Admissions included a Northern Flicker, a pair of Western Screech Owls and a Red-tailed Hawk. The Flicker had fractured its right coracoid. We attempted to immobilize the shoulder by taping the wing to its body, but a jagged bone fragment at the fracture site severed a large blood vessel and the Flicker died.

Western Screech Owl 22-400

The owl was found on a road and is presumed to have been struck by a vehicle. Its left scapula is fractured and the left eye is injured. You’ll also notice in the photo above that the left ear tuft is laying down, another sign of head trauma. The owl’s left wing has been immobilized and it is receiving pain medication for the eye and scapula injuries which is making it feel much better and willing to eat. Now we apply tincture of time and see how it does.

Western Screech Owl 22-401

The second owl was also found in a road and presumed to have been struck by a vehicle. We found no fractures, but signs of head trauma and hemorrhage in the left eye. The eye is looking better with medication and the owl is eating. Another round of tincture of time and we will see what the outcome is.

Red-tailed Hawk 22-403

This adult female Red-tailed Hawk was found on State Line Road near Milton-Freewater. She has abrasions on both legs consistent with road rash. We presume she was struck by a vehicle. She has an abscess on her left leg likely the result of bite wounds, perhaps from a rodent she was trying to capture. The road rash is recent. The bites wounds are a week or two old. She is on antibiotics and pain medication.

There were no admissions to the Pendleton center this past week. Work is continuing on the new Admissions Center. Samantha and Tricia have assembled the anesthesia machine in the Intake Building. We will install a bank of five cages in the Quarantine Building this week.  

Freezing Fog Advisory

Night time temperatures should be above freezing by Tuesday and in the 50’s during the day. Today’s high is predicted to be 32. Brrr…

Safe travels during the Thanksgiving Holiday!

 We wish everyone a warm and cozy holiday!

Bird wise it was another quiet week at BMW. The Pendleton center admitted a Lincoln Sparrow that had likely been struck by a vehicle and died two days after admission. A necropsy revealed brain damage from the vehicle strike and a keel fracture from a previous injury. A Dark-eyed Junco was also admitted. We suspect it struck a window. It had multiple ruptured air sacs and a badly damaged right shoulder. Its injuries were too extensive to repair and it was euthanized. 

A Barred Owl was admitted to the Benton City center after being struck by a vehicle. It appears to have been stunned and not sustained any major injuries. We are hoping it will soon be ready for release.

Oregon State Police picked up an injured Great Horned Owl on Saturday near Vale that had likely been struck by a vehicle. Good friends of BMW,  Joe and Cordi Atkinson, kept it safe overnight and then met Tricia in Ontario so she could transport the owl to Pendleton. An examination found extensive injuries on the owl’s left side, including a shattered humerus and a femur fracture. The damage could not be repaired and the owl was humanely euthanized.

New Admissions Center Update

We are making good progress on the new Admissions Center. Volunteers Adrian and Tyler traveled from Ellensburg this past weekend to install vinyl flooring and base trim in all three sheds. Below is the first shed: Intake

Shed 2: Putting finishing touches on Examination

We left a heater running over night in each shed to give the adhesive time to harden without freezing first! 

Adrian and Tyler didn’t spend the entire weekend laying vinyl flooring. Adrian captured these photos of Tyler feeding education birds Swainson’s Hawk Teddy and Golden Eagle LB…

Thank you Tyler and Adrian for all your help this week!!!

First the Robin flew into a window in an attempt to escape a hawk. Then it fell into an open container of motor oil. After multiple baths in diluted Dawn Dish Soap to remove most of the oil, you can see it really does have a red breast. We will let the Robin recuperate in an incubator over night, and then finish removing the oil tomorrow (Monday).

Please, never leave open containers of liquid uncovered. You never know what type of wildlife or pet will get into it. Open containers of antifreeze are also hazardous. Many animals like its sweet taste, but even a small amount can be fatal when swallowed.

Hunt Lead Free

Whitman College student Alex Muller has been volunteering at Blue Mountain Wildlife this past term. Below is a poster he created for his thesis project. Thank you for sharing your poster Alex!

We are still having gorgeous fall days with highs in the 60’s and no frosts to date. We were pleased to welcome guests from Umpqua Wildlife who brought a Great Horned Owl that needed a space to over-winter while she grows back feathers on her right wing.

We don’t know how her feathers were broken, but radiographs showed bone damage to the very tip of her right wing. 

She is now outside in a large flight pen where she can get out of the weather and feel safe. We will have to wait and see if she will be able to grow new feathers.

In the meantime, Tricia and I are enjoying produce from our gardens….