Five nestling House Finches were admitted on 5/10/25. In 8 days they went from downy babies in the brooder:

To getting their feathers and able to thermoregulate their temperature…

On Tuesday a nestling Robin arrived. He was the only survivor when he and his siblings were blown from the nest. Initially his prognosis was guarded, but he seems to be doing well. He’s a great example of why baby birds are easy to feed. Their gape flanges, sort of like lips, make their mouths very large targets when feeding.

Ken and Kirsti, BMW’s President and Treasurer, respectively, visited this past week. Ken worked on planning and permitting for a new wildlife clinic and servicing tractors and other equipment while Kirsti helped in the clinic. On Saturday we received a call about a Short-eared Owl hanging in a barbed-wire fence on Mud Springs Road west of BMW. It took Kirsti and I nearly 2 hours to find the owl and get it loose from the fence.

Then it was back to the clinic to clean and close the wound. 

Barn Owl 25-154 was found in a yard in Reith unable to fly. The exam found a dislocated left elbow. The damage was too severe to repair and the owl was euthanized.

Kirsti and I traveled to Baker City to pick up an adult Swainson’s Hawk that had been found in Ontario. Our exam found a left humerus fracture very close to the shoulder joint. The fracture could have healed, but  because the injury was so close to the joint the hawk would not have been able to fly and he was euthanized. 

And the Turkey Vultures have laid a second egg, although they are not particularly diligent about incubating them! Perhaps they know the eggs are not going to hatch.