Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: June 2011

Friday, June 3, 2011

What's up in San Juan county?

Here we go again....two more birds in from San Juan county, Monticello again. These two are orphaned due to the death of a parent and then the nest went down with part of a tree during a wind storm. We don't know why the parent hawk is dead. Hopefully we can determine the cause. These are Ferruginous hawk chicks. I've attached pictures. They are a level 2 on Utah's Sensitive Species list.

The chicks are in pretty good shape and about 20 days old. What cuties!

There will be a lot of time involved with these little guys and the food, well, that's going to be a big expense for the next several weeks. I'll be posting photo's as they grow so keep checking in.

Fury, our Golden eagle that survived secondary lead poisoning, is now out in our large flight. She is having some minor issues with balance, due to the lead poisoning. Hopefully this will resolve in time. We had to move Hershel, our Turkey Vulture, out of the flight so Fury could go in. He lost some critical feathers on the wing where his surgery took place. These are already growing back, but more time is needed before he can fly, so out of the flight he went. Fury needs to work on getting stronger so the large area is critical for her right now. Don't worry, Hershel isn't confined in a horribly small enclosure; he went from the flight, which is like the luxury suit at a hotel, to the economy room.

We also took in a young Western Scrub Jay that left the nest just a bit early.

He's about ready to be released. All of our Starling babies are now released. They are literally spread over several counties. Spreading the DNA around!

Jupiter, our young Red-Tail hawk from San Pete county, is doing a great deal better. Still, not 100% sure why he went down, but I still suspect electrocution. He is eating well on his own and today, mice were added to his diet, again and this time he ate them. Go Jupiter! He's becoming stronger and more aggressive. Remember his feathers were in bad shape so some of them have broken off. Hopefully that is over.

We also have a mystery nestling in our care.

He's growing like a weed. Having come in at 6 grams, he is now over 20 grams. Eyes are still closed and only a little down.

I'm truely amazed that he survived and is thriving.

It will be wonderful to see what he is but that is still several days (10-15) away. He was found on a sidewalk in Price.

Last, but not least, we have 2 little Robin orphans.

Not related, they came from different areas. They're both about the same age so they enjoy each other very much. Cute, cute, cute!

Thanks for checking in........

Debbie

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.

Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation

Friday, June 3, 2011

What's up in San Juan county?

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