The young Barn Owls that Tricia and Michele banded last week are now outside in a hack box at the Tri-Cities Center.
Many of the hack boxes are “duplexes” like the one pictured above. They are mounted on a platform that is fastened to a 12 foot pipe. The boxes are placed near trees that provide shade during the day and a place for the owls to roost once they fledge. Initially, food (mice) is placed inside the box. Once the owls fledge, the mice are placed on top of the box.
You may recall a few weeks ago we relocated a barn owl and her eggs to the hack site because the building where she nested was being torn down. The owl initially sat on her eggs, but then abandoned the nest and the eggs froze. The owl is now layng more eggs in the same hack box and a male Barn Owl who was raised at the hack site (we know this because he is banded) is bringing her food! This is one example of a benefit of banding rehab birds.
The Education Birds at the Pendleton Center also think it’s spring. Harlan has started laying eggs. If you look closely, you can see one speckled egg on the right side of the nest. She is very protective of her egg!
Bald Eagles Jonathan and Rita are also working on a nest…
Intern Lizzie arrived this past week. Lizzie is a junior at Brigham Young University – Idaho majoring in Fisheries, Range and Wildlife Management. She is hoping to become a wildlife rehabilitator. Tricia is giving her some pointers about working with a Turkey Vulture on her glove. Daryl is a willing partner.
BMW’s Online Store is open for business!
Click on the photo below to visit the store. We are starting out slowly with three different graphics. More options will be added as we learn the ropes. Thank you to Winnie, with help from Samantha and Tricia, for creating the store.
Very Exciting News!!!!
Last, but not least, we have exciting news to share. Blue Mountain Wildlife has been named as a beneficiary of the estate of Morris Thompson of Boardman, OR. BMW’s board of directors is determining the best way to utilize the bequest with the goal of building a new wildlife hospital.