Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation

Saturday, January 3, 2015

This is an interesting article regarding avian genetic mutations. Although uncommon, I certainly would not call these rare.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/30/half-male-half-female-bird-cardinal-plumage_n_6392336.html

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

A great release in Grand County

Another double Golden eagle release, this time at the Castle Valley overlook. We were honored to have Utah Highway Patrol trooper Brandon Custer do one of the releases. Brandon assisted another Golden eagle last year in the Grand County area along with Trooper Brian Evans. They made sure an injured eagle was not going to be injured again while awaiting for assistance from one of our volunteers in the area. We gave Trooper Evans a chance to release that Golden earlier this year so it was time to give a huge Thank you to Trooper Custer and let him release a Golden eagle as well. We also were honored to have David Erley, the mayor of Castle Valley, Utah, release the second Golden eagle. Mayor Erley is a friend and advocate of our organization. We appreciate all his efforts on our behalf. He recently added a second night of the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Moab as a fundraiser for our organization. This is HUGE needless to say and will hopefully bring much more needed attention to the work of wildlife rehabilitators everywhere. Enjoy the pic's! The last one is the area beneath the cliff they were released on, their new home. You can see many more pic's from those that attended the release on our Facebook page at Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation. We are located in Price, Utah.
Debbie

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Ready for a grand release!

Hey folks,
We will be releasing two Golden eagles from our rehabilitation program, this coming Sunday, November 9th, in Grand County, Utah. These two birds came in, having just recently fledged from their nests. They are not related. Both came from different areas, near Moab, Utah. Both are females and were suffering from failure to thrive issues. Both have recovered and are very aggressive and ready to be released. The photo's were taken while we were banding them. All raptors in our program are banded prior to release. We are taking them back to their general area this Sunday. If you go to our Facebook page, you will find a map and directions to the release. All are invited to attend. The toss should take place at 1PM. If you're late, they will be in the air...................

Thursday, September 25, 2014

No sign of slowing down and we are bursting at the seams.......................

Now in possession of 9 Golden eagles with various issues along with 2 American Crows, 3 Ravens, 1 Coopers hawk, 3 Swainson's hawks, 1 Peregrine falcon, 1 Red-Tail hawk and 1 Sandhill Crane. Now that is just as of today. Tomorrow, who knows?!

Of these patients, several cannot be released back into the wild due to their injuries. All of these patients require supportive care everyday and some, those with more serious issues, more medical care on top of everything. We are working on a transfer of one of our non-releasable Golden eagles to a facility in North Carolina where he (our eagle) will be living with a female eagle in a static display situation, meaning there will be little handling of these birds. They will not be used for educational programs on the fist. I feel this will be the best situation for this particular bird. As the rehabilitator, we are responsible for what is best for our patients and that varies, of course, from animal to animal. We will also be placing another one of our Goldens with a facility in Indiana, along with our non-releasable Peregrine falcon.
We have recently released 2 Coopers hawks and a Red-Tail hawk, a Long-Eared owl, an American Kestrel and a Cottontail rabbit. All of these releases were successful and went off without any problems.
The days are becoming cooler, as are the nights and Fall migration is on. Hummingbirds have already moved on and the raptors are already in process of migration as well. I've seen a few Turkey Vultures still in the area, but that should change any day. Soon, the Merlins and Rough-Legged hawks will be arriving in Utah. So much change going on and life goes on, sometimes needing our help along the way. Enjoy the photo's.

Connie holding Sandhill Crane on intake exam

Adult Raven electrocuted and burned in Carbon County, Utah

Adult female Coopers hawk that will not be able to survive in the wild. Looking for placement in an educational program for this girl.

Connie holding one of our newest Golden eagles from the Mounds area of Carbon County, Utah

Male Kestrel on banding day just before release.

Long-Eared owl on release day.

First year female Red-Tail hawk from San Juan County, Utah. Gunshot victim.

Adult female Swainsons, hawk from Salt Lake County. Gunshot victim.

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.