Yeah, it was another of “those” weeks: the predicted balmy, clear weather disappeared before it got here, leaving us with rainy weather the first part of the week and cooler temps afterward—and the coming week’s nighttime temps are supposed to be near-freezing again. So no releases this week, either.
Add to that a spate of injured birds and one spastic accipiter who behaved exactly as I’d hoped he wouldn’t, and it was enough to make a saint cuss…and as y’all well know, I ain’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination.
Lordy, where to start detailing this miserable past week?
Let’s start with the sharpie. Remember how pleased I was at how calm he seemed to be? Yeah, well…this week he acted like a true accipiter. He started flailing around in the box, which I attributed to spring hormones and the migratory urge, but he didn’t seem too terribly agitated yet, so I was hopeful a late-week x-ray would show beautiful calluses forming on those broken “hand” bones. But oh no…the spastic little devil decided to self-mutilate: he ripped that left wing completely open and re-fractured the healing bones, doing enough damage to seal his fate. Instead of a vet trip for follow-up x-rays, his vet trip was to determine just how badly he’d screwed up his wing and subsequent euthanasia. Below is the original x-ray, followed by Friday’s x-ray. THIS is what accipiters do all too often in rehab settings, and it’s why no rehabber likes to see them come in.
Add to that a spate of injured birds and one spastic accipiter who behaved exactly as I’d hoped he wouldn’t, and it was enough to make a saint cuss…and as y’all well know, I ain’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination.
Lordy, where to start detailing this miserable past week?
Let’s start with the sharpie. Remember how pleased I was at how calm he seemed to be? Yeah, well…this week he acted like a true accipiter. He started flailing around in the box, which I attributed to spring hormones and the migratory urge, but he didn’t seem too terribly agitated yet, so I was hopeful a late-week x-ray would show beautiful calluses forming on those broken “hand” bones. But oh no…the spastic little devil decided to self-mutilate: he ripped that left wing completely open and re-fractured the healing bones, doing enough damage to seal his fate. Instead of a vet trip for follow-up x-rays, his vet trip was to determine just how badly he’d screwed up his wing and subsequent euthanasia. Below is the original x-ray, followed by Friday’s x-ray. THIS is what accipiters do all too often in rehab settings, and it’s why no rehabber likes to see them come in.
Original x-ray, 2-11-17
The barnies are still awaiting release as soon as our bipolar spring weather cooperates.
Ditto on the flyers…
I’m beginning to worry about the titmouse’s feather follicles on that mostly featherless wing. Normally when the feathers are ripped out like his were, it’s a matter of weeks before they start to regrow. There’s still no sign of regrowth on his wing, making me suspect there may be follicular damage, which would then mean no chance for release…
Two barred owls came in a couple of days apart, both found by roadsides in separate counties. The first had no obvious fractures but did show bruising in his right ear. X-rays confirmed no fractures, which is good, but he appears to be deaf and possibly blind as well. He shows no response whatsoever to any noise in his vicinity and cannot seem to locate his food. This could resolve on its own; it could also be permanent. We’ll give him some time to see what happens. Head trauma can be iffy.
Immediately after intake, 3-7-17
A few hours later
The next day, 3-8-17
Left ear, for comparison with right, below.
Bruising not as obvious as on intake.
The second barred owl had a cracked beak and an obvious left wing fracture, near or in the wrist, I thought. X-rays showed it was actually the metacarpal. The beak was easily fixable; the bone was completely broken on both sides, meaning the middle portion just “floated” with nothing to anchor it. Vet Peggy Hobby of Smalley’s Animal Hospital and I discussed the situation at length before deciding the most humane option was euthanasia.
While brown-headed cowbirds aren’t on my “favorites” list due to their parasitic nesting behavior, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so I do accept them and treat them when needed. Unfortunately, this poor bird, probably a windowstrike victim, was beak-breathing hard when he came in and died within minutes of intake. I suspected a ruptured lung. (Curious about the parasitic nesting? They lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, so the other species brood and later feed their babies, often to the detriment of their own babies. They have NO instinctive urge to care for their own young; I’ve seen fledglings in the middle of a flock of brown-headed cowbirds, begging for food, while the adults totally ignored them.)
This cedar waxwing was also probably a windowstrike victim. He was found downtown Macon, with no other cedar waxwings in sight. Based on his inability to maintain sustained flight, I’d say he has a coracoid fracture. He’s eating well, alert, and eager to be on his way—and coracoid fractures more often than not heal to allow perfect flight, so he just needs a little R&R here at LWR.
And ending on a happy note, just look at how our little erstwhile pinkie flyer has grown! Her eyes opened mid-week, but she’s still mostly sleeping and not showing any interest in solid foods yet.
3-5-17
3-7-17
3-9-17
3-10-17
3-11-17
RSS Feed
