What A Week!!!
One of the first birds admitted this past week was Great Horned Owl 19-258. The young owl was confiscated from an individual who acquired her when she still had an egg tooth. He had put poorly fitting jesses on the owl in a misguided at attempt to make her a falconry bird. Now, because she is imprinted on humans, she is non releasable. And yes, her head is turned 180 degrees in the photo below.
Two Eagles
Golden Eagle 19-267 was found near the Snake River Correctional Institute in far eastern Oregon. He could fly short distances, but he always went in a circle, indicating there was some kind of neurological problem. Over the course of a week his coordination has improved. He now eagerly grabs bites of food from a pair of forceps, but is still unable to pick up food off the cage floor. You can see poultry dust liberally sprinkled on and around the eagle in the photo above. He was covered with (very large!) lice on admission.
Intern Katie recovers Bald Eagle 19-285 from anesthesia. Somehow he managed to amputate the tip of his left wing, preventing him from being able to fly. His nearly white had and tail indicate he is three years old.
Northern Harrier Nestlings
Northern Harriers are ground nesting hawks. These three nestlings were rescued in a field near Yakima when silage was being chopped. One sibling was killed. Fortunately these three are uninjured.
Three Gunshot Hawks in One Week
Osprey 19-287 had fractures in both wings and was euthanized. Red-tailed Hawk 19-288 was thought to have been it by a car. Radiographs showed 10 pellets throughout his body, but no fractures. He had been on the ground for at least two weeks and is extremely emaciated. His prognosis is guarded.
Ferruginous Hawk 19-296 was an adult female with a brood patch, indicating she was raising young. Her left elbow joint was destroyed by a small projectile. The hawk was shot near Helix. Ferruginous Hawks are on Oregon’s sensitive species list and on Washington’s endangered list. The photo below shows the hawk’s brood patch.
