Gunshot Kestrel
The week started on a low note with the admission of another gunshot bird, a female Kestrel from Selah, WA. The humerus in both wings was shattered. The fractures were nonrepairable and the bird was euthanized.
Red-tailed Hawk Rescue and Release
A Red-tailed Hawk was found in Cowiche last week. It was on the ground and would not fly away. Volunteer Mark of Wapato captured the hawk and transported him to the Pet Health Clinic in Sunnyside where he was examined and then anesthetized so a large quantity of very foul smelling food could be removed from his crop. Vanessa, a veterinary technician at the clinic and BMW volunteer, then transported the hawk to Benton City where she met Laurel who transported him to Umatilla, meeting Bob who brought the bird to Pendleton.
A physical exam, an x-ray and blood work could find nothing wrong with the hawk. After a few days of supportive care and a successful test flight, he was returned to Cowiche for release by Mark who sent this description: "When I released the bird, it flew up onto an overhead sprinkler just south of us, sat there for about a minute and gave a shrill scream. It didn't take long before it made an about-face and flew back past us to the north, up the hill to some poplar trees where it met up with two other large red tails that heard its call and were talking back to him. They flew around with each other and squawked and screeched and dove at each other as if to say “We missed you, welcome home!!”
What a great ending to a rescue and a perfect example of how many dedicated volunteers are often involved in bird rescues.
Above and Beyond
Volunteers Dan and Claudia respond to many bird calls in the Tri-Cities area and beyond. Sunday evening they received a call regarding four young squirrels who were literally stuck together with pitch from a pine tree. With quick thinking (and the help of Google) they were able to quickly free the squirrels and clean them up using hand sanitizer. The tiniest squirrel did not survive the ordeal, but the three larger ones quickly recovered.
