my camera lens!
The screech recovering from a wing fracture is also doing well and is proving a true master of the screech stinkeye.
Sisyphus the kestrel was feeling his oats last week and decided to get vocal, so I was cussed out in kestrel loudly and repeatedly all week. While he’s still flipping on his back in defensive mode, I did manage one shot of him actually sort of standing, just before he flipped over and threatened to kill me... Honestly, this bird cracks me up. I thought screeches had attitude, but kestrels have attitude on steroids!
RSS Feed
