The birds new truck!

I am so excieted, here's the new bird truck. I've had three places looking for a newer Ford Ranger and Brett Whitlock, here in Cody, found thie gorgeous 2009 down in Colorado. It has everything the old truck has and is even in my favorite color.

Unfortunately the birds didn't have enough in their account to fully pay for it. I've not had truck payments for decades and the price of even used vehicles is so high it takes a lot of grant money to pay for one. The old truck lasted for many, many years and I expect the same performance from this beauty. I'll get the vinyl words put on it next week so everyone will know when "The Bird Lady" is nearby.

Royalty?

Well, maybe not but his name is LORD BYRON and he thinks he's hot stuff. This seven month old GHO was luckily spotted sitting in a field. The driver, Anny Burkhold, thought that was not normal so called me. At first glance it didn't appear to be anything other than a starving baby but today, at the Lifetime Small Animal Hospital here in Cody, the reason for his not flying away was very evident.

He has a very bad wound on the inside of his left hock (think ankle) which has caused some tissue swelling and a large scab to form. He couldn't open his foot at all last night but this morning, after Dr. Pedersen removed the scab and manipulated the joint, he can now work the toes. He's wearing a bandage to help the silver dollar sized injury to heal and today had his first laser therapy treatment to help in overall healing of the joint and leg. He'll get one every 2-3 days to see if that will bring him back to normal. Thank you Stephanie Rodriguez for taking the photo of him getting his treatment. Note the fashionable goggles I'm wearing.

They're here again.

Every year about this time, Rough-legged Hawks arrive in Wyoming and surrounding states. They breed and live half their lives above the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada. They show up in this area about mid October and stay until mid March.

Unfortunately this handsome little fellow, AUSTIN, encountered something he never saw in his young life, a bullet. Most of the roughies I get in have been hit by a car or truck as they eat on roadkill or are just flying across the highway. In AUSTIN's case it was someone who decided to shoot him.

He has a hole in his chest with the pellet still there and also another one in his right leg. He probably broke his left wing in the fall. He's in pretty good shape and will undergo surgery on Monday to repair the fracture.

Thanks to the caring homeowners he was brought here right after being found. Now I have my fingers crossed that he'll be ready for release before time to head North.

He's a PIP!

And as of this morning he's back in the wild. PIP came here many months ago as a brancher who made the mistake of not seeing the barbwire fence in his area. Luckily he was rescued by the homeowners who called me to come get him.

He had no broken bones but extremely severe bruising on his entire left wing. So much that I wasn't sure he could be saved. He proved me wrong and was flying much to my delight. He's been in my 32' x 48' hawk flight barn for a few weeks and today I decided he was ready to be free.

His first flight was a long one into the middle of a hay field, not to the trees I was hoping he'd head for. Immediately a rough-legged hawk stopped nearby to see what he was doing. Then PIP flew towards the trees but immediately some magpies came by to see what he was doing. There were even a couple chickadee's in the tree squeeking at him too.

He's back where he belongs and I hope will live a long an successful life.

More FIONN photos

Okay, not the ones you've been hoping for. This shows the break FIONN suffered after being hit by a vehicle. The second is with the pin in place four weeks later. She goes in for a further xray in a week or so to see how it's healing. She's getting a bit antsy in her cage so I rebandaged her wing to keep it from twisting and causing damage.

Pat & Chris, email me at thebirdlady@tctwest.net so I can respond to your comments. Thanks.

BOO ! ! ! !

This is GOBLIN, my newest patient. An adult female Merlin, she was found under a large window at the rec center while chasing a meal, a sparrow. Unfortunately neither bird saw the glass and crashed into it. Luckily for this tiny falcon there are no broken bones but she is a bit stunned. She's now able to stand up so will stay here for a few days to make sure she's back to normal.

NOTE: This beautiful bird died on 11/6.

There she goes!

This photo says it all. JEMMIMA is headed back where she belongs with strength and determination. I successfully caught her without being punctured and was thrilled to see her fly away towards the mountains. The area where she was released is a super habitat for eagles so she should do well. As she arrived in extrodinarily good condition she obviously has learned her hunting lessons. Good luck young lady.

WOW!

I have a friend, Jenny Papka, in California who does programs with non-releasable raptors. Her facility is called Native Bird Connections (see links top right) and she does programs all over the state. Naturally this is a big time of the year for her owls, they've been very busy the past couple weeks.

Here is a photo of her Eurasian Eagle Owl, the one I call The DIVA. She's an awesome bird, think Great Horned Owl on steroids. EEOs are much larger and their eyes are very dark red/orange as opposed to the bright yellow of GHOs. Thanks Jenny for sharing her photo with the world.

FIONN update

Beautiful FIONN is going in tomorrow morning to have her injured wing re-xrayed to see how the healing is coming along. She's really getting antsy in her cage but she'll be in it for another three weeks, at least. Pat and Chris, I'll try to get a photo of her to add to this post so you can see her again.

This is getting old......

