We had a busy week, admitting 13 more Barn Owls who were displaced when their homes/haystacks were moved to make room for the next cutting of hay. That brings our total to 27 barn owls to be hacked out. These owls can easily each consume six or more mice per night. Barn owls provide amazing, free!, rodent control to the agricultural community. Placing a few nest boxes near trees that are adjacent to open fields can encourage these cavity nesting predators to take up residency. 

We know that lead is a toxic material. We measure it in units of micrograms per deciliter of blood. A µg is equivalent to a millionth of a gram. A deciliter is a tenth of a liter of blood. Twenty µg/dl of lead is considered to be a toxic amount. At BMW we chelate to remove the lead when it is 10 µg/dl or higher. Bald Eagle 23-060 was admitted with a lead level of 217 µg/dl, a critically high amount of lead.

Fortunately he has responded well to chelation and is already eating food on his own. We chelate for 4 days and then stop three days and check the lead level. The eagle will likely need at least two more courses of chelation. Then he will be moved outside to a flight pen to begin reconditioning for release. That often takes months. The effects of lead are long-term and can permanently affect decision making and coordination, including the ability to find food and fly.

Rehabilitated Raptor Research Webinar

On May 7 there will be a webinar providing an overview of the research evaluating the post release success of rehabilitated raptors. In most species the data clearly demonstrates there are ecological benefits to their release. This is the first time anyone has taken a scientific look at the effects of raptor rehabilitation!

Common Poorwill 24-075

We received a call regarding an “owl” perched on a window sill behind a large display at a local business. I arrived to find a Common Poorwill, whose cryptic color looks very owl-like. There was only a few inches between the bird and the display. A long-handled net was needed to remove the bird. An exam found no injuries. After a quick test flight the small arial insectivore was released.

Four birds were admitted to the wildlife center this past week. The first was a Common Raven.The details of what happened to the bird were vague, but it had been fed by people since it was a tiny nestling, They said it could fly, but it didn’t like to. A physical exam and radiographs revealed the bird had metabolic bone disease due to a calcium deficient diet. The long bones in both wings showed signs of poorly healed fractures. We all need calcium in our diet in order to grow healthy bones and for metabolism. Euthanasia was the only humane option since metabolic bone disease is not reversible. 

Two shotgun pellets are also visible in the x-ray. It is illegal to shoot a Raven, but the damage caused by the pellets was minor compared to the damage caused by the poor diet. 

If you find a baby bird on the ground, please call the nearest wildlife rehabilitation center. Taking a migratory bird out of a nest is illegal as they are protected by state and federal law.

Great Horned Owl 24-053 fell out of its nest and impaled its wing on  a sharp stump at the base of the tree. The damage to the wing was too extensive to repair and the owlet was euthanized. Nestling Barn Owl 24-054 was found when hay was being loaded onto a truck. Unfortunately its siblings did not survive. This little guy is fine and now in a hack box with 11 other Barn Owls! 

Western Bluebird 24-055 was found in a road and was likely hit by a car. A radiograph showed it had a compound fracture in the right humerus and old, healed fractures in its right leg. What a tough little bird! Unfortunately the wing fracture could not be repaired and the bird was euthanized.

The only new admission this week was an adult female Osprey that had been electrocuted. Damage to her feathers and feet was too extensive to repair and she was euthanized. Osprey  build their nests on the tops of snags. Power poles can look like snags. When they try to build a nest on the cross arms of the pole the result can be electrocution. The birds sometimes survive, but are usually too damaged to recover.

Power providers will try and discourage Osprey from building a nest on a power pole, but the birds can be very determined. The most effective solution is to provide an alternative nest platform on a nearby pole. If the platform is higher than the nest, they will usually rebuild their nest on the higher platform if the power company removes the first nest. 

Great Horned Owl nestling  24-047 from La Grande tested negative for avian influenza and was placed in the nest box with nestling 24-030.

Please forward this newsletter to those you think might be interested in Blue Mountain Wildlife. Thank you for helping to grow our circle of friends! 

We started the week by returning Great Horned Owlet 24-030 to its family. First Tricia and Harini banded the owlet.

There was at least one more owlet in the original nest, but it was too high to access. Tricia and the homeowner installed a new nest under mom’s watchful eye. 

Intern Harini carried the owlet up the ladder…

Tricia placed it in the nest…

You have to look closely, but the young GHOW is in its new home and enjoying the view!

6 nestling Ban Owls became homeless when the house their parents had nested in was torn down. There was nowhere to install a nest box so the young owls will be placed in a nest box at BMW’s Pendleton center and allowed to fledge from there. There is a nesting Barn Owl nearby who will very likely adopt them. We will continue to feed the owls after they fledge until they are proficient hunters and no longer return for food.  

Next came a Golden Crowned Kinglet that was stunned after hitting a window. Fortunately the tiny bird recovered quickly and was released the same day…

On Friday we hosted kindergarten through third graders from Imbler, OR. They dissected owl pellets.

Played the Migration Game, avoiding windows, toxic water, power lines, wind turbines and cars… 

and learned about birds of prey.

A haystack was moved near Milton-Freewater and four more nestling Barn Owls arrived on Sunday. They were examined, given fluids and marked with livestock marking paint so we can monitor them. Once they are eating on their own they will join the 6 nestlings that arrived earlier in the week. 

Sunday afternoon Tricia traveled to La Grande to get a nestling Great Horned Owl that had fallen from its nest. The nest was too high to access so she brought the owlet to Pendleton. It appears to be uninjured. We may be able to place it in the nest box with the owlet that was returned to its family earlier in the week. That is definitely an option we will consider…

There were no new admissions last week, but there was still plenty of excitement. We welcomed representatives from Avangrid, a leading sustainable energy company and long-time supporter of Blue Mountain Wildlife. BMW Board President Carl Scheeler hosted a barbecued pork rib dinner Wednesday evening. Intern Harini made whole-wheat pasta to accompany the ribs…

Tricia assembled amazing swag bags for our guests…

And they toured the center Thursday morning. Clouds and a few rain showers didn’t dampen our spirits…

Thank You Avangrid!