Baby Birds Everywhere
The Tri-Cities Center has been especially busy this week. To manage the large influx of injured and baby birds, not to mention coyotes, we have set up a drop site where people can bring birds at a specified time. Volunteer Gail has been the contact person for the past three days. This seems to be an efficient way to collect wildlife needing care.
We are also setting up a calendar that volunteers can use to schedule a shift at the Tri-Cities center to help with feeding, cleaning and the myriad of other jobs that need to be done. Winnie has sent a link to volunteers so you can easily schedule a shift. The calendar automatically updates so it is always current. Thank you so much for helping our native wildlife. Thank you also to volunteer Ken for transporting the coyote pup to Washington State University Wildlife Rehabilitation Center so it could receive the care it needs.
Daryl and Darrel are Laying Eggs
The Pendleton Center has been busy as well, especially the Daryls. They have laid two eggs. We are not certain, but we think both eggs have been laid by Daryl, affectionately dubbed ornery Daryl. The two Turkey Vultures are siblings, but have distinctly different personalities. Sweet Darrel is the boss, which may explain why ornery Daryl thinks I should be number three. Tricia and I spend time each afternoon working with the Daryls. We seem to be in a race to the bottom to determine who is number four! Never a dull moment at the wildlife center.
The Hack Box Door is Open
The hack box door has been opened for the older Great Horned Owls. They haven’t ventured far and are still on the table the hack box (a large dog kennel) is setting on. They have enough flight feathers to begin practicing their flying skills. Both birds are banded. You can see the metal band on the right leg of the older owl (on the left).
Common Poorwill
The Poorwill was found on the ground, which isn’t too unusual, but it made no effort to fly away when approached. We found no injuries during the physical exam or radiograph. We suspect a collision with something that resulted in a head injury. It is much feistier now, so we will try another test flight on Monday and see if it's ready for release.
