Well things are still good. All critters seem to be improving. The newest eagle, Fremont, is full of fight. His meds will be finished tomorrow, so Monday we may move him outside for awhile. He's been in a nice warm room, so we'll have to acclimate him gradually.
Shu, the Bald eagle, is just as pissy as ever. We gave him a good foot soaking this morning. He had bunny fur, fish 'parts' and who knows what else stuck to his feet. Poor Connie holding on to a bird that large for as long as it took, in the position she had to hold him over the sink, just boggles the mind.
We did the same for Ivy as well. She was more patient than Shu!
We still haven't heard anything regarding Glory's transfer. It always seems to take forever waiting for an answer and when we can do this with the Zuni nation, but it's such a great place for these Golden's to live that it's worth the frustration. They have as much political crap to deal with as our government. I guess some things are the same no matter where you go.
Some good friends of ours in Teasdale, Utah, brought us up some eagle food a few days ago. We are getting so low. Feeding four adult eagles has it's challenges. It was just in the nick of time too!
Well, that's pretty much it for now everyone. Sorry, no pictures today, but for sure next time. It's just about time for our last eagle feeding of the day, so I'll close for now.
Debbie
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
TIME TO CATCH UP..............
Hello everyone. Boy have we been busy. Hopefully this post will cover all of the activity in the last couple of weeks, unless I forget something.
The last post was Lefty's release. I briefly mentioned Ivy, an eagle that came in on January 9th. She is an amazing creature. We actually got the call for her on Monday the 5th. Connie and I were on our way to Moab for a radio interview, so I called another volunteer (Debbie#2) to go out there. She went and walked the area for a couple of hours until a storm moved in and she had to leave.
The next morning, I grabbed another volunteer (Diane) and went out looking again. This spot is about and hour and 1/2 from where I live. We walked the area for awhile and could see nothing. Usually there is something, such as road kill in the road where a eagle might have been eating, or feathers from the impact, but there was absolutely nothing. With regret, we left.
Then three days later, I get a call from a federal Forestry biologist named Jeff Jewkes. He started to tell me that a co-worker had also seen this bird on the highway after she had been hit. This co-worker got the bird off of the road, but never said anything to anyone until he got back to his office on this particular Friday. I told him what I knew and he volunteered to take some people and go out to look for this bird.
I couldn't believe it when he called me several hours later telling me they had found the bird in the area where his co-worker had helped her off of the road, and she was still alive.
I was elated. He drove her to me, where we all waited for her arrival.
How this bird was still alive, well, they continually amaze me. Out there in the f
reezing cold with massive trauma, snow, rain, other predators. She had 7 breaks between 2 bones, the radius and ulna, with bones protruding and dry (now dead). She hadn't eaten in 5 days. She had lice and was dehydrated.
We took her in for surgery the next day. She did well and I picked her up from my vet's office a few days later. She's a graceful bird with a lot of strength.
We could sure use a sponsor for her. Her medical expenses are huge and wil
l be growing. The name Ivy came from Jeff, the Forestry guy. He said there is a creek near where she was found named Ivy Creek, so Ivy it is!
Then, on the 16th, we had an adult female Coopers hawk brought in from Emery county with a
compound fracture of her left wing. The poor thing was terrified. Two days later, we had an adult female red-tail hawk brought in from Payson, Utah, with horrific trauma to her right leg. It was mangled and needed an x-ray, as did the Coopers. That same day, my volunteer in Moab called me with an injured male Norther Harrier hawk. We met half way in Green River, Utah to pick him up.
He too had a compound fracture. His radius on his
right wing was sticking out. I don't know that I've had this many compound fractures in so short of a time.
I called my vet's office to get in on Monday the 19th of January for x-rays on all 3 patients. My vet doesn't work on Mondays, but at least I could get an idea of what we were dealing with.
The Coopers' x-ray showed her broken bones were caused by a gunshot. Unbelievable. Where are all of these idiot's coming from! Her surgery was schedualed for the next morning with my vet.
The red-tail hawk had also been shot, with something that fragmented in her. There was no way to repair her leg, so we had to euthanize this magnificent creature. I notified the Division of Wildlife Resources regarding the illegal activity involving these 2 birds. The last bird, th
e Northern 
Harrier, was scheduled for surgery the next morning, but when we went in to check on him, he had 
not recovered from the anesthesia used for the x-ray. This poor bird died before we could help him.
We left the Cooper's hawk at the vet's and went home. What a day!
My vet called me the following morning with bad news. The Cooper's hawk died during surgery. It was just too much for her. These birds are high strung and are prone to stress related problems and death. Three for three. How depressing. This job takes a lot from you at times and those few days were a perfect example.
So now there have been three patients that have been shot so far. Shu, the Bald eagle, the Cooper's hawk that passed away during her surgery and the red-tail hawk we had to euthanize due to her trauma. Sickening!
