Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Eared Grebe release....

Just a quick post with the pictures of the little Eared Grebes' release. I took him out to Desert Lake, just south of Price. It was wonderful; many, many ducks were there and lots of other water birds, including the Tundra swans. What a

great way to spend a couple of hours.

Remember, click on the pictures to take a better look.
Debbie.....

Friday, April 8, 2011

A cold windy update.....

Well, so far all the comments regarding the new look of the blog are positive. I'm not that computer savvy, so I think I did well, considering.

Crash is doing well. We moved him out into the large flight and he's getting around wonderfully. At this point, it looks like release is eminent and I hope to get him banded this coming Monday. I will be taking him back to San Juan county for the release, near a body of water called Recapture Reservoir. There is still plenty of time to head

North should that be his desire, but if he chooses to stay in Utah, that would be a great area for him. This photo is him ignoring us in the flight. He does this frequently.

We also had an adult Golden come in from Grand county along I-70 that went through the windshield of a Walmart semi. Rendered the semi undrivable, but sadly, those injuries killed the eagle, not immediately, but within a few hours after being picked up near Moab. He was an adult and I'm sure has a mate wondering what happened to him. There is always a bigger picture in these situations; it's very heartbreaking.

The owls are all still doing well. Still trying to find placement for 2 of them that cannot go back into the wild, due to their injuries. It will take some time as Great Horned owls are numerous in the wild and in educational programs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

We also now have an adult male Turkey Vulture in rehab. He came in after being found on the ground in Huntington, Utah. He had 2 horrible fractures, compounded in his humerus.

I took some photo's of the x-ray, so I'll include those in this update. We were able to repair those since the fractures were spaced just enough that they didn't involve the nearby joints. His pins and apparatus should be removed here in about 6 weeks.

Poor little guy; migrates back home only to make it here and then be injured. He's been far south for the winter, probably in Central America if not further south. I've named him Hershel. He's a sweetie!

Connie also picked up an adult Eared Grebe, also near Huntington that became downed during a storm there a few days ago. Grebes are completely helpless on the ground. They need water to take off and land. Sometimes, during storms or nights (that's when they fly) when there is a full moon or close to it, wet road look like bodies of water and they land, thinking they're landing on water. When they hit the ground, they're grounded.

They occasionally can become injured during these landings as well. Thank goodness, this little one was not.

We released him the next day on a lake near here where the ice has cleared.

Well, that's everything for now.
Keep us in mind as Spring is here and baby season will start any day and all donations are greatly appreciated and needed. We've made it easy by clicking on the donating button on our home page. It takes you right to Paypal, HOW EASY! Share your tax return with the wildlife we all love!

Any amount helps, $5, 10, 20 or whatever you can afford, it all goes to a wonderful cause.

Debbie.........

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Are you watching the skies?

I love Spring. All living things are moving to the planets new season, waking and changing are everywhere.

Well our little Merlin is now in New York with Dr. John Parks at Cornell University. He will be a part of their raptor propagation program, raising future generations of Merlin's to be released back into the wild.

We're sad that we could not return him to the life he previously had due to his injuries, but we're hoping this new life will suit him, as he is a young bird and should adjust just fine.

Our possible placement of one of our non-releasable Great Horned owls has fallen through. Very sad as these Great Horn's are difficult to place in permanent facilities as their are so many needing placement. We have 2 that are in this situation, so we have long term patients here that truly don't need our help any longer, they just need a home that suits their needs. Frustrating!

We finally got to release our little female Sharp-shinned hawk. She was ready and so were we! Connie took her down to her place and let her go. She said she took off like a bullet, just the way she should have. I hope she does well and learns from her accident.

Spring migration is going on, so clean out your bird baths and feeders and go for a drive! Places near bodies of water are always a good place to start. I ALWAYS have at least one pair of binoculars in my van at all times and 1 good field guide. Yes, I still use a field guide. They are invaluable, no matter how long you've been watching birds. I think the Audubon field guides are my favorite.

