It continues to be quiet at the Pendleton Center with no new admissions this past week. The weather is cold, but daytime temperatures are mostly above freezing with no precipitation. Not bad for the middle of December. 

Volunteer Kenny picked up a Cooper’s Hawk at the prison in Connell, WA that had run into a fence while chasing a bird. Michele examined it and found no injuries. After a few days to recover in a hospital cage, it was moved to a flight pen where it was soon flying like an accipiter should! It was released today (Sunday) 9 days after admission. Good job everyone!

Thank you to all who have made a year-end donation to Blue Mountain Wildlife. Your generosity will allow us to start the new year off equipped to help wildlife in need. If you have not yet made a year-end gift to BMW, please consider donating through the Valley Giving Guide and have your donation qualify for matching funds. Thank you again for your generous support.

I hope you enjoy my favorite picture drawn by preschoolers who came to visit BMW… 

BMW’s Washington center will not have a permitted wildlife rehabilitator on-site as of January, 2024. This will be the situation for several years, as Michele and Laurel move to Arizona to meet job-related obligations. BMW had been caring for injured Washington migratory birds at the Pendleton center since 2001, in compliance with Oregon Administrative Rules. The Washington center was created to provide a place where baby Barn Owls, found in hay stacks that were being moved, could be raised and released after their nests were destroyed.

Currently, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is not allowing BMW to care for “Washington” birds in Pendleton due to the most recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.  In response to the HPAI outbreak, BMW created a stand-alone Intake Center where wildlife can be quarantined and tested for HPAI before being admitted to the main clinic, ensuring the safety of both rehab birds and BMW’s resident education birds.

I’m hoping we can come to an agreement with ODFW to allow BMW to continue caring for the wildlife of both eastern Oregon and eastern Washington. I will keep you posted.

Two Releases this Week

Great Horned Owl 23-320 was released in a park near where she had been struck by a vehicle. She flew strongly and landed atop a light pole, looking around to get her bearings, before flying off. We wish her well and hope she stays away from the freeway!

Barn Owl 23-352 was released in a field near Hermiston, Oregon where she had been found. We suspect she had been struck by a vehicle. This is the barn owl that was raised at BMW’s Washington facility after her nest (in a haystack near Pomeroy, Washington) was moved. We know she started life as a Washington owl because she was banded before being placed in a nest box at the Washington center. 

Sharp-shinned Hawk 23-369 flew into a window at the Pilot Rock City Hall. She appears to have separated her left coracoid from the sternum. We’ve wrapped her wing to her body to immobilize the wing and shoulder. Now we wait and see if tincture of time wild the trick.

Thank you to all who have made a year-end donation to Blue Mountain Wildlife.  If you would like to help us continue caring for our region’s wildlife, please consider using the Valley Giving Guide. Your gift will be increased with matching funds. Click on the image above to go to BMW’s donation page. 

Donate if you can and share that you donated on your social media!                                           

If you aren’t able to donate, we will be posting on social media (Facebook and Instagram) too…Please like and share these posts on you social media!

Thank you to everyone who has supported Blue Mountain Wildlife with a year-end donation. Your donations help BMW continue our mission of rehabilitation, education and research, benefitting the wildlife of our region. We couldn’t do it without you!

It has been a fairly slow week. Barn Owl 23-366 was admitted  on Monday with a humerus fracture and dislocated shoulder. The injuries were not repairable.

Tricia traveled to La Grande to meet a woman with an injured Prairie Falcon that was found near Adrian, a small town near the Oregon-Idaho border. Sadly, prognosis is not very good…

The birds we care for have almost all been negatively impacted by humans. Cars, windows and cats are the top three causes of injury. About half the time all we can do is end a bird’s suffering with euthanasia, but the remaining birds are returned to the wild and given a second chance.

If you would like to make a year-end donation, please consider using the Valley Giving Guide. Your gift will be increased with matching funds.Click on the image above to go to BMW’s donation page.

Donate if you can and share that you donated on your social media!  

If you aren’t able to donate, we will be posting on social media (Facebook and Instagram) too…please like and share these posts on your social media! 

Help us raise funds to save wildlife in 2024…and build our donor base for the future!

It was another trauma-filled week at BMW’s Pendleton center. An American Kestrel was found just west of Pendleton. Its right wing had been amputated at the shoulder. The cause of the injury is unknown. It did not appear to have been shot. Euthanasia was the only humane option.

A Northern Saw-whet Owl was found near North Powder, OR with humerus and coracoid  fractures. The tiny owl died from its injuries shortly after admission.

Red-tailed Hawk 23-360, a high risk species for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), was admitted last week and had been quarantined in the Intake Center. She was given supportive care until we received negative HPAI test results. Once in the clinic we could do a more thorough exam. A radiograph showed multiple fractures from being shot. The damage was too extensive to repair and she was euthanized.

Barn Owl 23-352, admitted last week, is out in a fight pen and doing well. After a few more days of flight conditioning she should be ready for release. This is a great example of what we can learn when we band the birds we release. The rehab and banding records told us the owl originally came from a nest in a haystack in Waitsburg, WA. She was raised with her siblings using the hacking method at our Washington facility near the Tri-Cities and was found in a field near Hermiston, OR seven months later. We still do not know what happened to her making her unable to fly. Fortunately she seems to be making a full recovery!

And if you need some help with holiday shopping ideas, visit BMW’s on-line store.

Thank you for all you do to help BMW care for our native wildlife!