Display Pen Update: More Progress!
The Week in Review
The tiny Goldfinches admitted last week have tripled their weight. The gosling has seven new siblings after being successfully fostered into a new family.
There were 13 new admissions this past week: four Great Horned Owls, three Swainson’s Hawks, one Prairie Falcon, one adult Wood Duck, one adult American Goldfinch, one almost ready to fledge House Finch and one young Horned Lark (at least we think that’s what it is).
It was a rough week for raptors. Most had nonrepairable injuries. Swainson’s Hawk 20-076 had wing fractures the result of a turbine strike.
Swainson’s Hawk 20-084 had been shot. The white specks in the radiograph below stretch from the neck and shoulder to the wingtip.
Swainson’s Hawk 20-085 has two fractures in her right ulna. There are some abnormalities in the right wrist and elbow, but we are going to see how the injuries heal. She also has a small brood patch indicating she has started laying eggs. Swainson’s have just recently returned from their wintering grounds in Argentina.
The young House Finch appears to be uninjured. Its nest and family could not be located after it fell to the ground.
The Horned Lark was very lucky. Its nest was destroyed by farm machinery and then it was nearly eaten by a raven. The sharp-eyed tractor driver quickly stopped and rescued the Lark when he saw the raven swoop down toward the exposed youngster.