I hope everyone likes the new changes to the blogs' appearance. The next thing coming is a Fundraising/Auction page. We hope to have donations of items related to wildlife of various types, then to auction these off every few weeks. Please be watching for this new page and we will also Tweet about it and notify everyone on our Facebook page as soon as it's up and going.
On Facebook go to Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation for more info.

Debbie..............

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

We are now on Facebook!

Hey everyone,

We are now also on Facebook. Just look for us under our name, Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation..........
and also check out the link I just posted. What a wonderful story.

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2722

This is an amazing story.....Enjoy!

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

ATTENTION

Spring is a very active wonderful time for all animals. Babies are born and learning what it takes to be wild from their parents. Unfortunately, many may end up in trouble and often times humans may try to intervene, whether or not it is necessary. The inexperienced human finding a baby bird, for instance, more than likely cannot tell if the bird is truely in need of help, or is learning to fly, something that can take a few days to master. Leaving the baby to learn what it needs is something an experienced birder can spot, but taking that baby home, thinking you're helping, when in fact, it is the worst thing possible for that baby, has now changed it's life forever.
Call a rehabilitator for answers. Yes, we want that baby to be safe from predators, but give that baby a chance. The worst thing that happens in these situations is an improper diet being fed by the 'rescuer'. This will result in death, if not right away, then in time, due to improper development. Different birds require different diets and different amounts of food at different times. Here is where a wildlife rehabilitators knowledge and experience makes all the difference. Don't try to do this yourself, only to attempt to find a rehabilitator as the baby is dying due to your 'efforts'. When they are at this stage, there is very little that can be done AND it is also illegal to attempt raising wildlife. Only a permitted wildlife rehabilitator can do this legally, for we know how to keep them wild and ready for release as well. Making them pets, besides being illegal is very selfish and is not what's best for the wildlife. They need to be free and have learned how to find the food they will need to survive in the wild and know what to avoid and learn the language of their species. There is a lot that goes into a successful rehabilitation and the orphans out there deserve the best chance possible. Don't you agree?

DID YOU KNOW...........

Wildlife rehabilitation is a profession borne of a love and concern for wild things everywhere. We wildlife rehabilitators have taken this many steps forward, increasing our knowledge, skills and techniques into a career that most people do not know exists. Most people assume that the work that a wildlife rehabilitator does is something all state wildlife agencies perform as state employees. This could not be further from the truth.
The reality is, all wildlife rehabilitation is done, in all 50 states, by us, wildlife rehabilitators. State and federal officials MAY occasionally pick up the patients that come to us, but they bring them to us at our homes and facilities, not their state or federal offices or vets offices.
Ours is a specialized field that primarily involves vet/medical expertise. No, we are not veterinarians, but many of us have extensive backgrounds in medicine (people and animals).
We also have vast backgrounds in the natural history of the patients we care for. Our work involves many fields. State and federal wildlife folks just don't have that training or background.
The other aspect of our work that is not known, is that we are not paid by anyone. Our patients don't 'belong' to anyone. They are wild beings. So when they have medical needs, there is no one to step up to this challenge except wildlife rehabilitators. Most of us work basically 24/7. Holidays are no exception. When an animal is hurt, it needs help now!
To top it all off, whatever expenses these patient incure, the bills are paid by us, for vet care, surgeries, medications, all of it. We build their homes and repair them as needed. All of our patients need something. They are not here to visit, they are in trouble. So imagine if you will......going to work everyday, driving your own vehicle to do that work and never getting a paycheck. OK, so maybe you can do that.....now imaging having a source of income from somewhere, now, this is where things get really different. When you get that money, you just turn it over to other people to pay for what your patients need, regardless of your financial needs!
This is wildlife rehabilitation.
We also are constantly pursuing continuous education of the latest finds in our field. We strive to be the best we can for those entrusted to us.
So please, support your wildlife rehabilitator in your area. They need it and believe me, it is very much appreciated.