Winter Challenges: Cars, Windows, Weather and Guns
Winter continues to be a challenging time for wildlife. There were nine new admissions this past week: 3 Red-tailed Hawks, 3 Western Screech Owls, 2 Great Horned Owls and a Killdeer.
Both Great Horned Owls had nonrepairable wing fractures. The Screech Owls had head injuries. One died. Two are slowly recovering.
One Red-tailed Hawk has a dislocated shoulder. The treatment is supportive care and cage rest. The hawk is not very compliant regarding cage rest, but his appetite is outstanding. The second hawk had a compound leg fracture that was not repairable.
Gunshot Hawk
It seems like every week we admit one gunshot bird. This week it was the third Red-tailed Hawk. She was found on the Oregon side of Stateline Road near Milton-Freewater with a broken wing and a broken leg. The wing may have healed, but the knee was destroyed. There were fractures above and below the joint.
Killdeer
Most Killdeer head for warmer weather during the winter months, but a few spend the winter here. One unlucky bird collided with something, probably a car, and injured its shoulder. There isn’t much we can do other than immobilize the shoulder and provide supportive care. Hopefully tincture of time will do the rest. In the mean time, he is enjoying an endless supply of mealworms!
Northern Saw-whet Owl Release
It is always good to be able to end on a positive note. A Saw-whet Owl admitted last week was released on Sunday. Volunteer Toni sent this photo of her husband Don releasing the tiny owl. Thank you Don and Toni!
