Its been another busy week. The current baby count is 1 Swainson’s Hawk, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 7 American Kestrels, 3 Great Horned Owls and 33 Barn Owls. The rapidly growing youngsters are eating about 300 mice per day as of Sunday. The older Barn Owls have leveled off at 4 or 5 mice per day while the Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls are each eating 10 mice. Earlier in the year I took advantage of a rodent sale and purchased 10,000 mice. I’m down to the last few hundred and will need to order more this week.
Fortunately, most of the birds are eating on their own, with little encouragement needed. The kestrels need their mice cut into bite-sized pieces. Almost everyone else can swallow them whole!
This newsletter will be short and sweet so I can start prepping food for the evening meal!
Its always gratifying to release birds. This week intern Sophie released Great Horned Owl 26-062.
Intern Mary released Barn Owl 26-066.
And volunteers Kenny and Janie released American Kestrel 26-099.
Swainson’s Hawk 26-064 was also released near Heppner.
The Education Team was busy this past week. Three classes of third graders visited from La Grande on Thursday and grade school students from Under The Sun School in Pendleton were here Wednesday.
Five more Barn Owls were admitted after the haystack, along with their nest, was moved. The owlets were a little dehydrated, but otherwise in good condition. After being rehydrated they will join 25 more Barn Owls at the Barn Owl hack site. In the photo below, interns Mary and Sophie use a gavage tube to give one of the Barn Owls oral fluids.
Mary returned to school at Brigham Young University – Idaho shortly after the photo was taken to finish her last term of study where she is majoring in Fisheries, Range and Wildlife Management. BMW is very fortunate to have interns like Mary and Sophie working and learning at the center.
For the second year we have admitted a nestling Swainson’s Hawk with Black Fly Larva in it’s ears. Swainson’s Hawk 26-103 came from Baker City. Tricia pulled 16 larvae from its ears initially and one more the next day. We will keep checking its ears until there are no signs of unwanted guests!
Young Great Horned Owl 26-106 was admitted on Sunday after his nest tree was cut down. He has a few scrapes and bruises, but no broken bones. We will give fluids and anti-inflammatories for a few days and then place him with another young Great Horned Owl who is already at the hack site. The door to the hack box will be opened in about a week. The owlets will fledge in another week or so. We will continue to provide food into the fall. By then, the owls will be self-sufficient. Below, interns Mary and Sophie are anesthetizing the owl prior to his exam.
Meanwhile, volunteers Kenny and Janie were busy rescuing two broods of ducklings ( 5 in one brood, 11 in the other brood) and their mommas from city streets. All were safely released at McNary Wildlife Refuge.
On Thursday, Tricia and I and Gyrfalcon/Peregrine Falcon hybrid Rainy attended the Pendleton Bird Club meeting. Then, Saturday afternoon we provided a display and program at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. Rainy is perched in front of the salmon wall at TCI
Below is one of the five Western Screech Owls who have fledged from the Screech Owl hack box. He’s trying to look grown up!
Five young Western Screech Owls have been in a hack box for more than a week. The door will be opened tonight, Sunday, to allow them to fledge. Mice will be placed on top of the box until the owls are self-sufficient.
Fourteen Barn Owls are self-feeding and graduated to hack boxes in a large flight pen. It will be two or three weeks before the door to the pen is opened and the nightly Barn Owl show begins.
Great Horned Owl 26-053 has also graduated to a hack box. Although he is alone in the box, a family of Great Horned Owls also live at the site. The youngster will have a foster family when he fledges. We will place extra food on the feeding platform when that time comes, as the foster family will quickly figure out there is a new food source. Who doesn’t like a fast-food meal on occasion!
Swainson’s Hawk 26-084 was found on the ground under a wind turbine. We suspect the hawk was disoriented by the turbulence of the turbine blades and then hit the ground, fracturing two ribs and injuring his shoulder. We are hoping he will heal with anti-inflammatories and cage rest. He is eating well and quite feisty!
Sharp-shinned Hawk 26-088 was found near Joseph, unable to fly. Our exam found fractures of the right humerus and femur that could not be repaired.
Young American Robin 26-061 was also moved into a larger cage. He is not quite self-feeding, but is becoming more indignant at the presence of humans. It won’t be long before he will be moved outside to the songbird pen.
And speaking of grumpy, resident Turkey Vultures Daryl and Darrel have laid two eggs and are very protective of their nest. Both of the birds are female, so the eggs are not fertile.
Vinyl flooring has been installed in the new clinic. The posts are set for a deck. Once the deck is complete we will request an inspection by Oregon State Building Codes to allow occupancy of the building. The commercial vinyl flooring is beautiful!
We saw lots of trauma this week. Mourning Dove 26-058 had humerus and ulna fractures in the left wing and a dislocated left elbow. Euthanasia was the only humane option.
The largest birds we admit are pelicans. American White Pelican 26-059 had two broken legs. It probably hit a power line or other type of wire while landing. The fractures were not repairable and the bird was euthanized.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk 26-060 was found near Arlington. His right wing had been severed at the wrist. Again, euthanasia was the only option.
Fortunately 12baby Barn Owls are growing and doing well. They will soon be able to eat whole mice and go outside to a flight pen in preparation of fledging. There are seven owlets in the photo below.