A few day's later, we got a call from a gentleman from Savage Coal Trucking, telling us that they had hit a golden eagle. I asked them to protect the bird (I know those roads well and there is a lot of semi traffic on them) and get it off of the road and in his vehicle. He did and Connie and I picked the bird up at their offices. We got him home and found he had massive trauma to his left wing with a compound fracture of his humerus. He also had a lot of head trauma with blood coming out of his nostrils and mouth. He also had a large external parasite load. We gave him meds for the lice, pain and possible infection from an exposed bone (preventative). We got him down to my vet's the next day and he had surgery that same day. So I have 4 eagles now, all with a great deal of metal in their respective wings. Each of these surgeries were over $1,100, so people, we need some help here! There will be more to come, but that's what we're looking at already.
Last, but not least, the next day (Sunday) my volunteer Dave called and said he had a Cooper's hawk that was injured. Again, we met him in Green River and came home. This birds' left wing was almost completely amputated from trauma. I also noticed two spots on her body that looked suspicious and found holes, yes, another gunshot victim. That's four now in less than a month. I called Dave and told him what I found. I also notified the law enforcement officer in Moab, TJ and another officer here in Price. We had to euthanize her due to her injuries as well. Cooper's hawks don't make good education birds because of their stress levels, so I would never do that to one of them. I'm about ready to go on a shooting spree myself! I just don't get it. These people make me sick. An animal has suffered terribly and if they had a mate, so will their mate.
Now I will find some pictures to add to this post to share with all of you. If you've ever considered donating to a good cause, I can't think of a better one than these creatures we are trying to nurse back to health after stupid people have had contact with them. That's where all of my money goes!
Debbie
The last post was Lefty's release. I briefly mentioned Ivy, an eagle that came in on January 9th. She is an amazing creature. We actually got the call for her on Monday the 5th. Connie and I were on our way to Moab for a radio interview, so I called another volunteer (Debbie#2) to go out there. She went and walked the area for a couple of hours until a storm moved in and she had to leave.
The next morning, I grabbed another volunteer (Diane) and went out looking again. This spot is about and hour and 1/2 from where I live. We walked the area for awhile and could see nothing. Usually there is something, such as road kill in the road where a eagle might have been eating, or feathers from the impact, but there was absolutely nothing. With regret, we left.
Then three days later, I get a call from a federal Forestry biologist named Jeff Jewkes. He started to tell me that a co-worker had also seen this bird on the highway after she had been hit. This co-worker got the bird off of the road, but never said anything to anyone until he got back to his office on this particular Friday. I told him what I knew and he volunteered to take some people and go out to look for this bird.
I couldn't believe it when he called me several hours later telling me they had found the bird in the area where his co-worker had helped her off of the road, and she was still alive.
I was elated. He drove her to me, where we all waited for her arrival.
How this bird was still alive, well, they continually amaze me. Out there in the f
reezing cold with massive trauma, snow, rain, other predators. She had 7 breaks between 2 bones, the radius and ulna, with bones protruding and dry (now dead). She hadn't eaten in 5 days. She had lice and was dehydrated.We took her in for surgery the next day. She did well and I picked her up from my vet's office a few days later. She's a graceful bird with a lot of strength.
We could sure use a sponsor for her. Her medical expenses are huge and wil
l be growing. The name Ivy came from Jeff, the Forestry guy. He said there is a creek near where she was found named Ivy Creek, so Ivy it is!
Then, on the 16th, we had an adult female Coopers hawk brought in from Emery county with a
compound fracture of her left wing. The poor thing was terrified. Two days later, we had an adult female red-tail hawk brought in from Payson, Utah, with horrific trauma to her right leg. It was mangled and needed an x-ray, as did the Coopers. That same day, my volunteer in Moab called me with an injured male Norther Harrier hawk. We met half way in Green River, Utah to pick him up.He too had a compound fracture. His radius on his
right wing was sticking out. I don't know that I've had this many compound fractures in so short of a time.I called my vet's office to get in on Monday the 19th of January for x-rays on all 3 patients. My vet doesn't work on Mondays, but at least I could get an idea of what we were dealing with.
The Coopers' x-ray showed her broken bones were caused by a gunshot. Unbelievable. Where are all of these idiot's coming from! Her surgery was schedualed for the next morning with my vet.
The red-tail hawk had also been shot, with something that fragmented in her. There was no way to repair her leg, so we had to euthanize this magnificent creature. I notified the Division of Wildlife Resources regarding the illegal activity involving these 2 birds. The last bird, th
e Northern 
Harrier, was scheduled for surgery the next morning, but when we went in to check on him, he had 
not recovered from the anesthesia used for the x-ray. This poor bird died before we could help him.We left the Cooper's hawk at the vet's and went home. What a day!
My vet called me the following morning with bad news. The Cooper's hawk died during surgery. It was just too much for her. These birds are high strung and are prone to stress related problems and death. Three for three. How depressing. This job takes a lot from you at times and those few days were a perfect example.
So now there have been three patients that have been shot so far. Shu, the Bald eagle, the Cooper's hawk that passed away during her surgery and the red-tail hawk we had to euthanize due to her trauma. Sickening!
