Well, this will be short and sweet!

In an unusually—but very welcome—slow week, LWR had only one new intake, a DOA first-year sharp-shinned hawk. He was found in the road and died while the finder and I were en route to meet each other.

That meant that the entire week was spent working with the chimney swifts to get them ready for release, documenting the recently released birds still hanging around the yard, and trying to find placement for the first-year red-tailed hawk.

Thus far, no joy on placing the RT. Every educational center in the state either has a full complement of educational RTs or isn’t interested in a non-flighted bird. I’m reluctant to expand the search outside the state, as the paperwork involved in transferring a bird across state lines is reputedly a nightmare. We’ll keep looking…

The swifts are good to go this week, I think. Gonna give ‘em another day or two to be sure, but all’s looking good for a release by mid-week.

The Eurasian collared dove showed up late last week—first time I’d seen him in a while, so that was a nice surprise. It’s hard to see in the photos, but he’s beginning to get the “collar” around his neck that figures into his species name.

The mocker continues to seek handouts, although I’m seeing him less and less often now, and he takes less from me with each encounter.

The blue jay remains a relentless beggar, although he is starting to look a bit shamefaced about it when his wild buddies are around. It’s funny to watch: he’ll swoop down, raucously demanding a handout, and his wild buddies will start “alarming” because he’s near a *gasp* HUMAN…he’ll freeze, cock his head, and depending on his hunger level, either risk ridicule from his posse or fly away to join them. Gotta love blue jays, with that corvid intelligence and playfulness!

Sunning:

Bathing:

Preening:

Bathing again (it was hot that day!):

Late August usually marks the end of baby bird season for this area, although some late dove nestlings/fledglings aren’t out of the question. I know some of my mammal rehabber colleagues are already getting in baby gray squirrels, so second squirrel baby season has begun (gray squirrels have two baby seasons: late winter/early spring and late summer/fall).

From now through winter, most of LWR’s intakes will be injured migrating adults, which will mean many of the “usual” species and the odd “never had one of those before” species.