By the time you see this newsletter, the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up will be in the record books. For BMW it was a fairly quiet week. Most of the excitement was on Tuesday evening when we received a call from OSP dispatch that there was an injured hawk at the I-84 airport exit just west of Pendleton.

The bird had collided with the air cleaner on a semi and was caught in the device. It was dark by the time I arrived. The hawk was on the ground being supervised by two State Policemen. It didn’t take long to get her in a box and back to the clinic.  The photo above was taken by Bethany, the truck driver whose truck the hawk collided with. Her boyfriend Chandler was driving the truck in front of Bethany. He pulled over and removed the hawk from the air cleaner.

There was blood in the hawk’s mouth so we decided to let her rest overnight before anesthetizing her for a more thorough exam and radiographs. We found no injuries. After a few days of fluids and anti-inflammatories (she had been hit by a truck!) we moved her out to a fight pen.

She is eating well and flying well. The plan is to release her this week.

Releases outnumbered admissions this week. Two young Barn Swallows were released.

First one…

Then the second swallow flew free…

And they found new friends right away…

Four Lesser Goldfinches were also released…

Its hard to catch 9 gram (1/3 of an ounce) birds coming out of a box in focus!

Three New Admissions

An American Robin and Eurasion Collared Dove both had coracoid fractures. Below is the radiograph of the Robin. Coracoid fractures rarely heal well-enough for a bird to be releasable. Both the Robin and Dove were euthanized.

A Townsend’s Warbler was also admitted. It’s left scapula was dislocated and the right eye ruptured. It died within 24 hours of admission…

Hopefully new admissions will fare better in the coming week.

Winnie traveled to Hermiston to return a young American Kestrel to her family. She had fledged on Main Street. Mackenzie Park, about a block away, is a much safer location! She went home with some new bling, a band on her right leg.

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Barn Swallows Update

The youngest Barn Swallows will be ready to release next week…

We are enjoying the bounty of Tricia’s Garden…

And so are the pollinators

Songbird releases included two American Robins, a Say’s Phoebe, a Western Kingbird and a Casin’s Finch. Tricia traveled to Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area near La Grande and released a Red-tailed Hawk and the four young Striped Skunks whose mother was struck by a vehicle and killed.

She had quite the rodeo corralling the four skunks in two kennels. Then there was the rather odiferous drive to Ladd Marsh. When she opened the kennel doors, two skunks immediately came out, one from each kennel. 

Soon number number three followed.

Finally number four emerged. They were so busy exploring their new surroundings, they didn’t even notice Tricia.

The Red-tailed Hawk wasted no time in leaving…

The American White Pelican that Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife requested Blue Mountain Wildlife rehabilitate was released on Thursday at Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge.

The week started with the admission of an American White Pelican found near Dayville, OR. At 5.31 kg (11.7 pounds) it weighs more than most eagles.  The pelican is a young bird, full grown and should be able to fly. We are not sure how it was injured. It had a large tear in the skin of its left foot. It was quarantined in the new Intake Center and tested for avian influenza.  

When the test results were negative, the bird was brought into the main clinic for a more thorough exam and radiographs. We have a special cone for anesthetizing pelicans. It is made from a Tupperware pasta container and a two-cup Tupperware measuring cup taped together. It is the perfect length! It took seven x-rays to get the pelican’s entire body, legs and wings. We found no fractures during the physical exam or radiographs. 

The skin tear was partially closed with staples to keep the underlying tissue from drying out while the wound heals. 

The Pelican was moved out to the large flight pen until the staples can be removed.

More Barn Swallows

Five more Barn Swallows were admitted this past week, including three nestlings. With luck we are just about at the end of baby season.

Bald Eagle 23-024 Released

Five months after being admitted with acute lead poisoning, the eagle was released…