Lynn's Daily Journal
- A note from Lynn Tompkins
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It was a busy week all the way around. There were seven new admissions, two days at OMSI (Oregon Musuem of Science and Industry) and a day at the Benton Franklin County Fair. Congratulations to Jacen Davidson of Kennewick who won the Louisianna Grill raffle. Thank you to all who supported Blue Mountain Wildlife by purchasing raffle tickets.Thank you also to Kennewick Ranch & Home for providing the grill at their cost and printing raffle tickets. More than $2500 was raised.
The education birds will be on display at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute on Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free on the first Friday of each month. Saturday we will travel to Emigrant Springs State Park for a 5 p.m. program.
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- August 23, 2010
The week started with three new arrivals: a Great Horned Owl from Plymouth, WA, a downy Barn Owl from the railroad yard at Hinkle and a Nighthawk from the Heppner area. The Great Horned Owl has significant tissue damage to the tip of one wing... perhaps he hit a fence wire. Prognosis is guarded at best.
The Barn Owl appears to be very healthy. Its parents picked an inaccessible nest location on a cement ledge under a bridge. The brancher came out of the nest a bit early. Normally he would climb back up to a safe location. He can't climb the cement bridge supports. His only other options are a road or the railroad tracks. He will go to the Benton City hack site and join 9 other late babies.
The Nighthawk has a fracture in the left wrist. Prognosis is not good, but we will try. He is incredibly easy to feed (for a Nighthawk). Nighthawks do not self-feed in captivity. This guy readily gapes for food - mealworms and nestling formula.
- August 24, 2010
Today brought a young Swainson's Hawk from Echo Meadows Road (near I-84). It is the fourth electrocution in two weeks. The birds have come from throughout eastern Oregon and Benton City Washington. The prognosis is never good.
- August 25, 2010
The tribal bus delivered another young Swainson's Hawk. This one, from Benton City Washington, arrived with an evidence tag attached. It had been shot. The bullet shattered one hip. The bird was euthanized. We will take x-rays to document the damage.
Hopefully, the rest of the week will be quiet as we travel to Portland tonight in order to provide a raptor display at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry on Thursday and Friday.
- August 27, 2010
OMSI was great and the Portland traffic wasn't as bad as I expected. The education birds were on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Blue Mountain Wildlife gained many new friends. Thank you to Iberdrola for providing the opportunity to be in Portland and to my mother, Pat Morris and brother and sister-in-law Steve and Karen, for help manning the display and providing over-night accomodations...
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- August 28, 2010
We took a final opportunity to sell raffle tickets today at the Benton-Franklin County Fair in Kennewick. Jacen Davidson had the winning ticket for the Louisianna Grilll. Thank you to Marilyn, Debbie, Angela and Sue for help manning the display. Thank you also to all who purchased raffle tickets and to Ranch and Home for making the raffle possible. More than $2500 was raised in support of the wildlife center!
We returned to Pendleton with a young Red-tailed Hawk that had been admitted to the Benton City center on Thursday. It must have collided with some fairly sharp object severing eight primary feathers in one wing. There don't appear to be any other injuries.
Waiting at the center was an American Kestrel delivered by volunteer Nika... all the way from Ontario. It has a broken wing. Looks like we will be x-raying birds on Monday.
- August 29, 2010
The results of the culture and sensitivity on the Bald Eagle from Boise arrived as we were leaving for Portland on Wednesday. The heat and swelling in the bird's heel joint had originally responded well to azithromycin and dexamethasone. By the beginning of the second course of antibiotics, however, the swelling had returned. The infection seems to have spread to the joint space. The culture and sensitivity indicates it is sensitive to amoxicillin. After consulting with Dr. Cooney, it was decided to try a 10 day course of amoxicillin.
