Three Hawks Released
Any time we are able to release an animal it is a great event, but getting to release three hawks who had been illegally shot is even better.
Samantha releasd an adult Swainson’s Hawk who had been shot in North Pasco.
Jenae released an adult Red-tailed Hawk who had been shot near Goldendale.
The third hawk was a young Red-tailed Hawk from Zillah, WA.
Two Cedar Waxwings who had been blown out of their nest during a wind storm were returned home.
And two Barn Swallows were released near a pond and were soon flying high with at least a dozen other swallows.
Jack Simons caught the release of a tiny Hummingbird.
A Great Horned Owl and two Western Screech Owls were also released.
More West Nile Virus
Two Western Screech Owls from Richland, WA died this week. The first one was confirmed to have West Nile Virus. The second owl will be tested for the disease. We are also awaiting the test results for two Golden Eagles. One died this past week after having surgery to repair a broken wing. A young fledgling eagle is still alive, but all of his wing and tail feathers are either broken or damaged, possibly caused by the virus. He also has an old fracture in his femur.
Improvisation
A wide variety of species make their way to the rehab center. Just this week there were 19 birds and 13 different species. We often have to improvise equipment needed to care for them. Intern Jenae created a tiny anesthesia cone out of a 60 cc syringe case. It worked perfectly on this Mourning Dove.
A 60 cc syringe case was also used to make a cone that fits a Great Blue Heron. Sadly, this heron is 50% underweight and incredibly anemic. An intravenous catheter was placed in its jugular vein to make it easier to administer IV fluids. When a bird is this emaciated their gut is generally shut down and they are unable to utilize oral liquids or solid food. The prognosis for a good outcome is grim, but we will try.
Our first x-ray of a Great Blue Heron.