A few day's later, we got a call from a gentleman from Savage Coal Trucking, telling us that they had hit a golden eagle. I asked them to protect the bird (I know those roads well and there is a lot of semi traffic on them) and get it off of the road and in his vehicle. He did and Connie and I picked the bird up at their offices. We got him home and found he had massive trauma to his left wing with a compound fracture of his humerus. He also had a lot of head trauma with blood coming out of his nostrils and mouth. He also had a large external parasite load. We gave him meds for the lice, pain and possible infection from an exposed bone (preventative). We got him down to my vet's the next day and he had surgery that same day. So I have 4 eagles now, all with a great deal of metal in their respective wings. Each of these surgeries were over $1,100, so people, we need some help here! There will be more to come, but that's what we're looking at already.
Last, but not least, the next day (Sunday) my volunteer Dave called and said he had a Cooper's hawk that was injured. Again, we met him in Green River and came home. This birds' left wing was almost completely amputated from trauma. I also noticed two spots on her body that looked suspicious and found holes, yes, another gunshot victim. That's four now in less than a month. I called Dave and told him what I found. I also notified the law enforcement officer in Moab, TJ and another officer here in Price. We had to euthanize her due to her injuries as well. Cooper's hawks don't make good education birds because of their stress levels, so I would never do that to one of them. I'm about ready to go on a shooting spree myself! I just don't get it. These people make me sick. An animal has suffered terribly and if they had a mate, so will their mate.
Now I will find some pictures to add to this post to share with all of you. If you've ever considered donating to a good cause, I can't think of a better one than these creatures we are trying to nurse back to health after stupid people have had contact with them. That's where all of my money goes!
Debbie
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A short post.......
Hello everyone. It's been a very busy 10 days or so. The release went well with Lefty, the red-tail hawk. I've included a couple of pictures of his release in Moab. The gentleman releasing him is TJ Robertson with the Division of Wildlife Resources in Moab. He caught the hawk and brought him
to us. Dave (my sub-permittee) went with him on the release.Another satisfied patient!
Sadly, we have another severely injured eagle in our care. This is a 3-4 year old golden female from Sevier county Utah. I'll go into more about this bird in my next post since this one has to be short. Her name is Ivy.
I'll also have more pic's of Shu and an update on how he is progressing.
This sure has been a strange winter. Normally they are pretty slow. Maybe this means this Spring will be slow (yeah, right!).
Debbie
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Another cold day...........
Time to update everyone. First off, the red-tail hawk that came in from Moab with the broken leg that had already healed (we named him Lefty) will be transferred tomorrow (Monday) to Moab and he should be released Tuesday morning the 6th of January. He's be doing well and his weight is up so it's time for him to go. We got rid of all those nasty lice as well.
As for Glory, the non-releasable golden eagle, I'll be speaking with the Zuni people this week and find out the status of her transfer. There
is a great deal of paperwork on both ends so this takes some time. I hope for her sake we are close.
In this post I am including the photo's my vet took of Shu's surgery. He seems to be doing
better. All of his meds have been discontinued. He is getting some meat during the day and so far, has kept it all down. He is still getting tubed with a specialized diet called Carnivore Care so between the two he seems to be digesting things better. Once he is eating completely on his own a 'wild' diet we can move him outside to a holding mew. They are not very large and the idea is to 
minimize movement. We use these for a number of reasons and needs. Shu needs to be kept still as to not burn off any calories he can't afford to burn and also to keep that pinned wing still so it heals properly. If he has too much movement, the surgery will have been for nothing!
His abdominal wound feels and looks much better as well.
I've included a picture of a holding mew. It is the smaller one in front of the the larger mew. Below is a picture of all that was removed from Shu in his surgery. He lost pieces of pancreas and liver due to the damage internally. There are some wing images and one abdominal. Notice on the wing shots, if you look close, you can see the broken humerus sticking out.
As for Glory, the non-releasable golden eagle, I'll be speaking with the Zuni people this week and find out the status of her transfer. There
is a great deal of paperwork on both ends so this takes some time. I hope for her sake we are close.In this post I am including the photo's my vet took of Shu's surgery. He seems to be doing
better. All of his meds have been discontinued. He is getting some meat during the day and so far, has kept it all down. He is still getting tubed with a specialized diet called Carnivore Care so between the two he seems to be digesting things better. Once he is eating completely on his own a 'wild' diet we can move him outside to a holding mew. They are not very large and the idea is to 
minimize movement. We use these for a number of reasons and needs. Shu needs to be kept still as to not burn off any calories he can't afford to burn and also to keep that pinned wing still so it heals properly. If he has too much movement, the surgery will have been for nothing!His abdominal wound feels and looks much better as well.
I've included a picture of a holding mew. It is the smaller one in front of the the larger mew. Below is a picture of all that was removed from Shu in his surgery. He lost pieces of pancreas and liver due to the damage internally. There are some wing images and one abdominal. Notice on the wing shots, if you look close, you can see the broken humerus sticking out.
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