I often say interaction with Cars, Cats and Windows are the top three reasons wildlife are admitted. This past week, Chimneys without spark arrestors or caps featured prominently. 

But first, some updates….

The American Kestrels admitted May 30th have grown a lot and are eating off a plate. The photo below was taken on June 2nd.

Six days later they look like this… They are saying “Feed Me!!!”

The Great Horned Owls who fledged at the hack site are exploring…

And have adult supervision by an owl who nested nearby…

Tricia and intern Thomas released the Chukar who was admitted with multiple injuries from being mauled by a cat.

Then Tricia traveled to La Grande to return a fledgling American Crow to its family and release a Bald Eagle at Ladd Marsh. The eagle had been found near Wallowa in April with multiple bruises and unable to fly. She wasted no time in flying out across the marsh.

Five Barn Owls were removed from a fireplace south of Pendleton and placed in a box in a nearby tree where they could safely fledge. The owlets were being well cared for by their parents who could enter and exit the chimney. Unfortunately, the young owls didn’t have the necessary skills to exit the nest.

The chimney was not immediately capped and 3 more owlets were removed from the fire place the next night and brought to BMW. After a checkup, fluids and some dinner, they were returned to the cemetery and placed in the box which was empty as the previous owls had fledged.

On Saturday, Thomas and I responded to a call about more Barn Owls in a chimney on a farm east of Pendleton. This situation was a little trickier. There was a dog-leg in the chimney. Five  owlets were about two-thirds of the way down the chimney on a ledge. We could see the center of the ledge from the top of the chimney, but the owlets could move to either side out of view. After nearly two hours effort we were able to get one owlet out of the chimney when it grabbed the net Thomas had lowered into the chimney on a long pole. 

We took a break to regroup and rehydrate and returned to the farm a few hours later. By this time The Chimney Guy had arrived to clean the chimney. He pulled the wood stove out of the fireplace. It took another two hours, but with his help, we were able to get the other four owls out of the chimney. Thomas snagged one from the top. The Chimney Guy used his amazingly powerful shop vacuum to dislodge creosote and eventually three more owlets were removed from the chimney. Unfortunately, one of the owlets was dead. The owls will be hacked at BMW bringing the total to 63 Barn Owls. Donations for mice are appreciated.

The house had been occupied for 41 years and the chimney had never been cleaned. It was a miracle that the house had not burned down. If you use a fireplace, have it and the chimney cleaned once a year. Also, please place a spark arrestor or cap on the chimney. It will prevent animals, debris or rain from entering the chimney and sparks from exiting the chimney and starting a fire. 

That is the common refrain at BMW these days.

The most vocal babies are the 4 nestling American Kestrels. When full grown they will weigh 3 to 4 ounces (100-120 grams) and be fierce predators. Small rodents and grasshoppers beware!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I’m sure Momma Barn Owl thinks these 5 owlets are beautiful. Once they grow feathers, they will indeed be beautiful. And, yes, there are 5 owlets in the photo below. The arrow points to the youngest of the quintuplets. It hatched on Saturday and is tucked under its older sibling’s head. 

Below is number five in the incubator just after it hatched. 

Number 6 is in the process of hatching. Its beak is chipping away at the shell.

The cutest baby award has to go to the 5 tiny Least Chipmunks whose home was destroyed when some brush and trees were removed near Haines, OR. They weighed just 12 grams each, less than 1/2 ounce, when admitted. Their eyes are open and they are completely furred which means they were on the cusp of being weaned. Hopefully we will be able to return them to Haines within the next month.  

Three classes of La Grande second graders traveled to BMW on Thursday. After walking through the Rescue foot bath to protect the Education Birds from avian influenza, they played the Migration Game, dissected owl pellets and learned about hawks, owls, eagles and vultures.

We also welcomed intern Thomas. He is a pre veterinary student planning on specializing in wildlife medicine. He has quickly become a valued member of the BMW team. Below he is helping Tricia give fluids to a fledgling Great Horned Owl. He also helped Winnie with the migration game.

His hair and beard are a downy Barn Owl fluff magnet!

