LWR isn’t really in the falcon migratory flyway, so we seldom see them; if memory serves, this one makes three in over 20 years—four if we include the Lanner falcon, who was someone’s falconry bird and not native to the US. So when a call came from Bulloch County about an injured hawk found in the road, there was no reason to think it wasn’t an actual hawk.
However…
When the finder’s husband arrived with the bird, we had a first-year peregrine falcon. He had a small puncture wound under his left wing but nothing felt broken, and he could extend both wings evenly.
However…
When the finder’s husband arrived with the bird, we had a first-year peregrine falcon. He had a small puncture wound under his left wing but nothing felt broken, and he could extend both wings evenly.
On a smaller bird, though, it’s always better to get an x-ray to confirm, so off we went to the vet the next day, where rads confirmed no fractures. His muscle, however, was so traumatized that it showed as a white mass rather than the usual sort of translucent gray shadow, and the section with the puncture wound is quite obvious.
The puncture wound is healing nicely, he sits with the injured wing pulled more closely to the body now, and he eats like a little feathered pig. Had we not had a week of cooler than usual temps and sustained high humidity, he’d’ve been in the mini-pen by now, but with those factors in play and an open wound, it was simply smarter to keep him inside. As long as the buffet continues unabated, he doesn’t really seem to care—a much less stressy fellow than the last falcon LWR hosted.
This week the temps are supposed to be more seasonal, so he’ll go into the mini-pen and we’ll see how that wing functions; ligament or tendon damage doesn’t show on x-rays, so we still can’t rule that out yet.
This week the temps are supposed to be more seasonal, so he’ll go into the mini-pen and we’ll see how that wing functions; ligament or tendon damage doesn’t show on x-rays, so we still can’t rule that out yet.
The turkey vulture is now perching and growling and spreading his wings; his eating is back to hit-and-miss, though. He’ll generally eat readily if he’s hand-fed but mostly ignores the food otherwise. Given vultures’ high innate intelligence, I honestly feel like he’s being a manipulative little snot for his own amusement. Regardless, we know he can see, we know he can eat when the mood strikes, and he’s navigating the main flight with no issues, so he’s slated for release this week.
And the poor barred owl is suffering a major case of cabin fever, but he’s still got a couple of weeks before he can go into an outside pen. Having too much space to overuse that wing too soon could lead to a re-fracture and add to his time in captivity—or possibly result in an even worse break that might require euthanasia. So he’ll just have to be patient!
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