It seems that most of the birds I've been getting are coming from way south. That meant when I got a call late yestereday afternoon from the WG&F in Lander about yet another downed bird I knew it also meant another long drive to Thermopolis.

This time it is a six month old female Golden Eagle. JEMMIMA was found in the middle of a highway apparently the victim of a collision. She was very calm and let the gentleman who found her gather her up and make a run to the G&F office. They kept her overnight and this morning I made that drive, again...

By the time she had spent the night in a crate she was back to being a large wild bird and not happy with being held captive. I got her here, weighed her (10 1/2 pounds) and washed her tail and wing tips. She is now in my new mews so I can make sure nothing is wrong.

There doesn't appear to be anything broken but shortly after being put in the mew she vomited something. I have no idea what it is but it looks like clay, the kind a potter would use (hence the name, a Beatrix Potter character). It is a complete mystery as to what it is and why she would have ingested it. She is in excellent shape and proved, in a very painful way, just how alert she is. When I went in to pick up the "stuff" she was about four feet away. As I bent over she jumped at me and grabbed my right hand with her left foot. Luckily for me she immediately let go but the wound is in the middle of my hand and quite frankly, hurts like #%@*&#.

She'll go into the eagle flight barn as soon as I think she's ready for that. Then it's a matter of releasing her back to the wild as she obviously knows all about hunting.

Babysitting

This is SUPERMAN, a beautiful hybrid falcon belonging to some friends. Unfortunately he had a bad session with "sour crop" and had to be anesthitized to have the obstruction removed. Apparently one large piece of his quail got caught in his crop and blocked all other food from passing through. Because of the high temperature of a bird, that meat started to become rotten.

It is now cleaned out, including a dash of watered down Pepto Bismal to sweeten his crop. He's all better but is now being fed small pieces of his favorite food. Because my friends were going to be gone for a couple weeks and were concerned about leaving him to their pet caretaker, they asked if he could stay here.

Note the pink on the side of his head, remnants of his PB drink. Just proves he's "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" during this breast cancer awareness month.

All better

Today I made yet another road trip to Thermop to meet Meghann from the Lander G&F office. She's been super about meeting me half way so I could get the Saw-whet Owl, DUFFY, a week ago and again today to return him to where he came from. His eye problem corrected itself and he was ready for release. Hopefully he'll stay away from the inside of a garage from now on.

NOTE: Meghann called to let me know that DUFFY flew off to a tree with lots of branches he could hide behind, settled in, looked around and promptly closed his eyes for a much needed nap. They are nocturnal, after all.

Bandage is off

I wanted to get a photo of FIONN sitting on her perch with both wings folded but the minute I opened the door she stuck them out. As you can see, her right wing is a bit lower but the healing is coming along nicely. I'm sure it will feel much better not having it stuck to her side.

It's 13 days post surgery and she's doing so great. She eats a whole rat a day but doesn't seem to want to bathe. As most redtails turn their backs to the door about half the time to poop, I put paper on the floor below them. That's also the reason for the paper behind her as they love to aim for the corners which are the hardest to clean.

Every time I see her I am in awe of her beauty and the way she carries herself. I'm sure in a former life she was a member of a royal family, she's that regal and controlled.

Unusual rock dove

When I first saw this bird in my yard I thought it must be an escaped domestic dove as it was totally black but the back was light grey. It couldn't fly very well but was able to elude me by dashing under bushes. I hoped the dogs wouldn't find it before I did.

Two days later I again spotted it in my yard and this time had a long handled net available so was able to catch it. I was very surprised to find out the black color came from a coating of soot all over the bird except for its back. I knew it didn't come from my stove so apparently one of my neighbors found it in their wood stove, caught it and turned it loose.

A good scrubbing with Dawn dish soap and spending the night in my warm rodent house did wonders so this morning I took it out and released it again. I know I didn't get it all off but this bird was never the same color as the pigeons you see in the wild. The main color appears to be a dark black/brown with some grey mixed in. At any rate, the bird took off and was last seen heading for the horizon.

DUFFY the small

Another road trip today but thankfully Megan, from the WY Game & Fish department down in Lander, agreed to meet me half way. Still a long drive to Thermop for such a tiny patient. This is DUFFY, 2.46 ounces of tough little Saw-whet Owl. He was found inside a garage and appeared stunned.

As you can see, his right eye is dialated much more than the left which usually means a concussion. The exam showed possible damage to the retina of the right eye but we'll give it time to settle down before making a final diagnosis.

In the meantime he'll just stay in his cage and eat whatever he wants in the way of a tasty mouse. I say he but I don't know if this is a male or female. Whichever, this bird has learned how to hunt as he's quite chubby.

Girls and piggies

I couldn't pass up this photo from my friend, Tiffany. It's of her daughters Libby and Lacie and the three cavys they got from me in the past few months. Their names are ROSIE, BLUE and SHELLY. These small animals ended up in the best home possible, their humans love them dearly and even give them "piggy back rides" around the living room floor.

