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Summer comes in slowly—in terms of fundraising

6/22/2014

12 Comments

 
The fundraising seems to be stalled at $869, so folks, please consider donating. Remember, the total shown on FundRazr doesn’t include donations outside that site. We have 8 days left to meet our goal, and we’re about to need more mealworms, rodents and fish, as well as ingredients for the songbird formula we use and fruits to further tempt the fledglings to self-feed…In other words, help feed these HUNGRY babies!
The tanager, goldfinch and robin are currently in the flight pen and should actually be good for release early this week.
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They are joined by a fledgling cowbird who was found clinging to a twig in a dog water bowl. His finder dried him off and called LWR. I was worried the bird might have aspirated water in his attempts not to drown, so I suggested he bring him in for me to do a round of antibiotics, just to make sure he didn’t get pneumonia.

Cowbirds aren’t among my very favorite birds because they’re egg-dumpers: they don’t build nests; the female finds a nest with eggs in it and lays hers there, as well. So when the eggs hatch, the cowbird hatchling, with its voracious appetite, will generally end up getting all or most of the food, starving the other babies—or he’ll be so much larger physically that the smaller babies end up getting shoved out of the nest as he grows. Either way, they’re lazy birds in terms of raising their own (or, more accurately, NOT raising their own) and, as I said, not among my favorites.

They ARE, however, protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as they are a native species.
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Here you can see the four pen-mates together—a rarity in the flight pen after the first couple of hours!

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The Carolina wrens are full fledglings now, although you’d hardly know it. Young Caros are clingy little birds who like to hide and huddle together, as if for warmth or safety…as you can see in the photos below. It’s actually cute and rather endearing until you’re trying to feed wrens whose beaks you can’t see because they’re huddled under their “hidey-hole” (or in this case, “hidey-log”). They’re headed for the flight pen as soon as the larger birds are released.
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What? The mealworms are for EATING, not nestling down on? What an interesting concept!
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The screech owl continues to grow but stubbornly won’t rip open his own rodents; until he can do that, there’s no flight pen in his future. He’ll get there; remember, owls are NOT known for their intellectual prowess (and if intellect and aggression are inversely proportional, this little guy’s in big trouble)!
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Aaannd…the bird you’ve all been waiting for: the heron chick! We’re pretty sure now he’s a yellow-crowned night heron (and watch us all be wrong—won’t be the first time!). Despite his frazzled “hairdo” and paranoid expression, he’s actually a pretty laid-back fellow now that the food’s regular.

In the video clips below, you can see how much calmer he is, even first thing in the morning before his breakfast. In the second clip, he’s full and drowsy but still interested in wiggling fingers!
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12 Comments
Jeane Rosencrans-Price
6/22/2014 11:14:48 am

I love the upbeat week you seemed to have had :) The videos are great!
I just wonder when they changed it so I can't like then here- or on YouTube without signing in. I got lost in YouTube land the other day and didn't have to sign in first...
If I can get together more to donate, I sure will! Thanks for all you do. Your hard work and dedication are remarkable.
*pat on back*

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
6/22/2014 01:27:33 pm

Thanks Jeane! Yeah, it was a pretty good week, overall...

YouTube is weird--sometimes I have to sign in; sometimes I don't.

Reply
Ann Feldman
6/22/2014 11:34:36 am

Don't you just love Robin fledglings? With their awesome spots? And those wrens! Cuteness overload. How will the hero learn to fish?

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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
6/22/2014 01:31:30 pm

Ann, I do indeed love robin fledglings and all their other thrush cousins with those gorgeous spots! I often debate whether the young ones aren't just a wee bit prettier than the adults!

Wrens are precious. It's just impossible not to love the little rascals.

As the heron gets older, he'll start getting whole small fish, then whole small live fish, then live fish in shallow water in the tub...

Reply
Wendy Alvarez
6/22/2014 02:52:43 pm

Vonda, I love them all and don't know how you don't just sit around all day mesmerized by them. But it's that little heron who has completely won my heart. I swear those still photos of him are begging for thought bubbles!

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
6/22/2014 02:59:05 pm

LOL Wendy, isn't he the cutest thing? Watching him grow is so much fun, and it's nice to have a "fun" rehab every now and then!

Reply
Pipette
6/22/2014 03:53:34 pm

Wendy, you are so right! Vonda should run a caption contest. I'm going with "The service is terrible at this salon! How could you leave my hair looking like this?"

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
6/22/2014 04:17:48 pm

LOL, Pipette! How about "That third Red Bull was definitely a mistake!"

Pipette
6/22/2014 03:26:33 pm

LOL, that heron looks like Big Bird's ne'er do well sibling - you know, the one who hangs out with his friends, a-smokin' and a-drinkin' behind the high school late at night!

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
6/22/2014 03:40:06 pm

LMAO, Pipette--too funny!

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Pipette
6/22/2014 04:25:35 pm

The third Red Bull *is* always a mistake, LOL! You could use that heron's photo in a Public Service Ad - maybe he can get some sponsorship money from the Temperance League.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
6/22/2014 04:30:17 pm

LOL, there's a thought!

Reply

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