Summer is officially here and temperatures reached the mid 90’s on Saturday. That makes today’s 81 degrees feel like spring has returned. There were ten new admissions in the past week. Most didn’t fare well after encountering cars, cats, windows or power lines.

Northern Flicker 24-212 is responding well after hitting a window. Fledgling Red- tailed Hawk 24-213 seems to be OK, but is a in quarantine until it can be tested for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Red-tails are a high risk species for HPAI, a disease we can rarely treat successfully. The closest lab that can test for HPAI is the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Corvallis. UPS can transport the sample over night with standard shipping, but it takes two days to complete the test. This means the hawk admitted on Thursday will remain in quarantine until we receive its HPAI test results next Wednesday. We take these precautions to protect the other rehab birds in the clinic and our resident education birds.

Young Ring-necked Pheasant 24-216, not quite old enough to fly,was found in the middle of Hermiston. While pheasants are not native to North America, having been introduced here in the 1880’s, they are not considered a pest, but a popular upland game bird. This bird may have been raised in captivity and escaped its enclosure or be a wandering teenager. Either way it seems to be healthy and will be released in suitable habitat when its a little older.   

We were pleased to welcome long-time Washington volunteer Toni and her friends Terri Sue and Noelle for a visit. 

They shared a few photos of birds they spotted as they traveled about eastern Oregon. Toni captured an Osprey bringing a fish to its young…

Terri Sue shared this photo of an adult Great Grey Owl…

And Noelle caught this young Great Gray Owl dining on a rabbit under the watchful eye of its parent…

Tricia caught one of the young Kestrels we recently released having a bed-time snack…