There may be late baby songbirds still to come, and there will be injured/ill migrating adults, but now we’ve moved more into the raptors phase of the year.
Of course, the fundraiser is ongoing; we’ve stalled at $1840, with no new contributions since August 4. We have just $660 to go to meet our goal, so if you’ve been waiting for whatever reason, now’s the time to donate. Look at it this way: the sooner the goal’s meet, the sooner you get a break from my constant harping on it!
Of course, the fundraiser is ongoing; we’ve stalled at $1840, with no new contributions since August 4. We have just $660 to go to meet our goal, so if you’ve been waiting for whatever reason, now’s the time to donate. Look at it this way: the sooner the goal’s meet, the sooner you get a break from my constant harping on it!
And I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to hear the outcome on the leucistic red shoulder…so I think I’ll hold off reporting on him until we get a few more donations…
Nah, just kidding. I wouldn’t be that cruel…yet…
Mr. Leucistic did have an old, healed wing fracture but it was NOT the source of the problems that landed him at LWR. As best we can figure, he got sideswiped by a vehicle and, amazingly, escaped with only a nasty concussion and a bit of bruising that caused the swelling under his wing. Vet Richie Hatcher at Smalley’s Animal Hospital said since both eyes were clear and pupils not dilated, he was cleared for the raptor flight immediately.
This meant moving the screech back in for a few days—he was NOT a happy camper.
Mr. Leucistic, on the other hand, was dee-lighted to have space to spread his wings and within a couple of days was flying like he’d never been grounded. When he flew the length of the raptor flight and back four times above my head, I was ecstatic to call his finders and report that he was good to go home—and got an interesting bit of news. It seems he was older than the finders initially thought; another hawk-watcher reported seeing this guy for the past six years—yeah, SIX years!!!
Volunteer AJ Rogers took Mr. Leucistic back to his home territory and reported that he shot out of the box like he’d been fired from a cannon—she said she barely got it open good before he was out and gone. THAT is the kind of release we like!
Below are photos and a short video shot prior to his release.
Nah, just kidding. I wouldn’t be that cruel…yet…
Mr. Leucistic did have an old, healed wing fracture but it was NOT the source of the problems that landed him at LWR. As best we can figure, he got sideswiped by a vehicle and, amazingly, escaped with only a nasty concussion and a bit of bruising that caused the swelling under his wing. Vet Richie Hatcher at Smalley’s Animal Hospital said since both eyes were clear and pupils not dilated, he was cleared for the raptor flight immediately.
This meant moving the screech back in for a few days—he was NOT a happy camper.
Mr. Leucistic, on the other hand, was dee-lighted to have space to spread his wings and within a couple of days was flying like he’d never been grounded. When he flew the length of the raptor flight and back four times above my head, I was ecstatic to call his finders and report that he was good to go home—and got an interesting bit of news. It seems he was older than the finders initially thought; another hawk-watcher reported seeing this guy for the past six years—yeah, SIX years!!!
Volunteer AJ Rogers took Mr. Leucistic back to his home territory and reported that he shot out of the box like he’d been fired from a cannon—she said she barely got it open good before he was out and gone. THAT is the kind of release we like!
Below are photos and a short video shot prior to his release.
With Mr. Leucistic released, the screech went back into the raptor flight, not without a bit of stink-eye for the inconvenience…
Two barred owls more or less bookended the week, with very different outcomes.
The first barred came in late in the day and looked pretty rough. I wasn’t sure he’d survive the night, but he did and subsequently made a visit to Smalley’s Animal Hospital, where vets Jim Hobby and Richie Hatcher examined him. He had a concussion, blood in one eye, which was swollen shut, and blood in the facial feathers near his ear but not the ear itself. His right wing was also broken but the nature of the fracture led us to believe confinement and limited movement for a few weeks should allow it to heal to allow flight.
The first barred came in late in the day and looked pretty rough. I wasn’t sure he’d survive the night, but he did and subsequently made a visit to Smalley’s Animal Hospital, where vets Jim Hobby and Richie Hatcher examined him. He had a concussion, blood in one eye, which was swollen shut, and blood in the facial feathers near his ear but not the ear itself. His right wing was also broken but the nature of the fracture led us to believe confinement and limited movement for a few weeks should allow it to heal to allow flight.
The second barred came in with his left wing basically hanging on by a tendon. It was a nasty, maggot-infested, massively infected open fracture—the type that makes me glad we have the means to euthanize on the spot and end the bird’s suffering. There are times the only release we can offer is a humane death, and in this poor guy’s case, I was glad to offer him that release. The photo below was taken after euthanasia.
Both the red-headed and red-bellied woodpeckers should be good for release later this week. They’re gorgeous specimens of their respective species!
The mallard’s feathers are coming in beautifully, but he’s developing a severe, shrieking paranoia concerning the camera that makes it difficult to get really good photos, so I apologize in advance for the somewhat soft images below.
Of all the releases in the past couple of months, only the red-belly, crow and blue jay are still consistently coming down for handouts—and none of them actually NEED a blasted thing, as I know for a fact they’re quite capable of fending for themselves. But it’s fun to watch the creative ways the two corvids find to express their “sincere” need for a handout…
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