Very sad news

Today I took baby bald eagle, ROBIN, in to my eye doctor. Dr. Welch has all the bells and whistles for examining all eyes, humans and birds. He said that her optic nerve had stopped working, apparently from the original fall from her nest a few weeks ago. I had her humanely euthanized this afternoon. It's a very sad day as this is a beautiful young bird who will never know the joy of flying free. But I know now that she is no longer blind, she's soaring in the sky somewhere and living a good life.

ROBIN update

This beautiful baby bald eagle is getting better and better. She can now feed herself, loves elk steak (don't we all) and altho she hasn't eaten the two mice I put down for her, I'm sure she'll do so this afternoon when I add more elk to the pile.

She will never be releasable due to her vision impairment but she will be an awesome educational ambassador. Unfortunately, because she was so thin and weak when she came in, repair surgery for her fractured left wing was not done. By now the bones have probably formed a callus that would require rebreaking and we certainly won't do that for fear of causing greater harm. At a future date she may be partially flighted.

ROBIN update

Her xrays show a very severe spiral fracture of her left humerus. Unfortunately in her condition she would probably not survive anesthesia now. Perhaps in a week or two after she's gained needed strength. In that time the bones will have callused even more then they have since her injury. The are in pretty good alignment now.

Because she is such a beautiful baby, and young, not being able to fly won't keep her from becoming an extraordinary educational ambassador. She may not fly far but will probably have some flight capabilities.

She's decided that elk steak is wonderful and is eating everything I've handed her. She has to gain about three pounds to be where she should be at her age.

And again

Another long road trip today. This time to Sheridan to pick up a baby bald eagle. Her (I think it's a female) name is ROBIN and she's about three months old. Her history is not nice. She was seen on the ground under the nest tree a bit over a week ago. The game warden came out to check on her and said he didn't think there was anything wrong, she was just young. There was at least one sibling still in the nest.

A couple days later it was thought that ROBIN was flying but that turned out to be the sibling, ROBIN couldn't be seen. A couple more days and the land owner spotted her in the tall grass and called a few people, finally getting ahold of Teton Raptor Center. They told her to immediately call me. I gave the land owner instructions on care so she gathered the baby up, got some raw meat down her and settled her in for the night.

Now for the trip. Because she was in Buffalo, and because the road between Buffalo and Tensleep was closed due to a wildfire, Cody Schoonover of the Sheridan G&F office said he would make the almost 50 mile drive to the ranch east of Buffalo to pick up the baby eagle and take her back to their office. That was last night. He called me a little before midnight to say he had her and she was good.

I left my house around 7:30 this morning for the three hour drive to Sheridan. Then to add to that trip was another added 35 miles to Buffalo (I ended up going there after all) to pick up a very thin baby kestrel found on the ground under his nest. Thanks to the Buffalo Veterinary Hospital for keeping him overnight and feeding him some raw chicken. Back to Sheridan and then home. From 7:30am to 3:00pm in my truck.

Sad news is that the baby kestrel, a little male, died as I was driving over the mountain in the Big Horn National Forest. The eagle is doing okay but she'll go in tomorrow to have her left wing xrayed as I think it's broken. She's very thin, only 6#6oz. She's had fluids and elk steak so far and will get more food before I go to bed.

Permitted killing of eagles

Today I read in our Cody Enterprise that the federal government is backing down and allowing the killing of two Bald Eagles by the Northern Arapaho tribe on the Wind River reservation. Here is my letter to the editor.


To the Editor:

I was absolutely horrified to read that our federal government is going ahead and allowing one Indian tribe permission to kill two Bald Eagles “for religious purposes”. They say the birds are important to their way of life. They can be more important as a live bird flying free than a dead carcass.

Everyone in this country is up in arms when they read about terrorists killing people “in the name of religion”. Why is it okay to kill these magnificent animals just because they’re birds. No ceremony makes it okay to destroy our National symbol. The Northern Arapaho tribe should move into the 21st century and learn to live with our wildlife and not just go out and kill them. There are too many eagles already killed by humans, by wind farms, vehicles, poisons, etc.

