Eagle Eleven
The week started with intern Parks traveling to Jubilee Lake Campground to capture an injured Bald Eagle, the 11th eagle of the year. He arrived at the campground to find the eagle, already captured, wrapped in a shirt, resting in a large ice chest - the only container available. He transferred the eagle into the large dog kennel he had brought for that purpose and drove back to the center.
An exam revealed the eagle was extremely emaciated and dehydrated, but had no obvious injuries. A radiograph showed a slight abnormality in the right shoulder. Fortunately she is responding well to supportive care and will hopefully make a full recovery. Below she is recovering from anesthesia.
A Visit From Daisy Troop 40494
We had a delightful visit from the the scouts of Daisy Troop 40494. You can see below why I am not a professional photographer, but you have to love those beautiful, enthusiastic smiles as they presented their box of donated supplies!
The Rest Of The Week
I have been telling Samantha and the interns that business generally slows down the middle of July. So far they don’t believe me. The rest of the week brought 6 Swainson’s Hawks (including one more advanced case of metabolic bone disease), 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 2 Barn Owls, 1 Cooper’s Hawk, 1 Western Screech Owl and 3 bats.
Cooper’s Hawk Release
We were able to release a Cooper’s Hawk and a Western Screech Owl this past week. Both were happy to be free. The Cooper’s Hawk did not receive a warm welcome from the resident “tweety birds” at McNary Wildlife Refuge. In the last photo the hawk is perched on a large stump, surrounded by her entourage!
Thank You Pacific Power
The week ended on a sad note. We received a call from the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. There was an Osprey tangled in baling twine, hanging from a nest that was 85 feet high! The nest was built on a bank of stadium lights that were nolonger in use. The prison did not have equipment that could access the nest. After seeing photos of the pole it was determined that it could not be safely climbed.
A call to Pacific Power resulted in a bucket truck being on sight within the hour. The truck had an 85 foot boom. Unfortunately, even when fully extended, the bucket was still more than 5 feet below the nest and several feet to the side (there was a steep drop off on the side of the pole where the Osprey was hanging). The lineman tried to hook the baling twine above the Osprey and pull it into the bucket. It was firmly attached to the nest. When it finally broke free, the hook slipped off the twine and the Osprey fell to the ground. It died instantly. We all felt very bad, but there was nothing else that could have been done. I am very grateful to Pacific Power for attempting such a precarious rescue.
What is truly sad about this story is how easily Osprey are able to collect baling twine and incorporate it into their nest because it has not been properly discarded.
