Veterinary Technician student Brooke helped band a Swainson’s Hawk, then she and Tricia placed the hawk in a hack box. 

Two Swainson’s who had been released earlier in the month soared overhead.

Those were some of the high points this past week. There were trauma cases that could not be helped other than to provide humane euthanasia. 

Swainson’s Hawk 26-398 had an old fracture of the right humerus.

Barn Owl 26-399 had a left coracoid fracture. The swelling in the shoulder made it difficult to get good positioning. The x-ray below is an H-view. We used a partial roll of vet wrap under the bird. It is a view we often use to evaluate an injury in the shoulder girdle.

There is asymmetry in the shoulders of Common Nighthawk 26-400. Nighthawks are arial insectivores. The bird weighed just 25 grams, more than 50% below a normal weight of 62 grams. We suspect it was starving after being injured in a collision. We are generally unsuccessful in saving birds that are more than 40% underweight.

Black-headed Grosbeak 26-401 had fractures in the left radius and ulna.

American Kestrel 26-402 had his left wing sheared off. Its hard to imagine how this injury occurred.

On occasion we admit mammals. Friday, Tricia coordinated with ODFW at Ladd Marsh and released two young Striped Skunks. They immediately began exploring their new home.