I love trees

And today two more were planted here at my place. I went to Northern Gardens and found two beautiful maple trees on sale and decided I just had to have them. They are now planted outside two of the mews and will eventually provide needed shade in the summer. Of course it won't be for a few years but everyone/thing has to start someplace.

SWAN is singing again

I just got this photo of the beautiful golden eagle, SWAN, the one shown in an earlier post hanging by one leg in a tree. Thanks to Keith Cauley for spotting her, the UT DNR for freeing her and Debbie Pappas of Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation for making her ready for release. Good job everyone.

Saying hello or seeking revenge.......

A couple days ago I came out to find this mess on my truck hood. It's not in the bed of the truck, just on the hood and windshield. I did clean the glass so I could see out of it but before that it was covered with bird poop.

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are hundreds of starlings soaring around while they gather for whatever trip they're planning on making for the winter. We have lots stay here all year, don't know where these came from or are going.

It's supposed to rain this evening so I'll get out there in my raincoat and clean the truck thanks to Mother Nature.

Wow ! ! ! !

I just got back from picking up a goose. Not an ordinary goose but a very amazing breed. I was answering a call from some fishermen who had this bird join their float trip and followed them to the pull out near the Corbett bridge. It wouldn't let them touch it but when I came right up to it and sort of "honked" I was able to reach out and gather it up.

This is a very beautiful and very expensive Sebastopol Goose, a breed that was developed in Europe in the middle 1800s. They are not flighted because the feathers are so curly there's no lift when they flap their wings.

I will try to find the owner but if not I guess I'll have a permanent large white bird at IBR.

Well Pooh! The owner turned out to be a neighbor about a mile from me as the crow flys. She'd been out of town when something got into the pasture and apparently scared the geese and they somehow got through the fence. She's still missing three more of these amazing birds. I hope she finds them and not just a pile of feathers.

The Birds ! ! ! !

You have to be old enough to remember the Hitchcock film, The Birds, but it seems that way at my place these days. The starlings are gathering and appear almost like a school of fish in their weaving around in the air in a large mass. I tried to get a photo of them today but there was just a fraction in this flock. Of course when the large group shows itself my camera will be in he house.

New temporary residents

Today I met fellow rehabber, Diane Morse of NEW Bird Raptor Rehabilitation in Gillete to trade birds. She's taking my SQUEEK to winter over with her adult and two immature Swainson's Hawks. She gave me ROSY, an adult female Rough-legged Hawk that is fully flighted but blind in her right eye. And ELF, an adult Saw-whet Owl that has a left wing that won't fully extend. As they are both non-relesable Diane made arrangements to place them at a facility for use in educational programs.

They are both here to save Diane from the very long, over six hour, drive to Red Lodge, MT as they are supposed to go live at the Beartooth Nature Center. Because their director suddenly left to work elsewhere it now appears as if he hadn't even started the transfer request. BNC is not contacting the USFWS and the state of MT to find out just what needs to be done so these wonderful birds can go north.

He's okay so far

He pouted and refused to stand up after the surgery. That was all yesterday evening, all night and part of early this morning but HARVEY is finally standing and eating on his own. He's already had three mice and this yummy looking rat is for supper tonight. I'll include his "after" xray when I get it from Dr. Blessing.

Note: Here's the after xray, it worked a treat.

Time will tell

Today, for over two and a half hours, Dr. Blessing and Deanna Baker worked to repair the damage to HARVEY's left wing. And at this point it was a success but as the title said, time will tell. The two bones between his wrist and elbow were broken. The largest one (ulna) was in four pieces as you can see in the xray below. The smaller (radius) in two. HARVEY is now sporting two pieces of steel in his wing holding the pieces in alignment. I'll have a new xray of the "after" shot for you to see in a couple days. By the way, there are other pellets showing in his body on the "after" xray.