The tribes can get bodies and feathers from the federal feather depository, they don’t have to destroy live birds. By killing these two bald eagles they are also killing two pairs, not just two birds as they mate for life and may not find another. Also destroyed are any chicks that those two pair would produce in their lifetimes. That could total into dozens of bald eagles not allowed to live.

When I saw that the government had denied the permit I was overjoyed. Now I am saddened that our people in Washington are backing down and giving in and allowing this barbaric practice by one tribe. (NOTE: they also allow the Hopi tribe to steal baby goldens out of their nests and kill them in religious ceremonies. Not just two but dozens) They should be ashamed for their weakness and backing down in providing protection for these awesome Bald Eagles. I applaud the Eastern Shoshone tribe for opposing the killing.


Susan Ahalt
Ironside Bird Rescue, Inc., Cody

Awesome eagle

photo from Moose Jaw Bravo Photography

Last week an amazing bird was brought to the Teton Raptor Center in Jackson. An adult female bald eagle was found near the elk refuge unable to fly. The TRC thought she had been hit by a vehicle, and are still not sure what happened to her. The most extraordinary thing is that she was wearing a federal band on her leg which was put on there in 1982. She is 34 years old! She's slowly recovering but with her age I doubt if she'll be released even if she can fly. She deserves to be in a facility where she won't have to worry about her next meal.

As of now she is the second oldest living banded bald eagle on record. There is another who is 35. And the oldest banded bald eagle on record, as far as I know, is one who lived to the age of 38 before dying.

Besides the 20 year old banded male redtail I got in a couple years ago, this eagle is the second oldest bird I've seen. The oldest is a golden eagle who was injured as an adult and taken in by a 16 year old man so he could help her. When I met the two of them, Gus had just celebrated his 56th birthday. The eagle was still with him making her at least 45 years old. Because he found her before the rules changed, he was allowed to keep her with him. Of course he could never have another one. When I met them the eagle was blind but doing really well. He fed her a good diet and she, in turn, was a companion to him as they grew old together. She's gone now and her body was returned to the mountain where she was found.

New home

I just got this photo of DUNCAN in his new home at Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators in Hope, IN. He's only been there a few weeks and John already has him on his fist. That's amazing. I knew he would make an excellent school bird and he's proving me right. Thanks to Kathy Hershey for giving this splendid baby bald eagle a super forever home.

Sad news

HUB died this morning. I started him on his lead treatment shots yesterday after bringing him back inside. By that afternoon he was totally blind altho he did eat the meat I handed him when I tapped his beak. Then this morning he was barely able to stand and died shortly afterwards. I have no idea why his symptoms worsened so quickly as his lead count was going down. I will certainly miss this magnificent bird.

Getting stronger

Handsome HUB is now in a much larger mew. Yesterday afternoon he decided to try and fly to the window in his 6'x 6' area so I decided he needed more room. He's now in my 13'x 20' flight area so he can practice flying. I got the second blood test results and his lead level is going down. And his anemia is at the correct level.

At this point I will not be giving him any chelation treatments as it appears his body is eliminating the lead on its own. He has never shown any symptoms and has gone from 6.9# to 9.2# in two weeks. As you can see in this photo, he's getting ready to finish his meal.

Hopefully, when I do a third blood test in two weeks, the count will be completely normal and he'll be able to go into the flight barn to get strong enough for release.

HUB update

HUB went in for xrays this morning and I was again shocked when I found out he'd been shot. There is one shotgun pellet in his right chest. The worst things are the two fragments in his intestines. If they are lead they could kill him. Blood was drawn to send to the state lab to see if he is suffering from lead poisoning. And a PCV count was done showing he's severely anaemic with a count of 22, half what it should be.

He's eating good red meat now and keeping it down so that should help bring the count up. He can see, at least partially, so this will be a day-at-a-time process. Hopefully he will survive and conquer whatever it is that has him down.

