The intake total for the year is now at 93 (I just guessed last week and was a little high...my bad.)
Seems like lots of birds had foot problems this week so we have several photos of "orthopedic sneakers" as they are applied to raptors of various sizes. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but it's almost always worth the effort. A couple of interesting birds came in and some new pictures of old patients cap off this week's update...
When you're a tiny bird, you get specialized care, just as when you're huge (see Condor article last week!) This little yellow-rumped warbler had a broken leg, which got a masking tape splint applied to hold the bone in place for healing!
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Cooper's hawk has a sad looking tail.
Accipiters have a well deserved reputation for being wound very tight. This causes them to thrash when in a confined space, which is how they are housed during rehab. Their tails often suffer as a result which is why we apply tail guards as soon as possible when they are taken in. This little guy couldn't wait for his protective "snood" and thoroughly trashed his tail feathers before we were able to get his guard in place. Sigh, a few more weeks waiting for the next molt...!
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Not fully grown, he's still a big bird!
I brought a fledgling great blue heron in last week - yes, a fledgling - in February!! What were his parents thinking...?! He fell out of his nest and sustained some wing damage in the fall, but hopefully he will heal quickly and get back where he belongs soon!
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The young RTH that broke his beak (and tore his crop!) by flying into a window a few weeks ago is doing better by the day. Almost good enough to be released soon, Jan removed some sutures she had placed in his torn crop when he arrived. He was a good patient and hopefully he will soon be back out with the other yearlings, learning how to survive - and not chase reflexions in windows!
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We have been treating a little harris' hawk with a bad foot for a couple of weeks. He had an orthopedic shoe installed to keep his toes from curling as he tried to stand and this was removed last week. To the delight of the "vet night" crew, after some massaging and physical therapy on the foot, he was able to stand in almost no time. See? Those orthotic shoe inserts can work!
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Some other birds also had foot problems to deal with. Another cooper's hawk also had a shoe placed on his injured foot, but his response was not as good. Then a little kestrel presented a foot problem and was also treated to some new shoes to correct some talon problems. No matter how big or small, raptor feet are essential for survival in the wild and must be treated with skill and ingenuity by the Med Services team.
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The beautiful male harrier is still in our care. His wing seems to be healing, but slowly. Since he is a good candidate for release, he also got a tail guard so when he is ready, he can be set free and not have to grow in new tail feathers. While working on him last week, someone noticed the somewhat unique pattern of his markings: a bunch of little hearts on his chest and abdomen - making him the perfect Valentine's Day bird for this year!
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Looking better each day.
Just to supplement Megan's blog above, I included two shots from today of Lilly and Stevie feeding the osprey as he grows stronger. We're hoping to release him very soon so he can go back to doing what he does best: hunt for fish in the canals near the solar plant site near Gila Bend.
1 comment:
You guys ROCK!!!
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