The trickle becomes a steady flow…

The last two weeks of April saw a pretty heavy influx of babies, so spring has definitely sprung at LWR!

The turkey vulture from the last update was released after a few days’ R&R. No photos; turkey vultures are so shy all he’d do is hunker down in his box and hide his head while I was watching. I left the box open in a safe place and left him undisturbed for a while, and he was gone when I came back.

The mocker is in the flight pen now and eating some mealworms on his own. His flight skills have improved dramatically in just the past few days, so I hope to release him within the next week or so.

The mourning dove joined the mocker in the flight pen but thus far has made no attempt to fly. The “wing injury” he was found with seven months before he was brought to me was a broken bone that healed improperly, hence his inability to fly. I’m trying to give him all the time I can, on the off chance that he’ll eventually be able to fly, but it’s not looking hopeful right now.

For the record, a bird with a broken bone has 72 hours before the bone begins to set in whatever awkward, ill-aligned position the break has caused. Time is of the essence in treating fractures; don’t delay getting a bird you suspect has a fracture to a licensed rehabber.

Sadly, the wrens that were doing so well all died. Wrens are stressy little birds, but honestly, until last year I had really amazing release rates. Last year was atrocious for me on the wren front, and I finally experienced the struggles my fellow rehabbers have reported with the nervous little darlings. This year is a mixed bag so far.

These possums were found wandering in a yard with no mama in sight. Actually, they’re totally self-feeding and would be able to handle that aspect of survival on their own. At this small size, however, they’re easy prey, so the general rule of thumb in wildlife rehab is to provide them a nutritious diet and a safe haven while they grow to a size that will make them less vulnerable to predators. Since they’re self-feeding, I have no reason to handle them, and they’re very skittish. This isn’t a great photo, but it’s the best I’ve managed of all three of them—so far, at least.

Cardinal nestlings and fledglings are impossibly cute, with their bulging, alien-looking eyes and their endearing habit of licking their beaks after each feeding. This little one was nearly run over by a lawn mower. He was actually a bit too young to be out of the nest when he came in, but he also had what appeared to be an eye infection. The impaired vision may have factored into his fall from the nest. Even with antibiotics, his eyes aren’t looking promising. The left eye appears to have atrophied and the right remains swollen—they don’t seem to be getting worse or better, so this may be some sort of congenital condition. We do think he may be blind at this point, and unlike a blind mammal, blind birds can’t locate their food by scent, so lack of vision is a death sentence. Because he’s a young bird and we’re trying to give the meds time to work, he’s got a reprieve, but I really suspect he’s on borrowed time.

These four Carolina wrens lost their mother. The father was able to feed them during the day but could not brood them at night. When their finder checked on them after dark and confirmed that they were not being brooded on a 40 degree night, she brought them in and placed them on heat for the night. They also appeared to be doing well on intake, but within 48 hours, three of the four had died. The sole survivor is vocal and eating well, so…fingers crossed for this wee one.

When 911 called with a reported possible injured bald eagle, I have to admit my heart sank—not at the injured part, at the bald eagle part. I’ve dealt with exactly one bald eagle, and I don’t care to repeat the experience. Still, I told the 911 operator if the officer on the scene could get the bird in a box and meet me, I’d take it. When I drove up, the officer pulled a small box out of the back of his patrol car and said, deadpan, “I don’t think it’s a bald eagle.” So nice to deal with people who share my warped sense of humor!

The “bald eagle” was in fact an adult Mississippi kite that we suspected had been shot, as he had blood on his neck and was unable to stand. The next morning, I got the M. kite to the vet, where I was sure his x-rays would light up like a Christmas tree. Instead, we had…nothing. It was a lovely, normal x-ray--no lead, no fractures, nothing to explain why the M. kite favored the entire left side of his body. We opted for a small dose of steroids and a mild antibiotic to see what would happen. That night, he flopped on his back and couldn’t flip back over. Convinced he was done for, I flipped him to his belly and made him as comfortable as possible, figuring he’d check out during the night, but lo and behold, the next morning he was standing! He’s still favoring his left side some but he is standing now, so hopefully we’ll be able to release him soon. Below is a photo of him on his side; he flips on his back or side in defensive mode every time I go near him, so you’ll just have to take my word he’s standing!

This snapping turtle was run over by a lawn mower. My first reaction was, “How could anyone NOT see a snapper this big?” Vet Richie Hatcher and I agreed that it looked fixable, so I gave it the old college try. He was still swollen when I epoxied the band to his shell, so it’s not completely flush in the photo. We’re still going round and round with this stubborn fellow, so we’ll see what the final outcome is.

