There was just one new admission this past week, a Red-tailed Hawk from Umatilla that appears to be blind. We are not sure what caused the blindness. Because red-tails are a high risk species for avian influenza, it is being treated in the quarantine building. On Monday we will be able to test for influenza. Assuming the test is negative, we will move him into the clinic for a more thorough evaluation.

Winnie was able to return a Bald Eagle to Summerville and release him. The eagle had responded quickly to treatment for ingested lead toxicity. 

She was also able to release a Western Screech Owl in La Grande on the same trip. The owl had been hit by a car in November, fracturing its right scapula. The injury took a couple weeks to heal and then required physical therapy and exercise in increasingly larger flight pens to prepare for release. The owl flew quickly out of the box and landed in a clump of trees. You can see it is a very well camouflaged owl! 

A final eagle photo…

Bald Eagle 24-011 was struck by a vehicle, but she has also tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Water fowl can be asymptomatic carriers of HPAI, but the virus is almost always fatal in raptors. A second blood sample has been sent to the Washington Disease Diagnostic Lab to determine what variant of the virus the eagle has as she has shown no symptoms of the disease. She has been transferred to the Washington State University Veterinary School for continued care. 

There were two new admissions this week, a tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl and another Bald Eagle.

It was obvious the owl didn’t feel well. A radiograph showed her right humerus was in four pieces. The arrows point to the fragments. Euthanasia was the only humane option.

The Eagle’s blood lead level was 27.5 micrograms/deciliter, a toxic level of lead. The first course of chelation has been completed and the eagle is responding well. Another blood sample will be taken on Tuesday to see if a second course of chelation is required.

Bald Eagle 24-010, admitted last week, has had one course of chelation. When we received the new lead test kits and tested his blood, the initial sample was only 6.7 micrograms/deciliter. Normally an eagle would not be showing signs of lead toxicity at that level, however the effects of lead can be quite variable between birds. Fortunately the eagle has responded well and is now out in a flight pen!

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!