Future Ornithologists
We were delighted this week with a visit by Pilot Rock Pre-Schoolers.
Rough-legged Hawk 19-074 Update
Volunteers Marla and Dave transported this female hawk back to Cunningham, WA (about an hour north of the Tri-Cities) near where she had been hit by a car six weeks earlier. Our goal was to release her before the middle of May, giving her time to migrate to the arctic tundra, where she will spend the summer.
Barn Owl 19-107
An injured Barn Owl was found in the front yard of a home on Main Street in Ione. The owl had a brood patch (a bare patch on the abdomen that allows a bird to brood eggs) and a fractured humerus. A radiograph showed the owl had been shot. Initially, we thought the owl was a female because of the brood patch. A necropsy showed it was a male. This is the second male Barn Owl we’ve admitted with a brood patch. I used to think that only female Barn Owls incubated eggs. Apparently that is not the case. Hopefully the owl’s young are far enough along, and prey is abundant enough that the female can raise her brood on her own.
Spring: Not the Time to Prune Trees & Shrubs
Every year we receive calls from distraught home owners. They’ve destroyed a nest while cutting down or pruning trees or bushes, or clearing brush. That generally means there are homeless babies. Sometimes we are lucky, and we can put up an artificial nest to put the babies in so the parents can continue raising them. That was not the case for three fuzzy Western Screech Owlets. Volunteers Kennie and Janie put up a substitute nest box and waited until the next day, but mom did not return. Please plan tree and brush clearing projects for the fall and winter if possible, when wildlife are not nesting. There are three owlets in the photo below. We use colored marking paint to identify the babies. They are Pink, Orange and Blank.
Sometimes We Need a Little Help From Friends
We try really hard not to “rescue” (also known as kidnapping) baby birds from their parents. After all, the parents are much better suited for raising their young than us humans. Sometimes, however, parents need a little help. Volunteer Tara provided the branches to attach to a ladder at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City, so center staff could provide a way for a precocious Great Horned Owl to climb back up to its nest. Owlets are pretty good at climbing trees when they venture out of their nests before being able to fly. Hopefully, this little guy will climb the branch adorned ladder just as well.
