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.