More FIONN photos

Here are a couple more photos of my most amazing redtail, FIONN. She has settled in much better, is eating a whole rat a day and is able to stand up on a very low perch in her cage. I'll introduce a higher one in a couple days as I want to get the tip of her tail off the floor. As you can see, she only has a few colored feathers on her whole body. And isn't that head shot something else!

I'm very pleased with her progress in the few days she's been here. I had to tube her with fluids yesterday morning and feed her mouse parts but she apparently decided that was enough of that, I'll eat my meals on my own, thank you very much

Extraordinary bird!

This unusually colored raptor is FIONN, a leucistic adult female Red-tailed Hawk. The only color on her is contained in about four partially red tail feathers, one dark wing feather and a few single feathers on her head and chest. In the 25 years I've been rehabbing birds this is only the second white redtail I've seen and the first to come to IBR.

She had been hit by a car near Pavillion, WY and was lucky enough to be spotted within minutes of the trauma so was gathered up and the next morning taken to Drs. Gunda and Glen Gamble in Riverton. They immediately called me so I could start the almost three hour drive down to pick her up.

She has had surgery to repair her broken right humerus and the post surgical xrays look great. Now it will take time to see if she'll be able to fly well enough for release after the pin is removed in about six weeks.

This amazing bird appears to be very old, possibly into her mid teens. She is also a very chubby bird weighing in at 42 ounces. Obviously she's very good at hunting. FIONN had been seen in the area where she was hit since Christmas, 2011, and is a favorite of all the people on that road. They are all anxious about how she's doing so will follow her progress with great interest.

Great releases

I don't have any photos but I've released four birds in the last little while. Two Cooper's Hawks right here at IBR as they are immatures so have no home territory. I also have lots of small birds and mice for them to snack on when hungry.

I got a call from a local church about a bird that they found on their lawn unable to fly. It turned out to be just what I thought, a grebe. This young eared grebe couldn't fly because they have to be in water to do so. I just took it to Beck Lake and released him in the water.

The fourth was a very tiny immature male Wilson's Warbler found after hitting a store window on the strip. I drove that fellow to the best yard any bird could find and released it there. All in all a great couple of weeks.

Walking wounded

This is PUDDLE, a young GHO who was found after being hit by a vehicle. His left humerus is broken but surgery has been done and the fracture is pinned. He's being a wonderful patient during his confinement so hopefully he'll be able to fly again and be released back to the wild

And another

This time it's an immature female Swainson's Hawk. STONY was found by a gentleman out rock hunting near Riverton. He thinks she may have been hit by a car but there is no damage to her that I can see. She's in superb condition, fat and sassy, so apparently she's learned her hunting lessons.

The problem is that very soon all Swainson's Hawks will be staging to start their long migration to South America for the winter. Because of the distance, they start gathering in September and head off in small to large groups for their final destination. If STONY isn't ready for this long trip she will be wintered over here and wait until they return to the area in the Spring.

Another baby falcon

Only this one is quite a bit older than little COTTON. This is an immature female Prairie Falcon found near Powell unable to fly. Xrays show that altho she appears to be in perfect shape, she has two broken wings. I have no idea how she did it but both radius bones are fractured near her elbow. They are the smallest of the two bones in that part of her wing so the ulna will act as a splint until they are totally healed enough for flight.

Most Prairie Falcons are very high strung and not easy to handle but so far this young lady is being very good. She is eating her mice and quail so the future looks very bright for her. Oh yes, her name is INGALL. Remember decades ago the program with the Ingall family in Little House on the Prairie.....get it?

Another puff

Okay, this is about as cute as it gets in the rabbit world. This tiny lop doe came to me from a breeder because she's not quite good enough for the show ring. She'll now spend her life as a mom and if she doesn't want to do that she'll live here gratis.

New mews

The new addition to my cage room is coming along nicely. John has put the sheetrock on the doors and walls, the vinyl coated wire dividers are up and the storage room is now full. These mews are for large birds that need to be inside for treatment. In the past they've had to live in dog cages meant for smaller animals. That made it hard to treat them, mostly for me as I had to do it on my hands and knees. Some final trim work and paint and this will be a very welcome area for the birds.

Hungry yearling

This is REX, a one year old Peregrine Falcon found in a very starved condition near Worland. He's been around long enough to know how to hunt so the reason for his being unable to fly very far is hard to figure out. Right now he weighs less than 14 ounces and should be much more than that.

I've given him fluids and will introduce small amounts of his usual diet, quail, perhaps tomorrow if he's still alive. Sometimes a bird will get so thin that they can't be brought back. Hopefully in this instance he will respond and recover completely.

When he's ready he'll go to my subpermittee and master falconer, Chris, for conditioning. He'll need to be very strong in order to catch his meals. Because he is only one year old he won't have a mate so will be released in the best possible habitat for survival.

NOTE: This wonderful young bird died today (Friday), his body will go to the state lab to see just what caused his death. Possibly WNV.