Change the Date: Annual Membership Meeting, January 26, 2019
Great Gray Owl Spirit flies silently, but she wants to make sure the message gets out loud and clear that the Annual Membership Meeting date has been changed to Saturday, January 26, 2019. The location is the same, First Christian Church, 215 N. Main Street, Pendleton, OR. Use the Bailey Street entrance. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome.
Bald Eagle 19-008
The first lead poisoned eagle of the year was admitted this past week. A call came from Pioneer Veterinary Clinic in Moses Lake, WA on Friday. Washington Fish and Wildlife had dropped off a Bald Eagle with an old infected laceration on his left leg. They took a radiograph and determined the eagle’s leg was not broken, but they did find evidence that he had been shot!
A couple of texts later and BMW volunteers had the situation under control. On Saturday morning Ray and Karin picked up the eagle at the vet clinic and transported him to the Tri-Cities where they met Joshua and Lisa who brought the eagle on to Pendleton.
BMW’s intake protocol calls for a physical exam, radiographs and blood work. In addition to the laceration and evidence of a gunshot injury, the eagle’s blood lead level was 92.4 micrograms/deciliter, more than four times what is considered to be a toxic level of lead.
The eagle’s leg wound was cleaned and flushed and closed (yes, we used staples!).
After being given fluids and the first dose of chelation, Lisa recovered the eagle from anesthesia. He felt good enough on Sunday to take a few bites of food, but he is still very ill. It is becoming apparent that his vision is compromised, a side effect of the lead. Hopefully it will improve as his lead level is reduced.
Its amazing what you find when you look!
ODFW transported a Great Horned Owl to Pendleton this past week, but the owl died before reaching the center. It had no obvious injuries, but was very thin. Samantha performed a necropsy and found evidence of a fractured sternum and bruising along the back. It appeared the owl had collided with something two or three weeks earlier, been unable to fly or hunt, and then starved. The owl also had intestinal parasites, and parasites attached to the outside of its proventriculus.
Update on Golden Eagle 18-765
Finally, after two weeks, the eagle is able to eat, with a little bit of help. He still appears to be blind in his right eye, but there are signs that the vision is slowly returning to his left eye.
