Finally!

Well it's been a long while since my last post.  I had a heart attack back in July and had to have by-pass surgery.  Then, I developed complications from a staph infection and had two more surgeries.  I have not been able to do much of anything, so our operations, from day-to-day were run by Connie, my sub-permittee.  That's a lot of work and I'm so grateful for her help.  I am back home now, but not 100% by any means and probably won't be for some time.  I'll catch up a bit for now.
We still have several animals with us and for this time of year, that is unusual.
Our newest patient is an American Crow.  He was found in Utah County with a terrible injury to the hand portion of his left wing.  It had already been healing for at least 10 days, so it looks like the little guy won't be releasable.  This makes 3 Crows we have now, that are non-releasable.  The other two, I paired up as Corvids don't do well by themselves and those two are now bonded so we are looking for an educational opportunity for them where they can go together.  I don't think they would do well being handled, so they will be 'display' birds.  They enjoy each others company very much.

Our Great Blue Heron also found a good placement with Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City.  He had surgery here due to a grouping of small fractures in the hand of his right wing.  Unfortunately, due to the blood supply being minimized to the rest of the wing after calcification started taking place, he lost that portion of his wing.  We waited for the right opportunity for him and it happened.  This is the Aviaries' only Great Blue Heron.

We had a great deal of Ring Neck doves
 this year.  Fortunately, they have all been released.  Many of these birds come in 'cat caught' and have horrible injuries.  We have had several chicks still in the nest this year so having some older doves helped with the babies and the language they needed to learn.

We've had a lot of Golden eagles as usual and still have 4 in our care now and 1 down at Best Friends in southern Utah, using their 100 foot flight.  Sadly, it was determined, through a lot of watching and time that she cannot go back to the wild.  She had been hit by a car near the Colorado border earlier this year and although she can fly, she just can't fly well enough to be released into the wild and survive.  We are making arrangements for her and hopefully, within the next month, she will be in a facility in Oklahoma with other non-releasable Golden eagles from throughout the country.

This juvenile eagle will be released as soon as we can determine she is ready to go.  She is a West Nile Virus victim.

This juvenile eagle will be ready to go once we get his conditioning complete.  He came in from near Moab shortly after fledging off of his nest.  He was struck by a vehicle on the busy highway but had no broken bones.

I believe 3 of the 4 eagles we are in possession of here at the main facility WILL be releasable.  The one that I believe cannot be released, was hit by a vehicle as well.  This is the most common reason eagles come to us.  They cannot move out of the way quickly as they are large birds.  This makes things hazardous out on fast moving roads for these giants.  So please stop and think when you see one on the side of the road or right on the road and make adjustments for yourself, keeping in mind that they are what they are and cannot move quickly.

A little PoorWhill that came in earlier this year.

Connie has released a lot of birds this summer.  Owls, hawks and many passerines and waterfowl as well.

A Red-Tail hawk that came in earlier this year.  Released by Connie.

A Swainsons hawk that came in after being held by the finder.  This bird had a horrible maggot infestation in her infected wing.  Since she was not able to be released in time for Fall migration, we transferred her to DaLyn Erickson in northern Utah to winter there as she (DaLyn) had other Swainsons she was wintering over.

An adult female Coopers hawk that came in with a severe wing injury.  She will not be able to be released so we are trying to get her placed into a program at Cornell University in New York where she will be allowed to have a mate and make babies.  All offspring will be released back into the wild in that area.

Our cute little Night Hawk nestlings found near the airport here in Price.

On the 1st of December, I will be driving to Logan, Utah to meet a volunteer from Cody, Wyoming and the Buffalo Bill Museum up there.  They have raptors for educational purposes and have one of our past non-releasable Great Horned owls.  They provide education for the general public and schools.  They will be taking possession of an American Kestrel from us that came in with an eye injury that took his sight away.  He can no longer hunt properly so he will also be and educational bird for the group up there.  We are so happy that he will have a wonderful place to live.
Well, so much for now,
Debbie.........................

Rehab finally is in full swing......wishing for a reprieve.

A lot going on here.....don't know where to start.  I'll just start updating and go from there.
Sia, our Golden Eagle that we have had for quite some time now after she came to us after being hit by a car in San Juan County was transferred to Kentucky as an educational bird.  Sia was also a secondary lead poisoning victim and as a result, suffered effects that made her non-releasable.  Eileen Wickers group, Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky also has an education permit, and was looking for a Golden eagle.  I felt Sia would be a good choice and transferred her there.  I hope she does well for them.  We wanted a wild life for Sia, but it could not be.  Lead is a horrible thing and removed from paint and gasoline for a reason, it still finds it's way into our wildlife.  Please educate yourself about these secondary lead poisonings.  We see the devastation it wreaks in wildlife all too often.

The pic is of Sia on her way to the airport.  Good bye angel!

