The flyers have been moved back in temporarily, something I don’t normally do, but they didn’t seem to be doing as well as I’d expected on pre-release caging, so they’re back in the in-house caging for another week or so. Even though I mentioned to you in several updates that flying squirrels are slower to mature than gray squirrels, I sometimes forget just how slowly they move to independence. With the warm temps we’re still experiencing, though, another week or so delay won’t be a huge issue for them.
…for injured raptors, apparently. Laurens Wildlife Rescue received a screech owl last Monday and a barred owl and a great horned owl today. All I need now is a barn owl to have one each of Georgia’s year-round owl species. (Shhh!!! That was NOT a request to the universe for a barnie!) The flyers have been moved back in temporarily, something I don’t normally do, but they didn’t seem to be doing as well as I’d expected on pre-release caging, so they’re back in the in-house caging for another week or so. Even though I mentioned to you in several updates that flying squirrels are slower to mature than gray squirrels, I sometimes forget just how slowly they move to independence. With the warm temps we’re still experiencing, though, another week or so delay won’t be a huge issue for them. The red phase Eastern screech owl was HBC (hit by car) and is about the luckiest little fellow I’ve seen in a while. He had no fractures, no luxated lenses—just a bloody beak and a dilated left pupil that indicated head trauma—i.e., a concussion. I worried a bit that he might be blind in that eye, as it stayed dilated for the better part of this past week, but it’s slowly returning to normal, and it never affected his ability to find the mice I placed in his box. Screeches have attitude out the wazoo, and this little guy has been a delight to watch, as he’s a textbook example of wild screech behavior. Despite being only about 6 inches tall, he hisses and blows and snaps his beak in threat; when that doesn’t work, he hops off his perch hunkers down, spreads his wings and fluffs his feathers to look bigger, then adds in the sound effects while weaving and bobbing. It’s (pardon the pun) a hoot to watch…and he does it every single time he’s fed! Eat while I’m watching? Oh, he thinks not! I deposit the mice and leave; he eats after I’m no longer contaminating his space with my presence! It’s just impossible not to love these brassy little raptors. The barred owl was found by the side of the road two days before I received him. The finder initially thought maybe he was just concussed and would be okay to release after 24-48 hours. For the record, I do NOT advise anyone without experience with raptors to attempt to make this call on their own. A concussed raptor of any species will be unusually docile and fairly easily handled; when they begin recovering from the concussion, people can get hurt: that “sweet” owl or hawk will seem to suddenly go berserk. This guy’s still in the in-between phase. Nothing appears to be broken, so he’s also very lucky in that respect. He’s more alert and aggressive than a newly concussed bird would be, but there’s still some trauma. I suspect there may be some nerve damage, as well, based on his listing to one side; we’ll know more after he’s examined by one of the vets at Smalley’s Animal Hospital tomorrow. The great horned owl (GHO) was actually found in the woods, on the ground. He appears to also have some mild head trauma, as his right pupil is dilated. More worrying, however, is his weakened state. This bird came in very lethargic and rail thin. As a precaution, I’ve started treatment for capillaria, but I suspect the problem is blindness, which would fit with head trauma. He can’t seem to see the food I’ve been offering him in small amounts, but he’s caught on quickly that handling means food, lunging blindly, beak wide, and eagerly eating the bits of mouse I tap against his beak. As of 11pm, he was slightly more alert. He still may not make it through the night, but he’s stable for the moment and will also see a vet tomorrow. And finally, a reminder that we do have 2013 LWR calendars available through Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/shop/lwr-2013-calendar/calendar/product-20508997.html;jsessionid=9A82168D6909525E23A40D22846C7A80. It features full-color photos of 12 of this year’s intakes, one per month. A 2013 LWR calendar is a great Christmas gift for friends, colleagues and/or relatives, and all proceeds ($10 per calendar) over Lulu.com’s printing fees will be used to support our rehab efforts in 2013. The more calendars we sell, the more funds we’ll have toward next year’s expenses, so feel free to buy several!
6 Comments
neener
12/3/2012 12:23:05 pm
LOL I was expecting to freak out the cats with a screech from him!! :) Glad he seems to Ok tho~
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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
12/3/2012 01:22:42 pm
Despite their name, screech owls don't really screech. I find their call, especially the trills, to be quite soothing, honestly. The barred is a wait-and-see case. Nerve damage can be tricky; it may or may not heal so that the bird can be released. Right now, the main thing is to convince him to eat; we "negotiated" about that issue tonight. The GHO is a conundrum at the moment. Vet says he thinks vision is okay; response to capillaria treatment (massive, smelly poops) would indicate that was the source of most of his problems, but nothing showed in a fecal float. He also tossed his mousies this AM (just his AM meal; the night mice stayed down), so now we have puking to deal with too...I dunno; I'm really worried about his chances for survival; we'll worry about release if he lives, which honestly is a very uncertain scenario right now.
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Pipette
12/3/2012 04:20:09 pm
Just the idea of an owl "tossing his mousies" evokes interesting imagery! Hope these owls all make it, even if the odds are against it.
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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
12/3/2012 04:28:54 pm
Thanks Pipette, so do I. The GHO was actually calling about an hour ago, so I'm taking that as a good sign--fingers crossed! (As for the "mousie-tossing", imagine a bird casting a pellet, only with less desirable results!)
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Kelly Hagood
12/6/2012 04:06:42 am
That screech owl is adorable! I bet it's hard to pull yourself away from him - I would want to sit and watch him all day. I vote that you include his pic in next year's calendar! BTW, I just ordered 3 calendars - the photos are adorable! My favorite is the 3 flycatchers. They look so happy!
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Laurens Wildlife Rescue
12/6/2012 04:36:58 am
Hey Kelly! Yeah, the screech is pretty darn cute. I have a bit of a soft spot for the feisty little rascals. Thanks for ordering calendars! Those flycatchers were very happy, you're right--cheerful, chatty, sweet little birds. I adore 'em!
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