BMW president and treasurer, Ken and Kirsti visited again from Portland, helping with spring cleanup and tractor maintenance. Kirsti also took lots of photos, including of Ken giving me a quick refresher in tractor driving. I haven’t done much of that since my college days! Thank you Ken and Kirsti for all your help over the weekend.

The first admission this past week was young American Crow 25-158 who was suffering from metabolic bone disease, MBD, caused by being fed a poor diet. The finder kept the bird for three weeks before calling BMW. Young, rapidly growing birds (and all young animals) need a balanced diet that includes sufficient calcium for both metabolic functions and growth to occur. If the diet is low in calcium, the body will utilize calcium from bones for metabolic purposes. The result is weak bones that are easily broken. Severe MBD is not reversible and the Crow was euthanized.

American Crow 25-164 fell from its nest resulting in major damage to its right leg, including a dislocated hip and a fracture at the proximal growth plate of the tarsometatarsus. The proximity to the heel joint would have resulted in a frozen joint. Again, euthanasia was the most humane option. 

Eight additional young Barn Owls were admitted when their nests were destroyed, bringing the total to 42 young owls. They will each eat at least 5 mice/day. That’s 210 mice (at $1/mouse) just to feed baby Barn Owls each day. BMW’s resident education birds and two rehabilitating Barn Owls consume an additional 34 mice. Donations for mice are appreciated!

Below are three of the newest owls…

On Friday, 10 members of the Richland Rod and Gun Club visited BMW, completing a variety of projects at the center and viewing BMW’s education birds. As their visit ended, a beautiful Swallowtail Butterfly paid a visit to the volunteer radishes I had let go to seed…

Five nestling House Finches were admitted on 5/10/25. In 8 days they went from downy babies in the brooder:

To getting their feathers and able to thermoregulate their temperature…

On Tuesday a nestling Robin arrived. He was the only survivor when he and his siblings were blown from the nest. Initially his prognosis was guarded, but he seems to be doing well. He’s a great example of why baby birds are easy to feed. Their gape flanges, sort of like lips, make their mouths very large targets when feeding.

Ken and Kirsti, BMW’s President and Treasurer, respectively, visited this past week. Ken worked on planning and permitting for a new wildlife clinic and servicing tractors and other equipment while Kirsti helped in the clinic. On Saturday we received a call about a Short-eared Owl hanging in a barbed-wire fence on Mud Springs Road west of BMW. It took Kirsti and I nearly 2 hours to find the owl and get it loose from the fence.

Then it was back to the clinic to clean and close the wound. 

Barn Owl 25-154 was found in a yard in Reith unable to fly. The exam found a dislocated left elbow. The damage was too severe to repair and the owl was euthanized.

Kirsti and I traveled to Baker City to pick up an adult Swainson’s Hawk that had been found in Ontario. Our exam found a left humerus fracture very close to the shoulder joint. The fracture could have healed, but  because the injury was so close to the joint the hawk would not have been able to fly and he was euthanized. 

And the Turkey Vultures have laid a second egg, although they are not particularly diligent about incubating them! Perhaps they know the eggs are not going to hatch.

The first bird this past week was very unlucky American Crow 25-106 who was struck by a vehicle. Both the radius and ulna in the left wing were fractured. The ulna fracture was compound, meaning the bone was exposed to the air. The damage was too extensive to repair and the bird was euthanized.

Next came 9 more Barn Owls from another hay stack that was being moved. This brings the baby Barn Owl total to 36. We are getting creative with the color combinations in order to identify them. It will be easier when they are moved outside. They will have a metal band placed on their right leg with a unique number that will identify each bird. 

Osprey 25-120 built his nest on a power pole near Boardman. He was severely burned when the nest caught fire. 

He also had burns consistent with electrocution on his right wing and left foot. The prognosis for a complete recovery and normal feathers was extremely poor and the bird was euthanized.

Golden Eagle 25-094 seems to be making good progress. Her bandage and (most) of the skin staples have been removed. She is still in a hospital cage to restrict her movement, but the ulna fracture appears to be healing well. The x-ray on the right was taken 12 days after the initial x-ray on the left.

And we have more eggs! Rita and Jonathan are very proud…

Turkey Vulture Daryl is standing guard over her egg.