Currently, we have a new Magpie that I'm not sure what has happened to.  He stands very odd.  Not at all like he should. He came in starving to death.  I have a strong hunch this guy may have been kept illegally as a pet.  He also may have West Nile Virus.  I am going to have him tested once he is stronger, but for right now,  my job is to put weight on him.  He is a mystery, no doubt about it.  For all those who have watched The Simpsons, this bird stands like 'Mr. Burns'.

We just recently released a little Screech Owl that came in with a fractured wing.  He healed well and kill tested well, so last week we let him go about 25 miles northeast of Price.  We hope he does well and finds a mate next Spring.

We released a Desert Cottontail that had been cat caught.  Since then, we have had another one brought in by the same finder as the other.  Sadly, it's her cats doing the damage.  This one seems to be doing well.  He needs to grow a little and then, can be released.  We had him on antibiotics as well.

We are also caring for several American Kestrels.  Recently a new little nestling was brought in after being found on the ground.  Sort of late in the year for a fuzzy Kestrel, so I'm thinking this was a second clutch for this mom.

We have also released many Doves, Sparrow, Finches and Starlings.  Most of these were found on the ground, having either fallen or been blown out of their nests.

We are still trying to find placement for our two non-releasable American Crows.  They are not related and came in from different situations, but now, they are bonded to each other.   I believe this will help them deal with their new lives, once we can get them placed.  They have each other so the stress level will hopefully be minimal once they find placement.

Well, I think that's a good update.  So much more is going on here.  Our fundraiser went very well.

 Eddie McStiff's Garden Room at the silent auction.

Linda and Sara at the wetlands in the morning.

Face painting at the wetlands during the morning portion of our fundraiser.

Soon, we should have our veterinarian paid off for last years services for the wildlife.  Thanks for checking in.

Debbie

Silent Auction Items for our fundraiser on June 8th in Moab Utah.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.653015088049225.1073741829.631227420227992&type=1

We are sharing some of the items available on the silent auction.  They will be on the event Face Book page. It will be updated often.

Just an update on our fundraising event on June 8th in Moab, Utah.  We will have several educational booths, with topics from insects, bats, wildlife rehabilitation, beavers in our environment and wildlife photography.  There will be an owl hooting contest, a contest for kids dressing up as their favorite bird and face painting.  The local bird group will be there to help people look for and identify birds along the walkway and in the area.  They will also be pointing out other types of wildlife indigenous to the area.  Art work of the areas wildlife will be on display, created by the local Junior High School students.
This will all be taking place from 10 AM until 1 PM at the Scott Matheson Wetland area in Moab.
The evenings event will be at Eddie McStiffs in downtown Moab from 6 PM until 9 PM.  We are planning live music and a beer garden.  Inside, there will be a silent auction with many, many items with a little something for every taste and interest.  Hopefully, our wildlife photographer friend will also be there to share some more on his work.  
We're planning on a fantastic day in beautiful Moab, Utah with education and fun for all.  Please save that day and attend this first fundraiser for our organization.  The funds raised are used to care for the wildlife entrusted to us and their many needs.

Thank You

A Big Fundraising Event for the wildlife

We will be having a huge fundraising event in Moab, Utah on Saturday, June 8th.  These funds pay for the needs of all the wildlife throughout the year and are critical to our work.  Food, medications, medical supplies, vet expenses and much more are all purchased through donations.  We hope to raise enough funds to really make a big difference throughout the year as our patients don't just come at certain times of the year, but year round.  We cover great distances to accommodate these patients, getting them to us and our vet for surgeries if needed.  Please share this with your friends and even if you are not able to attend this 2-part event in Moab,  consider helping by using the PayPal button on this blog.  Thank you.

Fundraising is a 365 day job

Most larger wildlife rehabilitation facilities have a fundraising staff.  Unfortunately, we do not, so we are either focused on our patients needs, our dwindling supplies, our ever growing vet bill for the wildlife and sometimes, all of these are on our mind at once.  We started another fundraising campaign for our remaining 2012 vet expenses.  Our vet does wonderful things for the wildlife and for us as well.  He is a patient man and we are forever grateful for this.  Please share this post with all of your wildlife loving friends, and contribute whatever you can.  Soon we will be full with orphans as well so we will need to stay stocked with formulas of different types for all of the wildlife we see.
Look through the archives to see what your donations pay for.  We do good work here!



http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wildlife-vetting-expenses/x/2642103


To donate, please click on the safe link above or the PayPal link on the left side of this page.

Secondary lead poisonings and wildlife

I need to pass along some information that is so important in the work we do as rehabilitators.  Lead plays an ugly role in our work unfortunately.  Some rehabilitators see it much more often than others, but it's out there causing all sorts of problems.  Most often, the occurance we see it is referred to as secondary lead poisoning.  This results from bodies of dead animals filled with lead being devoured by scavengers and predators.
This is a very lethal situation and has been well documented and known about for many years.  To have an animal dying from lead is one of the worse things I have ever seen.  I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Recently, the endangered California Condors living on the Utah/Arizona boarder have been dying at an alarming rate due to lead ingestion.  This has always been a problem for the Condors there and other scavengers as well, such as Golden Eagles.  Finally, this is getting some attention from the main stream media.  I've attached a story, from here in Utah.  Please educate yourself and those around you. 
 http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865575097/Death-toll-climbs-as-giant-birds-are-felled-by-tiny-lead-fragments.html?pg=all

What's up with this weather?

