Great Horned Owl 18-575 Release
In August, truck driver Nick spotted an injured Great Horned Owl along I-84 east of Pendleton. He stopped his truck, moved the owl away from traffic and called BMW. This past Saturday Nick drove from his home in Salem to Pendleton to release the owl at McKay Wildlife Refuge. What a special release!
Secret Life of the Forest
The Secret Life of the Forest is a 13-part series that explores the natural history of the northern Blue Mountains in northeast Oregon and southeast Washington. It is narrated by Mike Denny, who has spent 40 years studying the Blue Mountains and everything in them, and filmed by photographer Daniel Biggs. Episode 11, featuring Blue Mountain Wildlife, aired this past week. New episodes air on Sunday evenings at 7 pm at Blue Mountain TV . We are very grateful to Mike and Dan for including BMW in this fascinating series.
Thank You Rosie!
Volunteers are the backbone of any nonprofit organization, and BMW is no different. Our small staff, Bob, myself, Samantha and Winnie are incredibly dedicated, but the work load is far more than we can accomplish. We have been fortunate to have help at the Pendleton Center from Rosie for the past few weeks. Below, she and Samantha are cleaning water pans in the large flight pen. Thanks so much Rosie!
Cooper’s Hawk 18-734
It was a rough week for raptors. Admissions included one Red-tailed Hawk, four Cooper’s Hawks, one Western Screech Owl, four Barn Owls and one Great Horned Owl. All but the red-tail and screech owl either died or were euthanized. The latter was the case for adult, female Cooper’s Hawk 18-734 whose right wing was damaged too severely to be repaired after someone shot her in Walla Walla. The pellet passed through the hawk’s shoulder, shattering the humerus, and lodged near the wrist, shattering the ulna. She had been in excellent physical condition. Obviously a very successful hawk.
Red-tailed Hawk 18-737
An adult, female Red-tailed Hawk, also in excellent physical condition, was the second gunshot victim of the week. She was found a few miles south of Pendleton in a wheat field. She has wounds in her right leg and right wing consistent with a gunshot injury. The projectile did not break any bones, but it caused significant damage in the muscles of the leg and wing. To make matters worse, the hawk’s blood lead level is 19.8 micrograms/deciliter, a toxic amount of lead. In addition to treating the infection related to the gunshot wounds, we will also need to chelate her to remove the lead.
