Week (and Year) in Review
To date, 2020 has been an unusually slow year for BMW, so I decided to look at the numbers. On average, annual admissions have gradually increased. Intakes during the first three months of 2019 were 11% higher than 2018 (80 and 72 respectively). Admissions in 2020 are 42% lower than 2019. Numbers were down by 33% in January, 21% in February and 59% in March. I’m not sure what caused the decrease in January and February. The mild winter weather could have been a factor. I’m going to speculate that COVID-19 impacted March’s numbers. I hope it was because fewer people were out and about resulting in fewer (negative) interactions with wildlife. Sadly, negative impacts were not completely eliminated.
Western Screech Owl 20-043 was a particularly tragic case. The little owl was in her nest cavity, probably sitting on one or two eggs, when someone began pruning the tree with a chainsaw. The saw shattered the owl’s skull, penetrating her brain cavity and right ear canal. It also fractured her right ulna. The damage was far too severe to repair. You can see it on the radiograph below along with the egg that she was about to lay.
Spring is the time of year when most wildlife reproduce. It can be difficult to see tree cavities or nests in dense foliage. Please be careful if you must trim trees or other vegetation. Better yet, postpone major pruning until the fall or winter months.
Red-tailed Hawk 20-045
An adult, female Red-tailed Hawk was hit by a car very near the home of volunteers Shelly and Mark McAllister in Wapato, WA. After they captured the hawk, Shelly transported her to Prosser where she met Bob and I. An exam revealed a very full crop (she had been eating a rabbit when hit by the car). We intubated her to prevent any aspiration of food from her crop into the lungs.
We also found bruising at the base of her neck on the left side. A radiograph revealed a coracoid fracture near the shoulder and lots of rabbit parts in her crop and stomach.
She was given a bolus of IV fluids, her left wing was immobilized with a bandage and her tail feathers were protected with a tail sheath. She was also given vitamins, medication for internal and external parasites (she had feather lice), and pain.
By the next morning she was on her feet.
Thought for the Week
I hope you are finding new and creative ways to stay in touch with family and friends as we shelter in place. I also hope you’ve found a positive side to your new routine. The lettuce mix and sugar snap peas I planted last week haven’t sprouted yet. Being an optimist, I’m pretty sure the fact that the seeds outdated in 2018 won’t be a problem. I had great luck sprouting clover seeds. The sprouts add a wonderful crunch to a sandwich or salad.
Now I’m trying bean sprouts. This is what they looked like in 36 hours!