One minute it's snowing like a blizzard, then things are frozen and we're trying to chisel into the enclosures, then things are thawing out and everything is muddy........enough already.

The little Screech owl in our last post was determined to be non-releasable due to her eye injuries.  Poor little angel.    We named her Avon.  She will become an ambassador bird for a group in Texas.  We are working on her paperwork now.


The other little Screech we had, Mojo, was released here in our area.  I hope she does well.  We put her where the other Screech came from, so maybe Mojo will find Avon's mate and make many Screech babies.









We took in a male Great Blue Heron from the Moab, Utah area.  He had trauma to his right wing and needed complex orthopedic surgery.  This has happened and now, he is healing in a large enclosure where he can move around and perch if he wants. 

 
 

These are such magnificent creatures, being one of my favorites.  The device to repair his wing is called a fixator.  This is the picture you see with pins going through his wing.  He will need this in place for about 10 weeks.  At that time, we will do more x-rays and surgery again to remove the device.  Then, his physical therapy will begin.

Our Barn owl from last year that was caught in fishing line and was hanging upside down in a tree, 30 feet off of the ground, is about ready to be released.  I'm waiting to get her banded and then we will put her back near her area she came from.  It's been a long rehab with a lot of tissue damage, but she has now healed well and all but 1 feather have all grown back, so she is ready to go.  We weren't sure this would ever happen, but we are so glad it has.






We took in another Ferruginous hawk, this one a male from near the Four-Corners area of Utah, after he struck a car.  It was a pretty short rehab.  He had soft tissue damage to his right wing and a concussion.  He healed well and let us know he did not care for our hospitality and wanted to leave.  We arranged a ride for him back down to that area with a wildlife biologist from that area and he was released successfully. 













Our other Ferruginous hawk, Layla, that also came from that area of Utah but that is non-releasable, will be going to South Dakota for education.  She will be leaving us the 18th of this month for the Black Hills Raptor Center.  They are a wonderful group of well educated and caring individuals.  We couldn't be happier.....well, yes we could; if she had been releasable we would be happier, but since she is not, she will have a wonderful life with them.







Our non-releasable Swainson's hawk that came in last year after being found shortly after leaving the nest with only one functioning eye, will be headed to New York in two days to be an educational bird as well.  We had hoped, even with the one eye, he could be released, but that just wasn't meant to be as he cannot hit his perches perfectly every time.  This would be a huge problem in the wild.  He will be going to Wild Wings Inc.  The transfer paperwork and approval has taken several months.  It's been frustrating but at least we are to the point where he will be heading to his forever home.  He is an amazing bird and we hope he will thrive in his new environment.


Our gunshot eagle, Clark, is doing very well.  His wound is healing and getting smaller.  He is getting very strong and wants to be free, but his broken bones still have not healed so he has several more weeks with us.  It's heartbreaking to know that he is fighting, at times, to be free, but he may feel 'well', but he is not 100%.  Hopefully, we can get him out into our large flight here in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for taking interest in our work.  We couldn't do it without those that support our work.
Debbie







 

And so it starts....................

Well Danny is finally in Kansas.  We hope he has a wonderful life ahead of him.  That's what we want for him. 

We attempted release of our little pigeon that came in burned on her crown.  She said "no".  She could have cared less about the other pigeons in the area.  She wanted to stay with us.  So I found a place for her to live the rest of her life with a non-releasable Eurasion Collared dove, so she'll have a friend.  She went to Moab, Utah.  We are very happy for her.

Our newest Golden eagle from Clarks Valley, Utah

We have a new Golden eagle with us.  This guy is an adult and came from Carbon county and has been shot, so we have another open case with law enforcement.  The bullet went through his left wing and into his body.  This broke his wing fracturing the left ulna.




We also took in a new Ferruginous hawk, this one is a male and from the same area we get all of our Ferruginous hawks, the 4-corners area of Utah.  He had an impact with a vehicle.  I can't find any broken bones but this guy tangled with a vehicle, so I'm sure he's pretty sore.  I'm hoping we may be dealing with minor issues, soft tissue injury, for example.

Our newest little Screech owl had an x-ray the other day as we took several patients up to our vets office for x-rays.  Little Avon, as we are calling her, doesn't have any broken bones, but she still needs to see our veterinary eye specialist as there is damage, to what degree, the appointment will let us know.  She does have one laceration to her right eye, but there is more.  She is now eating on her own. 



Jim has been busy as well, with wildlife issues in Utah and Salt Lake county.  That guy is amazing!

Connie and Jim at our vets office in Payson, Utah
 

He met us at the vets office with our Red-Tail hawk that he has been holding while her bones heal.  Now, she is in the flight, building her endurance for release.  We are hoping she can be released sometime this coming week.  We are so happy for her.