Two Great Horned Owls were admitted this past week. GHOW 23-009 tested positive for avian influenza and was humanely euthanized. Below is a photo of the positive FLUDETECT test strip. The rapid test is similar to an in-home COVID test and can be completed in 15 minutes. Although the test can sometimes result in a false positive, it is a useful screening tool for owls like 23-009 who are exhibiting symptoms of avian influenza. 

We can use a more accurate PCR test for high risk species who are asymptomatic, but it requires sending the test sample to the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Corvallis at a cost of $80, as compared to the $10 cost of the rapid test. 

GHOW 23-010 was struck by a vehicle on Interstate-84. His left eye was badly damaged and was not going to be functional. A one-eyed Great Horned Owl has a very poor prognosis for survival if released, so he was also euthanized. 23-010 tested negative for avian influenza so illness was not a factor in his injury

Western Screech Owl 22-423 Released

Tricia released another Screech Owl this past week. It received a head injury in a collision (with a window, a car or ????) on December 26, 2022. She released it in a park near where it had been found.

Pendleton Outfitters

A new business in town and a new podcast! And we are on Episode 1…

We had another quiet week at the Pendleton center which gave us time to put the finishing touches on the new Intake Center. Intern Casey brought his guitar when he traveled Pendleton. He’s a member of a band at Dartmouth College. Saturday we took him to Great Pacific Wine and Coffee Company so he could participate in the weekly  jam session. BMW President Carl Scheeler and the other musicians all made Casey feel welcome.

Thank You Casey!

We have appreciated having intern Casey here these past few weeks. Although there were not a lot of patients in the clinic, he did see first hand the tragic effects of ingested lead toxicity in a Bald Eagle. Casey will return to Dartmouth College this week to complete his senior year. He is planning on taking a gap year off as he decides which Veterinary schools he will apply to.

For answers to questions you may have about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza scan the links at the bottom of the flyer…

We had a very quiet week at the Pendleton Center which gave us time to work on a 
Get The Lead Out rack card. Scroll down to see both sides of the card…

Another Eagle Lost to Lead

A Bald Eagle was found coated in mud and  unable to fly in a feedlot near Hermiston. The initial exam found no injuries, but the eagle’s blood lead level was 105.7 micrograms/deciliter, a critical amount of lead. We administered IV fluids and the first dose of chelation (to lower the lead level) and then spent an hour bathing the eagle to remove the mud. The eagle died during the night. A rapid Avian Influenza test was negative. ODFW will confirm the eagle did not have influenza with a PCR test.

The eagle’s lethal lead level was likely caused by scavenging on a gut pile from a deer or elk that had been shot with lead ammunition. The hunter would have field dressed the animal, leaving the entrails and the part of the carcass damaged by the bullet. Lead is a relatively soft metal that fragments upon impact. It is also likely that there were lead fragments in the meat that the hunter took home for his/her family to eat. 

There is no safe level of lead. Lead impacts the functioning of various organs, including nerves that effect coordination, decision making and learning. Young children are particularly susceptible to its effects. To protect both wildlife and humans, Hunt Lead Free.

Welcome Casey

We welcomed intern Casey two weeks ago. Casey is from Wisconsin and is a pre-veterinary major at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Dartmouth requires students to take a term off during their junior year in order to explore their interests. At BMW Casey has already had the opportunity to learn some of the aspects of veterinary care of birds and help with the finishing touches of the new Intake Center.

Release of Great Horned Owl 22-422

A Great Horned Owl was found on December 16, 2022 in Baker City, tangled in fishing line and hanging in a tree. Initially the owl had a droopy right wing. Once the swelling went down and he was able to start exercising, he was soon flying perfectly. Since we did not want the owl to re-encounter the fishing line, the decision was made to release him at Ladd March near La Grande. Tricia and Casey made the trip, and Casey released the owl…

The second week in January finally brought the first three admissions of 2023 to the Pendleton Center. Sadly, we were not able to save any of them. Red-tailed Hawk 23-001 was an adult exhibiting symptoms of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, HPAI. We are unable to successfully treat HPAI so the hawk was humanely euthanized. 

We learned this past week that there is a test for HPAI that can be done in-house. The test kits have been ordered and should arrive in the coming week. 

Rock Dove 23-002 had major chest trauma and was also euthanized due to its poor prognosis.

Red-tailed Hawk 23-003 had likely been struck by a vehicle and had a fractured left ulna. The fracture was very close to the wrist joint virtually ensuring that the hawk would not be able to fly well enough to be released. It also was euthanized. It was a very sad beginning for 2023.

New Admissions Center Update

The news is much more positive for the new Admissions Center. An old mew that had been empty  since the new Education Building was completed was dismantled so its walls, chain link fence panels, could be repurposed.

We picked the least windiest day of the week and finally got the pen apart with no injuries to humans or the fence panels! The panels will be reassembled around the new Admissions Center. Good job deconstruction crew: Winnie, Samantha, Tricia and intern Casey!

BMW’s Education Birds Will Soon Be On Youtube!!!

We are a step closer to being able to view the Education Birds on Youtube. Volunteers Ken and Kirsti (BMW’s Treasurer) Strandberg visited from Portland, bringing a new computer, monitor and more cameras. There are now 11 cameras that can be used to view birds in a variety of locations. Now we need to work the kinks out of the system and learn how to best utilize it. Thank you Ken and Kirsti for all your work!