Osprey 20-442 - the Rest of the Story
We received the report from the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab identifying the parasite in the fledgling Osprey’s eye as a type of eye fluke. That was not the bird’s only problem. He would go into acute respiratory distress with the least amount of stimulation. He died two days after admission. A necropsy revealed his lungs were full of fungal lesions making them almost nonfunctional. Aspergillosis is caused by a fungus commonly found in the environment. When birds are stressed they tend to be susceptible to the fungus. The Osprey had no obvious injuries and was a normal weight. We do not know why he was so compromised at such a young age.
Swainson’s Hawk 20-491, aka Sparky
The young hawk attempted to catch a squirrel on a power pole. There was a loud bang. The squirrel took the brunt of the electricity and was killed. Most of the hawk’s wing and tail feathers were burned, but otherwise it was not injured. Volunteers Bill and Tiffany, who captured the hawk and transported it to Pendleton, suggested “Sparky” was an appropriate name. The hawk is going to have to go through a complete molt to replace the damaged feathers before it will be able to fly. That will not happen until next spring and summer.
Winnie created this short video of Frosty...
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