Yup, today’s the official start of spring, so let’s hope we have no more late freezes as things begin to bud back out after that last one.
Starting with last Sunday’s bald eagle I mentioned was en route for Monday, the bird arrived Monday morning and went straight to Smalley’s for x-rays and a general exam by vet Peggy Hobby.
It was at the clinic that I had time to snap a few photos of him, and enlist vet tech Christy Harrell’s aid in getting a couple more when my hands were full of eagle.
Starting with last Sunday’s bald eagle I mentioned was en route for Monday, the bird arrived Monday morning and went straight to Smalley’s for x-rays and a general exam by vet Peggy Hobby.
It was at the clinic that I had time to snap a few photos of him, and enlist vet tech Christy Harrell’s aid in getting a couple more when my hands were full of eagle.
He guarded his left wing and the feathers on that wing were noticeably shorter than on the right, and his tail feathers were ragged, indicating he’d been down a while. He was also very emaciated, with a thin keel and weighing just 5lb 7oz. Although weak, he was alert and aggressive. The x-rays showed no fractures and when we allowed him to flap his wings in the x-ray room, he refused to fully extend that left wing, so Peggy and I figured he had soft tissue damage.
I alerted Auburn that he would be en route as soon as volunteer transporter Joy Daniels got off work; in the meantime I fed him a couple of small meals. He eagerly consumed both meals and would have eaten more, but overfeeding an emaciated bird can kill it. Small meals every few hours are better.
Of course, the state and feds were also notified that the eagle had come in, was seen by a vet and was en route to Auburn.
We also had a release last week, although it took all week for the weather to finally cooperate for that release. The screech who’d come in with mild head trauma regained his freedom yesterday. It took him several seconds to realize the box was open and come soaring out; he was too busy giving me stink-eye.
I alerted Auburn that he would be en route as soon as volunteer transporter Joy Daniels got off work; in the meantime I fed him a couple of small meals. He eagerly consumed both meals and would have eaten more, but overfeeding an emaciated bird can kill it. Small meals every few hours are better.
Of course, the state and feds were also notified that the eagle had come in, was seen by a vet and was en route to Auburn.
We also had a release last week, although it took all week for the weather to finally cooperate for that release. The screech who’d come in with mild head trauma regained his freedom yesterday. It took him several seconds to realize the box was open and come soaring out; he was too busy giving me stink-eye.
An adult sharpie came in from an out-of-county vet clinic with a small wrist fracture, per that vet’s x-rays. The bird was well-fleshed, alert, aggressive...and dead the next morning. Based on the black tarry poop in his box, he most likely had internal injuries.
The screech recovering from the wing fracture and blood in his eye continues to do well. The eye is almost totally clear now.
And the brancher great horned is in the mini-pen, where she continues to bow up and issue hissing, beak-snapping threats at me when I walk in to feed her. No worries about this singleton being imprinted or habituated!
Ain’t she a beauty, though?!
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