So frustrating.....

Yesterday the annual Mid-winter Bald Eagle count took place all over WY. Nathan and I had the route that encompassed Oregon Basin, the HooDoo and Monster Lake Ranch. It was an awesome day with the second highest number of total birds seen since I started doing this a couple decades ago.

We were about 2/3s of the way through our routes when I got a call from Brad Gibbs, one of the game wardens in Riverton. An adult bald eagle was found near the border of the reservation and it was only able to fly a short distance. He gathered it up and met me in Thermopolis for the hand off.

His name is HUB and he's yet another adult raptor with problems that shouldn't be happening. He's very thin, weighs less than 6.5 pounds. And at this point I'm not sure if he sees very well. He's weak so last night I gave him fluids and this morning repeated that plus some small pieces of antelope steak.

He looks great in the photo doesn't he? The red on the top of his head is from the red heat lamp he's under. He has enough problems so I didn't want him trying too hard to produce warmth.

HUB will go into the doctor tomorrow for xrays and blood tests. Also test his fecal sample to see if he's suffering from any internal parasites.

Let it go, let it go......

Gathering before opening the crate.

John doing the door opening duty.

And she's away!

Or in this case, "Let her go". Today the beautiful adult bald eagle, ELSA, was released back where she was found near Sheridan College. These photos are from Bud Stewart, WGF office there in Sheridan. As you can see in the one photo, ELSA had a huge cheering section to watch the event. The middle photo shows John Woller, the one who originally saw her and called for help.

It was a bit of a cloudy day but the sun was shining on all the faces as they watched this awesome female take off. Bud said she made a short flight to a hillside but within five minutes there was another adult bald flying over her.

At this point I believe it is her mate as Bud said there was a noticeable difference in size in the two birds. ELSA is a huge female and, as you know, males are smaller in the raptor world.

I'll probably get more photos from the day and there will be an article written in the Sheridan Press. This is the first eagle release where I wasn't present so I've been on pins and needles all day. I felt better when John sent me an email saying it went exceptionally well and would send more later.

Thanks everyone. Also thanks to Dr. Ted Vlahos who hauled the eagle over to Sheridan. He's a renowned equine vet and also has an office there. As he was headed that direction yesterday he agreed to take her.

Ready to leave

ELSA on top of the tower in the eagle flight barn.

I put ELSA into the eagle barn today and then had to remove her within a short time. She kept flying up and hanging upside down from the roof netting and that wouldn't do at all. She's now back in the 13x20' mew and will soon be taken back to Sheridan for release. She's also eating most everything I give her altho for a bald eagle she's not fond of fish.

I'll get another photo of her flying away when that happens. I won't be there, she'll be taken back to Sheridan for release as she probably has a mate in that area.

Another baby bald

I don't get that many bald eagles here during the year but right now I have two that are about eight to nine months old. This one is PETUNIA and she came from near Manderson. Xrays show nothing broken but for some reason she can't stand. She can use her legs and feet tho, and is very fast at grabbing.

Her name comes from her being such a fat little girl (as in Petunia Pig). Right now she's on a flat perch and I'm hoping, given some time, she'll be able to stand normally. She was eating on a rabbit alongside the road so it's probable she was hit by a passing vehicle. Not enough to break anything but bruised enough to make standing difficult.

UPDATE: Baby PETUNIA died this morning. She was doing better for a while but then went downhill fast. She was unable to keep anything down including fluids.

Improvement

Today I moved ELSA into a larger mew as she was beginning to feel well enough to try flying. Not possible in a 6' x 6' space. Now she can sit on this corner perch and watch what's happening around her. She still has four more days of one of her meds. I hope she'll continue to let me hand her the steak pieces with the medicine inside it. Maybe she'll pick it up and eat it on her own.

Two more eagles

His name is DUNCAN.....

My second trip to rescue an eagle came mid afternoon when Daryl went into the museum and asked the security desk person, Dave, what to do. Dave immediately called me so I could get the directions to where the bird was found.

