The young Golden Eagle admitted in August was returned to its family this past week and an adult Golden eagle was admitted. It was brought to BMW after being struck by a vehicle near Iron Side, Oregon. Iron Side is 160 miles south of Pendleton in a location that some might describe as the middle of nowhere, but it is great country for a Golden Eagle. The eagle had a measurable level of lead in his blood likely from scavenging carrion that had been shot with lead ammunition. The lead was removed with chelation and the eagle has been moved to a large flight pen. We are optimistic he will be ready to go back home in a fairly short period of time.

Great Horned Owl 24-342 was not as lucky with his encounter with a car. His right shoulder was dislocated and right leg was broken. The injuries were too extensive to repair.

Osprey 24-344 was found on the ground, unable to fly near Umatilla. Volunteer Dean captured and transported the bird to Pendleton. An exam revealed a coracoid fracture and some asymmetry in the hips. Alignment was fairly good in the fracture so the wing has been immobilized and the bird given cage rest. It will be a month or so before we know if we might be successful. Now the challenge is to get the bird to eat. Osprey can be challenging to get to eat in captivity.

A call came in regarding some owls nesting in a chimney. There was an insert in the fireplace and the owls were on top of the insert. The only access was on the roof of the house through the chimney. Tricia and I drove to La Grande and spent a couple of hours attempting to remove the owls. We netted two, but knew there were at least two or three more we couldn’t get. The occupant of the house was able to remove 4 more owlets later that day and will bring them to Pendleton. All 6 owlets will be placed in a hack box and allowed to fledge from there. We raised 56 barn owls earlier in the year using this method.

Birds did not fare well this week after encountering cars, power lines, windows or, in the case of an Osprey, baling twine. Five of the eleven admissions had a humerus fracture. 

Great Horned Owl 24-330 was likely struck by a vehicle, fracturing the left humerus near the elbow and damaging the left wrist and shoulder as well. The damage was too extensive to repair and the owl was euthanized.

Prairie Falcon 24-331 was struck by a vehicle near Baker City, fracturing both the radius and ulna in the left wing. 

Great Horned Owl 24-333 was electrocuted near Milton-Freewater causing injuries that were not repairable. Barn Owl 24-334 was also found near Milton-Freewater with a right humerus fracture and shoulder damage that could not be repaired.

Common Nighthawk 24-335  could have hit a power line or been struck by a vehicle. Its left wing could not be repaired the bird was euthanized.

Hummingbird 24-337 struck a window fracturing its right coracoid, another non-repairable injury.

And Osprey 24-339 was  found hanging from a nest platform, tangled in baling twine that had been incorporated into its nest. Please properly dispose of baling twine.

Fortunately there were multiple releases this week…

Two California Quail

Three American Robins

A Short-eared Owl who had been found hanging in a barbed-wire fence in May…

And Red-tailed Hawk 24-213 was returned to Ladd Marsh…

It was an unusual week at BMW in that no raptors were admitted, although arrangements are being made to transport a young Swainson’s Hawk from Baker City to Pendleton today or tomorrow. Five more Swainson’s were released from hack boxes this past week for a total of eight in the last two weeks.

The fledgling Golden Eagle is looking and acting like a healthy eagle. She will be returned to her
family on Tuesday.

A Belted Kingfisher was admitted with a fractured ulna. It is thought to have struck a window.  We have immobilized the wing and are providing cage rest so the wing can heal.

There were just 5 admissions this past week. The first was Red Crossbill 24-314 who had been struck by a vehicle near Baker City causing fractures in the upper and lower right mandibles, the right ulna and the right coracoid. The damage was too extensive to repair and the bird was euthanized.

New intern Kara has been a big help for a week now. 

She released a Ring-necked Pheasant, a Brewers Blackbird and three American Robins in Wetland Park on the Umatilla Indian Reservation…

Swainson’s Hawk 24-316 was found near Hermiston unable to fly, another starving fledgling. We found no injuries. The young bird seems to be responding to supportive care. Emaciation cases are so challenging. The birds need calories for metabolism, but more importantly they need to be hydrated first for their gut to function properly. 

Golden Eagle 24-318 was found in Jordan Valley, very weak and unable to stand. The logistics of getting the eagle to Pendleton (the closest rehab facility) were somewhat challenging. Although both locations are in eastern Oregon, it is 255 miles to Jordan Valley and it is in the Mountain Time Zone. Noon in Pendleton is 1:00 pm in Jordan Valley. The eagle was transported to Vale, OR on Friday and then from Vale to Pendleton on Saturday. 

The initial exam found no major injuries, but the fledgling weighs 3.3 kilograms, 30% underweight for a female. Another starving youngster. We will provide supportive care and slowly reintroduce food.

Four young Swainson’s Hawks fledged from a hack box this week. They are returning to the feeding platforms for food. Six more Swainson’s were placed in two hack boxes. The doors will be opened at the end of the week allowing them to fledge. 

Spring started with a record breaking 56 baby Barn Owls. Swainson’s Hawks are fledging now and finding ways to get into trouble. The first Swainson’s admitted this past week was electrocuted when he landed on a power line and touched another line with his right wing. The damage to his wing and both feet was not repairable and the hawk was euthanized. The second young Swainson’s apparently tried to cool off in a water trough and nearly drowned. He seems fine and will be hacked out with 9 other Swainson’s. 

A nestling Barn Swallow fell from its nest in a barn. The nest was too high to access and the swallow now has a new nest. Tricia is feeding it every 30 minutes from 7 am to 8:30 pm. The hungry aerial insectivore will take one squirt of formula (from a syringe), one squirt of saline and 4 mealworms each feeding. Tricia eagerly awaits the arrival of our next intern Monday afternoon!

The wildflower seeds that Tricia and intern Harini planted have grown into a beautiful wildflower garden.