Pendleton is bustling with activity as Round-Up Week approaches. We were fortunate to have a quiet week at BMW, admitting just two migratory birds. 

MacGillivray’s Warbler 25-467 is missing many wing and tail feathers after being brought into a house by a cat. We suspect it first hit a window. No fractures were apparent on an x-ray. We are hopeful it can quickly regrow the feathers in time for fall migration.

American Crow 25-468 was found in La Grande. An x-ray showed significant damage in its left shoulder, including a coracoid fracture, as well as damage to the pelvis. It was likely struck by a vehicle. The injuries were too extensive repair and the crow was euthanized.

Fire danger is still high throughout the west. So far, none of the fires have been close, but the smoky air results in beautiful sunrises. Tricia captured the photo below…

Thank you to all who have donated artificial Christmas trees. Barn Owl Helen really likes hers!

With luck, we are having our last heat wave of summer and cooler fall temperatures will be here soon. Four birds and two bats made their way to the Pendleton center this past week. A cat caused injuries that could not be repaired to a House Finch and a Silver-haired Bat.

A Cooper’s Hawk found near Condon had a dislocated shoulder and a humerus fracture, also non-repairable injuries.

An emaciated American Crow was next. It had an older injury in its left shoulder that was not repairable.

Finally, a second Silver-haired Bat died on its way to the center. It had abdominal injuries from some type of blunt trauma.

There is some good news to share. Two Long-eared Owls will be released as soon as this current streak of hot weather passes.

We had the opportunity to witness a Praying Mantis lay her eggs. A quick search of the internet found that, like many raptors, the female mantis is generally larger than the male. Females lay dozens to hundreds of eggs, depending the species, in a frothy secretion that hardens into a styrofoam-like egg case called an otheca. The adults die a few weeks later. The eggs overwinter within the egg case and hatch in the spring into a very small version of the adult. I look forward to the spring hatch!

Thank you to all who so generously support Blue Mountain Wildlife. We couldn’t do our job without you! Special thanks to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatila Indian Reservation Bus Service. The Tribal Bus transports both humans and birds at no charge! What an awesome service to our region.

As Baby Season winds down, its time to prepare for fall and winter. This includes cleaning the Education Building. Interns Rachel and Marissa were closely supervised by Golden Eagle LB as they cleaned his enclosure. He made sure they didn’t miss a spot!

The Education Birds each receive a fall checkup and have their beak and talons trimmed. Winnie holds Bald Eagle Jonathon while I trim his talons.

Four raptors were admitted this past week. Cooper’s Hawk 25-453 had a right coracoid fracture as well as multiple metacarpal fractures. The damage could not be repaired and the young hawk was euthanized.

Two Great Horned Owls were admitted. Owl 25-455 was severely emaciated, dehydrated and anemic. A large female, 1300 grams would have been a good weight. At  820 grams she was 40% underweight. She needed both a transfusion to treat the anemia and fluids to treat the dehydration. We can give IV fluids, but don’t have a Great Horned Owl blood donor. Giving fluids without a transfusion would have thinned her blood making her so anemic she could not survive. Wildlife rehab requires making hard choices. Euthanasia seemed the most humane choice for this owl.

On the same day, Great Horned Owl 25-456 was admitted. The owl had a hemorrhagic left eye and blood on his beak. An x-ray showed fractures of the right radius and ulna very close to the wrist joint. He was thin and dehydrated. He was not going to be a releasable bird because the fractures were so close to the wrist. He was in no condition to be a blood donor. Again euthanasia was the most humane option.

It was a long, hot week. We look forward to cooler temperatures in September.

Most wildlife are brought to BMW for care as a result of human activity. They are struck by a vehicle, crash into a window or are mauled by a cat (a non-native species introduced into North America by people). None of these intentionally harm wildlife. A bird can fly into the path of a car, giving the driver no alternative but to hit the bird. Raptor silhouettes hanging in windows cannot prevent all birds from hitting windows. 

Gunshot injuries are intentional. There are no hunting seasons for native birds other than upland game birds or water fowl. Sometimes the cause of an injury is not obvious. That is the case for Swainson’s Hawk 25-443. The damage to her left wing looks like it was caused by a projectile, The condition of the 3 broken primary feather shafts is consistent with a gunshot injury. 

The hawk is an adult female with a brood patch. She is thin, weighing 686 grams, and anemic with a packed cell volume of 28.5 and a total protein of 2.8. We are hopeful she will be ready to release in a few weeks, as her young are still partially dependent upon her for food and she needs to be ready to migrate this fall.

Other admissions this past week included a Black-chinned Hummingbird with a non repairable shoulder injury who was euthanized, an American Crow that died while being transported to the clinic, and a Northern Saw-whet Owl with a dislocated elbow and shoulder, injuries that could not be repaired.

Three successful releases boosted our spirits this week. A Western Screech Owl was released after recovering from injuries sustained when it was tangled in netting covering raspberry bushes.

Two young Cooper’s Hawks from two different families had been found unable to fly shortly after fledging. Both responded well to supportive care and were released. The first hawk release is pictured below. The second hawk left so quickly there was no time for a photo!

Volunteers Jacque, Kenny and Janie released the birds. Thank you awesome volunteers!

Northern Harrier 25-358 was released at Ladd Marsh one month after being admitted with a fractured ulna. Harriers, also called Marsh Hawks, are coursers, flying over open areas looking for prey. The Harrier wasted no time getting back in the air! Below are photos taken at the time of admission and at release.

The clinic currently is an emaciation ward. Long-eared Owl 25-415 seems to be well on the way to recovery. The medium-sized owl weighed 164 grams at admission. Average weight for male and female owls are 245g and 279g respectively. The owl weighed 207g Sunday morning and is now able to eat whole mice.

Fledgling Swainson 25-431 is not out of the woods yet, but for a week he has beaten the odds. He weighed just 387 grams at admission. The average weight for a male Swainson’s Hawk is 908 grams which means he is more than 50% underweight. He is small, so perhaps his normal weight is 700g. In addition to being emaciated, he was severely dehydrated and anemic. His packed cell volume was 4.5. That is the percentage of the blood consisting of red blood cells. A normal value for a young hawk would be in the mid to upper 30’s. 

A bird this thin cannot digest typical prey items like mice. He is being tube-fed a liquid emaciation diet. We will soon add a small amount of solid food. We must go slowly to allow his digestive tract time to start functioning again. It is so hard to be patient!

Earlier today, Sunday, Golden Eagle 25-439 was admitted. During the initial exam we noticed air under the skin in the wings and neck. This is usually caused by a ruptured air sac. X-rays showed no broken bones. The eagle was found near a road so it is likely the air sac(s)  ruptured when it was struck by a vehicle. Fortunately, air sacs generally heal with time. The eagle weighed just 2.09 kg or just over 4 1/2 pounds. Average weight for a male Golden Eagle is 8 1/2 pounds. 

As I finish this newsletter, the eagle is standing in the cage.  We are hopeful.