I met Jeff Duncan About nine miles from Meeteetse, on the way to the Pitchfork, so he could take me to the eagle. It's an eight month old male bald eagle that had been seen on the ground for almost a week. Unfortunately the Meeteetse game warden never returned his calls so the bird was on his own.

The injury probably happened when he was either hit by a vehicle or made a very bad landing. Young birds sometimes don't make the perfect stops. In this case his right wrist joint has been severely damaged, he will never fly again. I will place him at a facility as an educational ambassador so the rest of the world can see this magnificent bird up close.

Higher education

Her name is ELSA and she was apparently looking for more classroom work as she was found next to Sheridan College on Friday. The WGF kept her over the weekend because they couldn't find any damage. Then when she refused to fly they called me this noontime. Luckily WGF Warden, Bill Robertson, was coming back home to Greybull so brought her with him. I met him there which saved me lots of time and miles. Have I mentioned that this state has the best wardens and biologists in the world.

She's very nasty and I have the bandage on my right arm as proof. Bald eagles are bad biters and she obviously read that part of the book. I can't find anything wrong either so she's going in to the vet tomorrow morning for some xrays and blood work.

Because she's an adult she will be taken back to that area of Sheridan for release if it turns out she's fixable.

She's gone

Yesterday I drove on very treacherous roads to Joyce and Nic Patrick's place out on the Southfork Road to release JACKSON. She's been here since August repairing wing feathers and getting over a head tilt from not liking the mews she was in at another facility. She wasn't happy here, at first, but got the hang of how long my flight barn is and started improving.

The weather was horrible, gale force winds and only in the teens. In fact it was only three degrees when I got up at six o'clock that morning. Luckily the sun came out to make it seem better.

A whole bunch of Patrick's were there for the momentous event, all bundled up in many layers. At first JACKSON didn't want to come out of the crate. Then she tried to rush and got twisted around, catching one talon in the door. Luckily Nic was quick and reached down to free the toe. He tossed her in the air and the rest was just watching this beautiful bird find her way.

She made one circle around us and then headed out helped by those strong winds. You can see she's still missing a couple feathers but they will molt in later.

Thanks to the people at the Teton Raptor Center for trusting me with her care and the Idaho Fish & Game for letting her be released here instead of back in ID. That trip there would have been too much for her to handle now.

The Gambler

He was found at the entrance to the Indian casino on the reservation south of Riverton. Hence his name is KENNY ROGERS. An adult male Bald Eagle, at just a couple ounces over five pounds, he is severely starved. The reason may be that he appears to be totally blind. After having gone through this recently with a baby Golden Eagle, I hope it's not true and this bird will recover.

He goes in for tests on Monday and I'll make an appointment for my own eye doctor to examine him.

UPDATE: He lost his fight, he died around noon today. His body will be sent to the state vet lab for testing to see why an adult eagle was starving to death when his age and experience should not have let that happen.

UPDATE: The test results just came back from our state lab. This adult eagle died of West Nile Virus. It is a terrible disease and I mourn the loss of a wonderful bird.

It's fishy

I spent three hours this morning following members of Trout Unlimited and volunteers as they worked to save trout trapped in the local canals after the water had been turned off. To do this two guys lugged around a very heavy backpack with a large battery in it. They then lowered a yellow wand and sent a low voltage pulse into the water. It's not enough to kill fish but it does stun them for a few seconds. Long enough for all the volunteers to scoop them up in a net.

The fish are then transferred to a holding tank with oxygen pumped into it. Today's first run was very small. Instead of getting hundreds of trout they only had 15 by the time I left. What I was after, and what they provided, were non-trout fish to feed my bald eagle. I came home with 18 from medium to large. I put four in the eagles pond, hopefully she'll like them.

TU will be shocking again tomorrow and twice the beginning of November so I'll have a supply of fish in my freezer that will last a few weeks. With the high cost of whole trout in the grocery store, this has been a wonderful windfall.

NOTE: She like them! She really liked them!