Thank you to the Wildlife Support Charitable Trust for a $12,000 grant which will be used for operating expenses in 2023. We are very grateful for the Trust’s continuing  support of BMW.

We are also very grateful to an anonymous donor who sent a $25,000 grant this week. The grant will be placed in BMW’s Building Fund for a new hospital. Thank You!

Weekly Update

The Tri-Cities Center had a quiet week. Volunteer Kathy in Yakima removed fishing line tangled around a Great Blue Heron’s head and beak and then released the bird. An American Kestrel was admitted to the Pendleton Center. It had very serious head trauma that was not repairable and was euthanized. 

Honduran Milksnake

The folks at the Hermiston Goodwill Store were pretty surprised when they opened a box to find a snake inside! We consulted with former intern Adrian to find out she is a Honduran Milksnake, a non-native snake who was someone’s pet. Adrian is finding the snake a good home. Isn’t she beautiful!

The Education Birds are getting their annual check ups. This week it was Barn Owls Helen and Carmen and Short-eared Owls Sally and Wendy’s turn. Everyone received a clean bill of health!

Barn Owls, Tyto alba, have a pectinate talon on each foot, unlike other owls who are in a different family, Strigidae. The pectinate talon is thought to help with grooming their heads. Nightjars, herons and egrets also have pectinate claws. 

Owls have feathers on their feet all the way to their talons. The feathers on Barn Owl toes look more like bristles. 

Helen and Carmen are both laying eggs (which are not fertile since they are both female). Below is a photo of Helen’s brood patch. The bare skin of the brood patch allows the owl to maintain the eggs at the appropriate temperature and humidity while they are being incubated. We removed 14 eggs from the nest box when we brought the owls inside for their check ups.

The radiographs taken of the owls indicate they will both continue laying eggs…

Neither of the Short-eared Owls are showing signs of laying eggs.  Below, Samantha is drawing a blood sample from Sally. You can see her toes are feathered to her talons.

Virtual Education Exhibit

You can now visit Blue Mountain Wildlife’s Virtual Education Exhibit on our website by clicking on the photo above. The exhibit works best on Chrome. Some elements may not view properly on Firefox and Safari. Samantha researched and developed the exhibit with help from Winnie and Tricia. It is a work in progress so check back periodically to see what new exhibits have been added. BMW is so fortunate to have such talented and resourceful staff! 

If you are unable to see the photos, just click the link at the top of the newsletter and view it on BMW’s website.

We had another quiet week with no new admissions at the Pendleton Center. We were able to release Western Screech Owl 23-012 admitted on February 27 after being found stuck to a sticky trap. After a bath and a few days inside to completely dry and get his bearings, the little owl went out to a flight pen. There is a covered roost at the opposite end of the pen, but the owl preferred the camouflaged wooden door. Can you find him?

The owl was banded and Tricia released it at Riverfront Park in Hermiston, close (but not too close!) to where it was found. 

Please remember to place sticky traps where they will not catch unintended victims like birds or bats. It is also a good idea to cap your chimney with a spark arrester so birds or squirrels will not be tempted to investigate the chimney as a possible nesting site and sparks cannot escape and start a fire.

It was another fairly slow week as we inch toward spring. The Benton City Center admitted an adult Barn Owl from Yakima that appears to have been in a collision. It has no apparent fractures, but is unable to fly. Hopefully tincture of time is all that is needed for a full recovery.

A Fourth Barn Owl Egg Hatched

There are now 4 baby Barn Owls at the Benton City Center. Barn Owls are in a separate family from other owls. They look rather prehistoric without feathers!

There were two admissions at the Pendleton Center

A Northern Flicker was mauled by a dog and died of its injuries before we could examine it. A Western Screech Owl was found inside a house, stuck to a sticky trap. After multiple baths with Dawn Dish Soap and time in an incubator to dry off, the owl was acting like a typical feisty owl with a good appetite. It is now outside in a flight pen and should be ready for release soon.

It Looks Like Spring?!!