As with any surgery, there are risks and the first to overcome is making it through the night as that was a long time for such a small bird to be under anesthesia. If all goes well this spunky bird will be staying in a small cage for about six weeks. Then we'll re-xray the wing to see how it's doing and if we can remove the pins.

The Scream?

Well, not really. This is HARVEY, an adult male Red-tailed Hawk found in Riverton with a broken left wing. The top photo shows him with his mouth wide open but he's not saying a thing, he's threatening me. It's a redtail thing. He was originally seen sitting on a fence but wasn't caught until the next day, yesterday. I drove down to Riverton this morning and brought him back for repair surgery. That will take place tomorrow afternoon at Dr. Blessing's here in Cody.

The bottom photo shows just why his wing was fractured. The three pellets you can see caused all the damage. The ulna is in four pieces, the radius in two but they are in pretty good position so they should be fixable and make this bird flighted again. He's in good shape, good weight, and has a good attitude. Fingers crossed that all goes well.

Unfortunately the shooter was never seen so he can't be punished for this very illegal act. Thanks to Dr. Miranda Townsend in Riverton for taking such good care of him overnight. He loved the antelope steak she fed him.

Awesome shooting

Some birds are just darn lucky that humans are around when needed. This series of photos were taken by Utah photographer Keith Cauley when he was out taking pictures of the eagles that frequent an area near where he lives. Many months ago he'd been responsible for saving the lives of two other golden eagles. He had been watching them on different days and realized that something just wasn't quite right. He called the UT DNR who came out, gathered the birds up and took them to Debbie Pappas at Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation (see links) in Price, UT.

In the case of this adult female it was outstanding luck she was spotted. As you can see, she's caught about 35' up in a tree by one leg. Again Keith called the UT DNR who came loaded for bear but the only thing this sharp shooter killed was the branch the eagle was trapped in. The guys holding the blanket caught the bird as she dropped. Off to Debbie for some TLC.

Wow, takes my breath away to see such a thing done and I'm glad to say there is a happy ending. I got a message from Debbie today that the eagle, SWAN, is doing just great and hopefully will be returned to that area and her mate, if she has one.

Super job everyone !

All finished

The DIVA DEN is all covered with metal now so it's maintenance free and matches all the other mews on the property. Thanks to John McGee for an awesome job. My baby hens are now laying eggs altho they're still "practice" sized but they should be "real" eggs soon. And with the protective fencing and netting above them they will be safe from ground and air predators.

She's gone

TINKERBELL made it almost to the top of a large bush/tree this afternoon on her second try. I tried for a photo but taking one of a small Cedar Waxwing sitting amongst lots of green leaves up high just didn't work. My camera decided it didn't like the shot and refused to take it. I hate when that happens. Anyway, she's back in the wild in a wonderful protected place with berries in all the yards around her release site. Thanks Melissa for bringing her to me.

Aching head

No, this isn't Mae West altho the birds...um...chest area is very large. This is TROOPER ROCCO, a male adult golden eagle found along the Badger Basin Road about five miles east of the Belfry Hiway. He'd obviously been eating a meal when struck by a vehicle but there isn't anything broken. He does have a bit of a squinty left eye and a cut on his left foot but other than that no other damage that I can see.

Because this is an adult and in excellent condition, he weighs 7.5#, he will be returned to that area for release when he's ready. I certainly won't have to give him hunting lessons but will caution him not to look to the roads for his next meal.

Thanks to Highway Patrol Trooper Hardesty for standing guard over this injured bird until I got there.

Famous friend

Last weekend the annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale took place here in Cody. One of the events is a Quick Draw where 30+ artists have one hour to produce something that will then be auctioned off at the end of that time. Over the years I've had my birds used as models and the person who used them the most is famous artist, Pati Stajcar from CO. The first was my amazing old redtail, BUSTER. Then she used IKE, a friends peregrine falcon. This year she used two of my bunnies, a fuzzy minilop and another crossbred.

Her piece came out just beautifully and was sold for many hundreds of dollars to three people in the audience. I mean that each person got their own bronze, they didn't split the one.

