It has been a challenging week with baby Season shifting into high gear. Most of the nestlings admitted were too badly injured to save after falling from their nests. Two of the five eggs admitted with the Say’s Phoebe last week have hatched. The two hatchlings each weigh about 2 grams. Very tiny birds in a tiny nest!

A fledgling American Crow who was found on the ground at Heritage Station in Pendleton in early June, has gained weight, learned how to fly and to forage for food. It will be returned to its family this coming week. Crows, members of the corvid family, are intelligent birds and very good scavengers. They will pick up discarded food, like french fries, and feed it to their babies. The fast growing young birds can quickly become malnourished. Properly discard left over food, unless you have an extra mouse or grasshopper to share!   

A fledgling Long-eared Owl was stunned and his siblings killed when their nest tree was blown down. We are hoping to find another Long-eared Owl family to foster him into. He is eating whole mice on his own and learning to fly.

An adult Swainson’s Hawk was found in the middle of the road near Madras, OR. The finders picked up the bird and continued on their way to Washington, stopping along the way to leave the hawk at an Oregon rehabilitation center. The hawk must have been stunned from being struck by a vehicle as we could find no injuries. We did find a brood patch, indicating she was likely out hunting for food to feed her young, when she was struck. She passed her flight test with flying colors, so the plan is to return her to the Madras area on Monday.

News flash! Just as the newsletter was “going to press,” a third Says Phoebe egg hatched!