It's Spring!!!
My daffodils started blooming early in March. Then, we had several nights with temperatures in the low 20’s. I thought the daffodils were dead. They were wilted and flat on the ground. Sunshine and temperatures in the 60’s brought them back to life! Gotta be a lesson for us in there somewhere.
The Week in Review
Thankfully business continues to be slow. There were just four new admissions this past week. First was a Cooper’s Hawk with a dislocated shoulder. The hawk suffered a collision, perhaps with a car or window, and appears to be recovering quickly.
A Great Horned Owl received irreversible damage to her left wing when she was electrocuted. There was too much tissue damage to save her wing and she was euthanized. Sadly, the owl had a large brood patch, indicating she ws either incubating eggs or young chicks. The people who found the owl have been notified and are trying to locate her nest. They have already notified their power provider and the pole most likely responsible for the accident has been modified to prevent avian electrocutions in the future.
A Bald Eagle was admitted with severe lead poisoning. She died within a few hours of admission. Again, the way to prevent ingested lead poisoning is to hunt with lead-free ammunition. For more information visit: http://www.huntingwithnonlead.org/
The fourth bird admitted this week was Cooper’s Hawk who had been shot. The projectile caused multiple fractures in her right humerus and scapula. The damage was too extensive to repair.
As you can see, we humans make it challenging for wildlife to survive. We have placed so many obstacles on the landscape: cars, windows and fences to collide with, power poles that lead to electrocution, and gut piles from big game animals or "varmint” carcasses that are contaminated with lead ammunition. These all result in unintentional casualties. Gunshot injuries are inflicted intentionally by people who illegally shoot protected species. Its hard to prevent all injuries, but we can slow down a bit when driving. If a bird is electrocuted on a power pole on your property, call your power provider and ask them to retrofit the pole so it doesn’t happen again. They are legally obligated to do that, and if you hear/see someone shooting at protected species (all native birds) report them to law enforcement officials.
Great Blue Heron Release
A Great Blue Heron has been recovering from an ulna fracture at BMW’s Tri-Cities Center (BMW can no longer transport shorebirds from Washington across the state line to the Pendleton Center). The heron was successfully released at McNary Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. Way to go BMW T-C’s
Thought for the Week
Corona Virus/COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. Many of us are working from home or have been laid off. We are practicing social distancing, doing our best to keep ourselves and those around us safe. Students have been out of school for at least a week, with no end in sight. What to do! How about planting a garden? Your garden can be as small as a flower pot, or as big as your window ledge or yard will allow. It can be an individual endeavor, or a great family adventure. Bob and I rebuilt a raised bed over the weekend. It will be the first time I’ve had a garden in years. I’m so excited to see what I can grow!
Bald Eagle Nest Update