This single possum is a tiny little rascal who sneeze-calls for her mama quite a lot, especially when she’s hungry. She was one of several rescued from the pouch of a dog-killed mama possum, but the others died before the rescuers could get them to me.

These Carolina wrens came to LWR after their nest fell. The finder did the right thing by replacing the nest, as she knew exactly where it had fallen from, but within a few hours it had fallen again and one of the babies had died. These two were cold and gray when they came in and I honestly didn’t hold out much hope they’d survive the night. The runt is still struggling a bit, but the older nestling is doing very well.

After the horse trailer these finches were in was moved, the nest was found. The finder placed it in the fork of a nearby tree and hoped the parents would continue to feed the nestlings, and for two days they did just that. On the third morning, however, the nestlings were found to be cold and lethargic. Apparently something had happened to both parents. Finches will eat themselves into a near-stupor, and they’re SO enthusiastic about feeding time! They also have a rather unsavory habit of pooping all over each other and the nest, so keeping them clean is a real challenge. They get a wipe-down after each meal, which they’re not real enthusiastic about, but hey, when you bob and weave and sling food when being fed and serve as a latrine for your sibs, what do you expect, right?

Awaiting our post-prandial wipe-down...

Time for my usual “keep your cats inside” rant, for two reasons this week. When I received a call about a downed “baby” red tailed hawk, I was positive this was not the case, based on the caller’s description of a brown fuzzy bird about the size of a biddy. The caller’s cat had been batting this baby around, so I was equally sure the bird of whatever species needed antibiotics and a precautionary measure. When the bird came in, it was a pre-fledgling brown thrasher, Georgia’s state bird. Despite their rather imposing appearance, brown thrashers are remarkably sweet birds, even when they come in as adults. I have an inordinate fondness for them.

This little one, while sporting no obvious injuries, had become very lethargic her second morning at LWR. We’re on the third day of antibiotics with no discernible improvement or worsening, so this little sweetheart may also be on borrowed time.

And Monday, a cat-attacked baby Eastern cottontail, eyes still closed, came in. He also showed no signs of injury but was started on antibiotics to be safe. Poor fellow checked out in less than 24 hours, though…

Why the need for antibiotics if there’s no sign of injury? Cat saliva is toxic to wildlife. If the brown thrasher or rabbit ingested any cat saliva while preening/grooming, it would have basically the same effect as cat saliva in an open wound—death within 48 hours if not treated. You can prevent this threat to wildlife by keeping your cats indoors. Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives, anyway. Did you know the average lifespan for an outdoor cat is 4 years, while an indoor cat can live over 20 years? If you love wildlife AND your cat, do them both a favor—keep your moggie indoors!

LWR also received yet another downy barred owl, found on the ground in an area frequented by dogs. He only overnighted here before heading for Bubba & Friends to join several other downy barred owls I’ve sent that way this season.

Finally, last week I received a call from a person who’d attempted—illegally, of course—to “raise” a dove and then after a week got tired of the situation and simply released the bird…and then had a conscience attack and called me. First, the caller was near the Florida line; second, the bird was released and the caller admitted it couldn’t be caught. The person had been given horrifically bad advice by someone not licensed for songbirds. I pointed all this out, and then the caller got huffy with me for explaining that at this point the individual would have to live with the consequences of their actions—in other words, let nature take its course. For future reference, yes, I’ll be short with anyone who exhibits this level of idiocy; further, I’m not in this for the people I deal with, I’m in it to help our native wildlife. When someone, through stupidity, arrogance or a combination of both, screws up “my” wildlife, all the while claiming they “love animals,” my blood boils and my attitude nosedives. This incident led me to post the following on LWR’s Facebook page, and it bears repeating here, as well:

Just a reminder, folks--it's against state and, in the case of birds, federal law to possess wildlife without a permit. Rehabbers cannot and should not provide care advice for any members of the public possessing wildlife in violation of said laws, other than emergency measures until the wildlife can be gotten to a licensed individual. Please don't ask us to break the law because you "have a big heart" or you "love animals." If your heart is that "big" and you truly "love animals," then do the right thing and get the wildlife to a licensed rehabber who is trained to provide the proper care. Don't screw the wildlife up with improper care and then ask us to rectify your mistakes, either. If you couldn't contact us when the wildlife had a chance at being rehabbed, don't contact us when you've "loved" it to death's door.