The intake total is now at 2246
We're still getting in some orphans, in fact our first HaHa baby arrived last week! The little barn owl is developing rapidly and all the rest of the foster kids are doing really well. As chief Dan George says in Little Big Man, "Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't!" It's the ones that get so close to making it that tear your heart out...
A gilded flicker arrives.
A beautiful, uncommon visitor arrived at the center today - a glided flicker. There are three variants of the flicker in North America, but the only one that is adapted to the desert and doesn't seem to "mix" with its cousins is the gilded flicker. We don't get a lot of them in and this little guy is conspicuous by his beauty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The little barn owl is growing fast and is now getting some pin feathers on his wings. His facial disc is also displaying several types of feathers he will need to be successful later on. The disc is like a satellite dish for sound, made of acoustically transparent feathers that focus incoming sounds into into his ears that can hear the sound of a mouse walking in total darkness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two more small raptors are in our care, one another burrowing owl that is now with his foster siblings in the outside enclosure, the other a little kestrel with a deformed foot. This is interesting as the foot problem might have been caused by a broken hip on his left side. This is causing his right leg to be crooked as he compensates for the lack of stability in his left leg and foot. Whether or not this is a long term problem or not is under consideration.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The foster parents are all in top form, from Sedona and Igor, to 1st timer Heddy, to veteran Hogan, and finally Sequoia, who got her first foster child last week. We were wondering when the harris' hawks might start breeding and now we know. It's certain this won't be the last!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One young raven that showed up recently had a badly dislocated ankle. She had been hanging from a power line and although no electrical power was involved, the wire interrupted the flow of blood to her foot causing some serious problems. She eventually lost the use of most of her foot and finally Dr.Orr decided that amputation was the only alternative. The surgery was done last week and now we have to observe to see if she can adapt to being a one-footed raven.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Handsome first year bald eagle.
The baby bald eagle with the broken pelvis is now in one of the big flight cages and is doing very well. She will be monitored and hopefully released in the not-too distant future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last November, a cooper's hawk was rescued from some netting on a gas station in Apache Junction. The bird's feet were totally enmeshed but he was still eating the pigeons that were also trapped by the netting that had been placed there to keep them away. As with the raven (see above), circulation was impaired to his feet and over time, he began to lose the use of his talons. One by one the strangulated toes died and his feet became less utile, until finally last week, he lost both of his rear talons. This would be similar to losing both thumbs and coupled with the loss of some other digits, his ability to survive in either the wild or in captivity was lost. Sadly, he was quietly euthanized last Tuesday. May all the sparrows be fat and slow, little guy!
2 comments:
Nice work, as always Terry. I love the picture of the barn owl’s feathers coming in!
As usual Terry.great photos and heartwarming stories. Thank you.
Art
Post a Comment