Next Steps Students from Hermiston
Each school year the Next Steps students from the Hermiston School District visit BMW. We always take a group photo after our tour.
American Kestrel 18-649
Fall and winter are always challenging because most admissions are severely injured. That was the case this past week. Even worse, American Kestrel 18-649 had multiple fractures that were inflicted on purpose, when someone shot him. As is often the case, the injuries were too extensive to repair. There is no sign of lead along the wound channel because the projectile was non-lead and did not fragment.
Barn Owl 18-648
We are not sure what this Barn Owl collided with, but her left scapula is fractured and her right shoulder is compromised. We immobilized the scapula by bandaging the left wing to the body. She kept getting tangled up in her right wing, but we had a challenging time finding a bandage technique that would keep her wing in a normal position without causing more problems than it solved. We finally settled on a figure-eight bandage that kept the right wing from extending, but didn’t keep it fastened to the body. She is able to stay upright and eat her mice.
Try sitting down on the ground with both arms firmly fastened to your body, then try standing up again to get an idea of what it would be like for the owl to have both wings completely immobilized.
Great Gray Owl 18-651
A man saw a Great Gray Owl perched in a tree as he drove by, and then was horrified to watch in his rear view mirror as the owl flew into his trailer. He stopped and picked up the owl and his wife brought the bird to Pendleton. The exam found fractures in the left radius and ulna. The fractures have been stabilized with a splint. The prognosis for a fully flighted bird is poor, but we will try.
Great Horned Owl 18-652
It is not known how 18-652 broke both his wings. He may have hit a fence or been struck by a vehicle, but he had been on the ground at least two weeks for his broken wings to have time to heal. Amazingly, he has good extension in his elbow and wrist joints. We are providing physical therapy while he recovers from his emaciated state. Perhaps he can continue to beat the odds and recover. It is a long shot, but he is a fighter.
Northern Harrier 18-655
We suspect that this young, female harrier hit a fence wire, severely bruising her elbow. Hopefully, with supportive care and tincture of time, the soft tissue damage will heal and she will regain use of her wing.