Thanks Pati for making that day such fun. I look forward to seeing you and Dave next year and hope to have another bird or animal for you to work your magic on.

Elegant

This baby Cedar Waxwing may be young but she's already elegant. TINKERBELL was found after hitting a window at the Historical Center. Luckily someone saw her and called me. At first there didn't seem to be anything wrong but it turned out her right wing was hurt. Not broken but probably bruised. She, and I say she but don't know the actual sex, has been at IBR for over a week now and yesterday showed a great improvement when she tried to fly.

Waxwings have that name due to the red tips that show up on the ends of some wing feathers near their elbows. They are really wax and show up as they age, this baby has none yet as she was hatched this year. With their little black masks and overall muted color they seem to be rather dull looking but they are the most wonderful of birds.

TINKERBELL had taken a slight bath so her chest is wet. She should have also washed her face as you can see the strawberry residue on her beak. And she does love her berries. So far she's managed to scarf down about a quart of them every few days. Yesterday I found some ripe berries on my cotoneaster plant, she likes them too. Huckleberrys are also favored but I haven't found any of them yet.

Family came a calling

A week or so ago I had a visit from a couple of distant cousins from South Dakota and enjoyed every minute of it. Charlie and Deon were here a few years ago on a trip visiting various sights and people. They did the same this year going to see friends in Buffalo, Riverton, seeing Yellowstone National Park then on to my place.

Charlie is in his mid 80s now and altho he's finally beginning to show his age, his spirit is high and I loved seeing them again. Wish it could be more often. Deon took our photo and sent it along.

Who says dogs can't fly?

They can, just look at these photos. They are SNICKERS (t) and CANNONBALL (b) doing some dock diving. They belong to a cousin living in Ontario, Canada and just love what they do. They are also accomplished frisbee catchers too.

Sometimes it just doesn't work

Yesterday I received a call from our Cody game & fish office about an injured Sharp-shinned hawk found in Meeteetse. They had gathered him up and were transporting him to me. The original story I got was that he had caught a sparrow and was munching it in the middle of the street. Because he would probably have been hit by a car he was moved to a nearby location. Then I thought the caller said he'd hit a window while flying away.

Now the true story.....The bird did catch a sparrow after flying out from under or near a parked vehicle. And he was eating it just inches from the road. And he was moved from that place. The story continues as told to me by Anne Price, curator of the Raptor Education Foundation located in Brighton, CO. They were up in Meeteetse for the 30th anniversary of the recovery of black-footed ferrets. They were the ones who moved the little sharpie off the edge of the curb on Sunday evening around 7 pm. At that time the bird was still eating his meal but was able to carry it a short distance away from the people. Then the bad started. Anne and her colleague left the sharpie in some tall grass to eat in peace. About an hour later he was found in the street after being hit by a car. He was gathered up, checked over by REF and WY G&F staff, and put in a warm safe place. The next morning, because he made it through the night, it was hoped he would survive.

I received the beautiful young bird around 11:00am on Monday. I immediately transferred him to a warm place and gave him fluids. I also weighed him. He came in at 2.1oz., approximately half of what he should have weighed. He died about 20 minutes later. I believe that just too many things happened to this approximately six month old male and his spirit couldn't overcome all of them. If only he had caught the sparrow in a location without people and cars...he might have then been strong enough to catch another meal. And another, and another until he was strong and healthy. If only he hadn't been hit by a car...he would have continued his life. If only, two little words that would have changed his world.

Thanks to the REF and the WGF for all their great efforts in trying to save this wonderful baby. And for the above photo taken while he was eating what turned out to be his last meal.

Photo credit: Copyright 2011 Raptor Education Foundation

It worked ! ! !

PATCH arrived here last June with horribly swollen tissue around her left eye. (see post "Shoulda ducked" on June 13th). After a bit the swelling went down and her eye came through an exam with fyling colors, no permanent damage at all.

