Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: September 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Busy Time of Year and the weather is pushing us along

Fall is certainly upon us. It's early, like everything this year. Rehab has been very effected by this from double and triple clutches of birds and strange storms and many, many fires this year. Utah already has had it's first snow of the year and the winds are giving us grief. The pics below are of a release of two American Kestrels and two Barn owls. My grandson Joshua was finally able to release his first 'big' bird.

We have been able to release a few of our patients with a particular focus

on getting out one of our Swainsons' hawks in time for their migration.

Thankfully, one of my volunteers found a staging area and she was welcomed into the group. We still have two more Swainsons, but I don't know if/when they will be released. One has a missing eye, well, there is something there, but he is non-visual and the other came in with a broken right leg. The pic says RTHA, but he is a Swainsons. He will get his cast off in about a week or so. Those two may be wintering over with us.

We are trying to get our Saw-Whet owl in the mood to kill, but for now, she's content with 'Club Debbie' and the in-room-services we provide.

We have a Golden Eagle, Mesa, that is ready to kill-test and hopefully will soon be ready to be released.

We also released a Sharp-Shinned hawk that came in injured and emaciated. Once the fracture healed, we determined that this bird could fly well enough to be set-free, so we taught her that mice are also a good food source and she learned that well and quickly. Sharpies generally are bird eaters, so the added food source and ability to kill it will most certainly increase her chances in the wild. We hope she does well.

We are kill-testing our Short-eared owl as well. Apparently she is not as thrilled at this prospect as our little Sharpie was. Oh well, time will tell.

We took in another Kestrel, this one from Moab, Utah after being struck by a man riding a dirt bike there. He's doing well and should be released soon. He came in with a concussion and a slight wing droop in his left wing, although I can't find a fracture anywhere in that wing. Hoping it may be a tissue injury.

Enjoy the pic's. Remember everyone that every donation made up until the 1st of November will be doubled when going to our veterinarian in Utah county, Dr. Jay Ipsen. Donations during this time will be particularly beneficial since they will be doubled and the bill we still have for the year 2011 is quite large and will be applied to it. Thank God he's a patient man. I can't imagine not being able to provide the necessary medical care that Dr. Ipsen provides, such as complex surgeries and x-rays for our patients. These things take money and while we rehabilitators work for free, taking no money at all, our vets are providing these services and a great deal is donated, but not all so these bills pile up without donations to cover them. Please go to our PayPal button and help the wildlife if you can.
Thanks,

Debbie

Monday, September 10, 2012

Very busy for this time of year....................

This post is going to be about our little Night Hawk. We get several of these little guys in each year, most are hit by vehicles at dusk and night while they are chasing insects that are attracted to the headlights from our cars. These little predators are amazing creatures. They nest on the ground, so they have what is referred to as 'cryptic plumage'. They blend very well. They hunt in groups of other Night Hawks and bats as they are after the same food source. If you have ever gone to a business at night that has a large parking lot with those hideously bright lights, no doubt you've seen these guys and their cousins hunting. You may have thought they were bats, but these are larger than are most common bats and the wings are totally different. The Night Hawks, members of the Night Jar family which includes Poor Will's and Whippoorwill's, have a white band on each wing that can be seen in flight. They are very fast and agile, so when they get injured, it's usually not a good outcome as their little bones are too small for most surgical attempts and they would never withstand being anesthetized and would die in the process, so it's rare to have a good outcome with these angels.
We currently have one here in our care, that we are hoping will be released. I'm including a video during a feeding to show you their amazing mouths. These little ones hunt by opening their huge mouths and flying through a group of insects and then just swallowing what they caught. Similar to baline whales and how they hunt. So a bit of education and a video. Learn more about Night Jar's and how they live. You are sure to be surprised!

http://youtu.be/g8L_85VRjKM

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.

Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Busy Time of Year and the weather is pushing us along

Monday, September 10, 2012

Very busy for this time of year....................

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