Its as if winter has turned to spring! We are enjoying a welcome, if only temporary, reprieve from the cold weather. Admissions for the week included a Horned Lark, two Bald Eagles and a Barn Owl. Horned Lark 24-009 had compound fractures in the right radius and ulna and damage to the right shoulder. The damage was too extensive to repair and the bird was euthanized.

Bald Eagle 24-010 is being treated for ingested lead toxicity and is responding well. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize our lead test kits were expired so we do not know what the eagle’s lead level was on admission. Sadly, almost all adult eagles are admitted with toxic amounts of lead in their blood. We will  test a blood sample collected at admission and another one taken when the test kits arrive. The first course of chelation has been completed. We will wait to see if a second course of chelation is required. We estimate the eagle is a fifth year bird as it has only a few dark feathers on a mostly white head. 

Bald Eagle 24-011 was found in a road and is thought to have been struck by a vehicle. She is larger and younger than 24-010. She does not appear to have any fractures, although there are some abrasions on her left wing. We will take radiographs of both eagles this coming week.

Barn Owl 24-013 was struck by a vehicle and has multiple fractures in his left wing. The wing has been immobilized and now we will apply tincture of time!

There were four new admissions in the past week. An American Crow and a Northern Flicker both had humerus fractures. A California Quail struck a window and died of its injuries. We are treating a Cooper’s Hawk who collided with something in a backyard in Hermiston and fractured its left scapula.

Because crows are high risk species for avian influenza we did not bring it into the clinic for an x-ray. Its humerus fracture was not repairable and it was euthanized. The flicker was mauled by a dog after being removed from a greenhouse. Its left humerus was shattered and the right tibiotarsus was also fractured.

The Cooper’s Hawk has a fracture fairly close to the shoulder joint in its left scapula. A surgical repair is not an option. The fracture has been immobilized by wrapping the hawk’s left wing to its body. It took her about a day to figure out she could stand on a perch and eat!

The temperature is 31 degrees as I write this, the warmest it’s been in over a week! The sun is shining and the high is predicted to be 34 today and 39 tomorrow! The snow will soon be gone!

As I’m sure you know, it is really cold outside and frigid temperatures will continue for the next few days.

Thank you to everyone who joined us virtually on Saturday for our annual membership meeting. Below is a brief summary of BMW’s 2023 accomplishments. Stay warm and safe and if you feed the birds, keep your feeders stocked! The days are getting longer. Spring is on its way! 

A Northern Flicker was the first bird to be admitted in 2024. It had collided with a window and was unable to stand. A radiograph showed no sign of fractures. It had feeling and movement in both feet and legs but its breathing was labored. We are hopeful that there will be improvement with anti-inflammatories and tincture of time.

The annual BMW Membership Meeting will be via Zoom on Saturday, January 13, at 11:00 am. A Zoom link for the meeting will be posted on BMW’s home page. 

There will be a review of 2023 accomplishments and plans for 2024 will be discussed. Members will have an opportunity to vote for BMW’s 2024 officers and ask questions of board members or the director. I Hope to see you there!