Guns, Germs, and Numbers
This week brought the third gunshot hawk in less than two weeks. A fledgling Swainson’s Hawk was found near Prosser, WA. Someone shot her three times. Fractures in her right wing could not be repaired and she was euthanized.
Great Gray Owl
The lab report for the Great Gray Owl who died shortly after admission last week indicated the fledgling owl died of West Nile Virus. That is the first case of WNV that BMW has documented in several years.
Swainson’s Hawks
Six more fledgling Swainson’s Hawks were admitted this past week, bringing the total for the past month to 37. Many, like the fledgling below from Lind, WA did not need to be rescued. After a physical exam, rehydration and deworming, he was transported to BMW’s hack site near the Tri-Cities in preparation for release.
Spotted Sandpiper
A woman rescued this little guy from some kids who picked it up (kidnapped!) and were taking it home. It loves mealworms, making a nearly 50% weight gain in just three days: 8.5 grams to 12.3 grams. Can you do the math?
Many Thanks
As always, BMW had help from lots of people this past week. Volunteers helped transport 22 birds from Irrigon, Helix, Milton-Freewater, La Grande, Baker City and Wallowa in Oregon, and from the Tri-Cities, Prosser, Yakima, Ellensburg and Lind in Washington. The CTUIR’s bus service also transported several birds.
We are also very appreciative of our very generous members and supporters. Without them, BMW couldn’t purchase the materials needed to care for the hundreds of birds that have come through the doors this year.
Thank you to the youth group (and young at heart) of First Christian Church in Pendleton for spending a very warm Sunday afternoon pruning lilac bushes and a huge Virginia Creeper vine.
Thank you also to scouts Nathan McDonald and Brianna Carpenter who are working on their Eagle Scout and Gold Award projects respectively. Below is a photo by Toni Faust of Nathan and his crew building hack boxes.
