Sunday, April 27, 2014

Oh, the cuteness...........................

Well, we are very busy now.  We have already had 'orphans' brought in, mammals and 1 bird.  With every wind storm I get very nervous.  So much little ones have to deal with in the early lives.  We hope that when they are found, the finders do the correct thing and find a wildlife rehabilitator to care for them.  It's very important that this is done by someone licensed and permitted to care for the species in question.  Not all rehabilitators are the same and are permitted for various things.  Lives are at stake.  So much knowledge about proper diets and socialization with conspecifics is needed.  It is an insult to our profession when the average person 'decides' they can do what we do, successfully.
Moving on, we are full right now.  Having six Golden Eagles with different situations.  
Three are determined non-releasable and are awaiting the transfer to their forever homes in Oklahoma.  They will be going to a facility run by the Comanche Nation and be paired with another Golden Eagle.  If it's a good pairing, they will raise babies and those babies will be released into the wild.  What a wonderful program.  We have Eagles with two other Native aviaries in the U.S., another one in Oklahoma and one in New Mexico.  Thankfully, three more Native aviaries will be opening in the next year or so.  Two in Arizona and another in Montana.  These are great resources for wildlife rehabilitators and the Eagles we care for that cannot go back into the wild.
We are also caring for other Goldens, one that may or may not be releasable.  That bird is being flight tested to determine this.  We have a West Nile Golden that we are hoping, with time, will be returned to the wild.
 West Nile is a big problem here for our Eagles and other birds.  It effects different animals differently, some more severely with little chance for recovery.  It effects mammals and birds, a little differently, some problems being identical however.  Golden Eagles seem able to recover from it better than some species, at least that is the experience we have had.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a nasty illness, but we have had great success.
We are searching for a suitable facility for two non-releasable Crows.  We have, what we believe to be a male and female and I paired them up since Crows (Corvids) do better in groups.   They are such social creatures. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Corvids.  They are so fun and challenging to work with.

We also have a Long-eared owl that came in with a fracture in his left wing that didn't require surgery.  We are hoping he can be released in time.  Cute little guy.
Always looks like he is surprised to see you.  We are also caring for a Raven that was electrocuted.  He came in recently and is still a handful.  His injuries have made him non-releasable.  He had been on the ground for at least 6 days as he is very thin and had been spotted by someone who called us about him.
Sadly, she was not able to catch him and it took 6 days for him to be found and by that time, he was very thin.  We are giving him subcutaneous fluids and force feeding him right now.  He is also on antibiotics for the contact injuries to both wings from the source of electricity that injured him.

We recently released a Great Horned owl that had come in with a fracture in his left wing.  He came from the Hanksville area of Utah.  Once the injury had healed, we flight tested him and eventually, was released near here in Price.

He was a young bird, so it was not necessary to return him to Hanksville.  We are very happy that he is now free and living like he should.

Well, that is just some of our patients right now.
Thanks for following this site,   Debbie


Feathered brothers and sisters, you came to us broken and as you bled…….we saw you desperate, dehydrated, desiccated, diseased, distressed, emaciated, famished, frayed, frightened, helpless, hungry, ragged, ravenous, shaken, shocked, shot, sickly, stressed, stunned, tattered, thirsty, traumatized, torn, weary and wounded. Defiantly, you stood us off with your last breath as we tried to tend to you. We saw you come in as cute, naked, fuzzy, cuddly youth, as mischievous, defiant adolescents, as fierce, regal rulers of the sky and as cunning, maimed elders whose time on earth was almost done. You endeared yourselves to us, bit us, charmed us, footed us, delighted us, hissed at us, talked to us, mantled at us, and graced us with your presence.

Some of you mended and were able to go on your way, never looking back. Some of you were injured in ways that prevented you from going, so you stayed with us to teach us…….And we came to love you. Others were too far gone, and you went home - where you fly free from pain with the Great One. All of you have touched us, and we are changed because of you.

used with permission by Arlene Powers


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones