Never A Dull Moment
Business is finally slowing down a bit - there have been 720 admissions to date in 2016, but there never is a dull moment. A call came in this week from a frantic woman. She was home alone, heard a thud at the door, opened it and a “baby owl" flew in. She was terrified. I reassured her that the baby owl was not going to hurt her and I would be able to come and capture the owl within the hour.
She called back 30 minutes later to say she had to leave for an appointment. I told her to call me when she returned and I would come and get the owl, but she didn’t want to leave with the owl on the loose. I said OK, then you have to catch the owl and put it in a box. After a few minutes of coaching and lots of encouragement, she agreed to capture the bird. Then she offered to drop the owl off at the library, which was on the way to her appointment. She had called the library to find out who to call to capture the owl in her house. When I relayed this story to intern (and college student) Parks, his response was libraries were places to study, not gather information!
I went to the library to find a slightly downy, fledgling American Kestrel, a small falcon, not an owl. I also had a wonderful chat with the librarian.
The Car Wouldn’t Start
Earlier in the week we received a call from an auto repair shop. A car had been towed in because it wouldn’t start. When they checked under the hood the problem was obvious: a nest of 5 Douglas’ Squirrels in the air filter. You just can’t make this stuff up!
A Really Hungry Killdeer
And then came the young Killdeer. It was dragging about 10 feet of fishing line, and the line disappeared down the Killdeer’s throat! A radiograph revealed what was on the end of the fishing line - a small fish hook! Now what to do? We fed rat skins to a Bald Eagle and the eagle cast a large pellet containing a fish hook that it had swallowed (no doubt hidden inside a fish it had eaten). We’re feeding the Killdeer meal worms. Its eating lots of worms, but so far, no sign of the fish hook. We will take another radiograph on Monday to see if the hook has moved.
A Sad Ending For A Successful Hunter
An adult, male Cooper’s Hawk was found in a Kennewick residential area unable to stand or fly. A radiograph showed the bird had been shot, resulting in multiple fractures. One of the pellets had also passed through the bird’s abdominal cavity. Plumage and eye color indicated the hawk was at least three years old. He was in excellent condition, obviously a successful hunter. There was too much damage to be repaired and the hawk was euthanized. So senseless.
A Sad Ending For a Youngster
A fledgling American White Pelican was found in Milton-Freewater with fishing line wrapped around its right leg above the hock. Although there was still circulation in the lower leg and foot, the line had caused damage that prevented the bird from placing its foot normally. The damage was not reversible and the bird was euthanized.
Northern Harriers - A Success Story
Six weeks after being admitted and three weeks after “fledging” from their artificial nest at BMW, five Northern Harriers are successfully hunting and no longer returning to a food platform to be fed. We still see them flying low over nearby fields. They are a joy to watch.
