Banded Bald Eagle
An adult Bald Eagle was found in a large vacant lot in Moses Lake, WA. He appears to have either hit a power line or the 6-foot fence surrounding the lot while chasing a rabbit. A WDFW biologist from Ephrata captured the bird and met BMW volunteer Laurel who then met Bob in Umatilla in order to transport the eagle to Pendleton. X-rays taken at Pendleton Veterinary Clinic showed inflammation in the right shoulder and a hairline fracture in the left humerus. The eagle also had a 22.3 microgram/dl blood lead level requiring chelation therapy.
The eagle has a metal band on his right leg. According to the Bird Banding Lab, he was banded at Moses Lake in March of 2009 and estimated to be 3 years old. The people who found the injured eagle think his mate is still there, as they had seen two eagles roosting in the area recently. One day they watched in amazement as the eagles performed an aerial courtship display.
Hopefully he will make a full recovery with cage rest and chelation.
Great Horned Owl
A Great Horned Owl from Enterprise, OR was not so lucky. The owl flew into the auger of a gravel truck that was spreading gravel on an icy road. The owl's right humerus was shattered in the collision. There was no hope of repairing the wing and the owl was humanely euthanized.
Below is the x-ray taken at Pendleton Veterinary Clinic. The owl was lying on his back, so the right wing is on the left side. If you compare the two wings you can see that the proximal half of the humerus (the part closest to the shoulder) is shattered and both the right shoulder and right elbow are damaged. The small, white, odd-shaped material in the feathers of the right wing are pieces of gravel.
Raptor Release
Volunteer Toni Faust captured the release of this Cooper's Hawk. The hawk had been admitted in November after being shot with an air rifle and having eaten a bird that had also been shot. In addition to having a broken wing, she also had lead poisoning! Fortunately she recovered from both conditions.
Raptor Models
Blue Mountain Audubon Society and Carnegie Picture Lab sponsored BMW's participation in the Walla Walla Public Library's 2015 Family Fun Night Premiere, "Life in Our Valley." The event featured a drawing demonstration by local artist Todd Telander and BMW's education birds as models. There was standing room only in the library!