The trouble is that this adult female apparently decided she just couldn't fly, at least not more than a few feet. Knowing that it was possible a concussion could cause this reluctance to do what comes naturally, I gave her time. Over the past three months there was some improvement with even long flights the length of the 80' barn, but not every time.

Last weekend I decided to try something new by rearranging the long tree log that was leaning against the "tower" in the barn. It has always been only up as high as the nest box platform in the middle of the tower. PATCH would routinely sit on the lower end and from time to time would climb to the nest. I wondered if I moved the end to the very top if she would continue upward. Of course the angle would be too sharp but I solved that by using one of the many sculpture crates donated to IBR from the BBHC. It worked just beautifully and with the help of lots of astroturf door mats for grip, you can see that PATCH has reached the stars. Well, the top of the tower anyway. She can now fly to the far end with the added height.

The next goal is to see her sitting up on one of the wall perches and surveying her kingdom. As an adult she doesn't have to learn how to hunt so as soon as she's making these long flights, and to the tall perches, she will be ready to return to where she was found as her mate will probably still be in the area.

Long time passing

Just a short time ago my 50th high school reunion was held in Downers Grove, IL. I've not made any others and didn't make this one but a fellow student and former neighbor and his wife made the trip from their home in VA and sent me some information about it.

One of the things that Chuck sent was a display of the 82 kids in our class that have already passed away. One of those is my twin brother, Tom, who died in 1960. It really hits home when you see your own age group dying, makes it obvious that time has passed and things aren't as they used to be.

The photo above is of that display, my brother is on the far left of the top row. Now I wish I had taken the time to go home for the reunion and am now thinking that if it's possible I'll certainly try to make the 60th.

He's gone

Here's the photo I took this morning when I released the Red-eyed Vireo shown below. He felt much better this morning after a quiet night. Not the best focus but you get the picture (pardon the pun). And it turns out this isn't a rare bird here, it has been seen but that doesn't make it less exciting for me.

Rare?????

This very small bird was found here in Cody after it hit the side of a parked camper. It wasn't broken but does probably have a very bad headache so it's now sitting in a small cage in my kitchen and tomorrow morning I'll take it to a very protected yard in town and release it.

What makes it rare is that I believe it's an immature Red-eyed Vireo and according to the Sibley's book it has never been documented in this state. I've sent photos to an expert in CO for his opinion and will share that with you when he replies to my inquiry.

Soon

This is the most recent photo of CASSIDY showing him way up high in his mew. As seen in an earlier post, he came here from Cheyenne suffering from a broken leg. It was repaired and after the pin was removed he took up residence in an 8'x 20' flight area along with a magpie. He's now flying just super so will be released this weekend, probably around here as I do have quite a few crows flying by.

Again, thanks to Cathryn and Melissa for transporting the bird to IBR.

New feature

I now have the ability to post videos on my blog. There's only one for now, the release of that baby redtail shown in the post below. Thanks to Susan and her magic camera you can watch all 28 seconds of the event. Just click on the photo under the "video" heading to the right and the tape will run. Hopefully more will be posted in the future so you can see just what goes on at IBR.

Another success

Today, thanks to help from Susan Osborne and her mom, Marge, another baby red-tailed hawk is in the air and headed for hopefully a long life. Little DAVIS came to me from off the Southfork Rd near Cody. She was starving at only 25.5 oz. and very weak. Since that time she's been gaining both flight experience and learning how to catch food.

We took her to Jim Creek Road near Wapiti and released her in near perfect conditions; light wind, bright sun and blue sky. And she now weighs 45 oz. Hopefully, with her new skills, she will survive, find a mate and raise babies.

She is a color redtail I rarely see, a dark phase. She will end up with a very dark body lacking the white chest and belly band of the normal colored bird.

Thanks Susan and Marge for the help. Susan took a very short video of the release and if I can figure out how to do it I'll post it on this blog. And Marge did an outstanding job taking the still photos.