Another beginning

Happy New Year everyone. The past 12 months has brought many good things to IBR along with some very sad moments. Overall the year was an extremely good one in that quite a few of the birds who arrived left under their own steam and are back in the wild again.

Thank you to each and everyone who sent donations and good wishes over the year, I couldn't have had as much success without your support. Have a really awesome 2011 and beyond.

Seeing double ???

Well, almost. This is RUDOLF (Nureyev) the most recent Prairie Falcon to arrive at IBR. Today, in fact, and he's suffering a fractured right wing, the same as MIKHAIL. Unfortunately this break is worse so his prognosis is guarded. He will have surgery tomorrow (Thursday) to see if Dr. Pedersen is able to put the pieces back together. My fingers are crossed that there is a positive outcome for this wonderful little bird. He's only about nine months old so hopefully has a long life ahead of him.

UPDATE: Very sad news. The surgery was a success but unfortunately little RUDOLF did not wake up from the anesthesia. Everything was done to make him breathe including mouth to beak resusitation via the tracheal tube but to no avail. Thanks to everyone at the Lifetime Small Animal Hospital here in Cody for all their effort. Drs. Blessing and Pedersen and techs Deana and Jackie have done all my bird work for over 20 years and this rarely happens. We tried.......

She will and she did.

In a post a few weeks ago I showed a photo of OLIVE, an adult female kestrel. At the time I didn't know if she would fly again after having her fractured wing repaired. Today was the proof that Dr. Erin Pedersen did a wonderful job in that surgery as once more, OLIVE is flying free. We released her in an area that is frequented by kestrels, lots of old snag cottonwoods with nest holes available.

Thank you so much Erin for all your hard work. Dr. Pedersen is an expert in dogs and cats, not birds, so this procedure proves what an excellent surgeon she is. It was doubly hard due to the fact that, as you can see, OLIVE is about the size of a robin. It's all worthwhile when the patient can be tossed in the air and fly away without a backward glance. Or thank you for that matter.

Tripping friends

This past September a couple friends of mine I've known for almost 50 years went on a horseback riding vacation. In 2005 we three went to Scotland for the same thing but this time they went to Ireland without me as I couldn't get away. Wish I'd joined them as these photos show they had a ton of fun there. Shari, with the horse and Jan, on the stone steps live in IL near where I'm from. We get together whenever I can travel back there and enjoy riding when ever we can. Thanks to Jan and the loan of her wonderful horse, Rosie, I'm back in the saddle again if only for a few hours. Hopefully they'll get back out here some day and we can do our riding in the beautiful mountains around Cody.

Merry Christmas one and all

This morning I went out to start chores and saw that we had a wonderful hoar frost covering everything. I had to take a photo of my very own flocked tree. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, finds lots of presents under the tree, eats plenty of super food and just enjoys being alive at this wonderful time of year.

All my four-legged and feathered family members wish everyone the Merriest Christmas ever. Okay, group hug.....

Chocolate forever !

This is COCOA, a dark phase of a Rough-legged Hawk. As noted in previous posts, this species only spends the winter here after migrating from above the Artic Circle in Northern Canada. This youngster is about nine months old and altho a bit thin seems in good shape. He goofed and ran into the side of a truck when he tried to fly away from a roadkill he had been munching on. I'll keep him here for a while to fill his tank and then send him on his way. Thanks Jeff for driving him all the way over here from Cowley.

Under a spell.

You are hypnotized, you will do as I say, you cannot escape me. Oh, okay, this isn't really a hypnotist but a very beautiful Great Horned Owl, MAGIC. She came to IBR from another rehabber for evaluation on a wing problem. She'd been found caught in a barbwire fence the end of November and altho she hadn't torn up her wing she did some damage. Unfortunately that included tearing the tendon that runs along the upper edge of the wing. Because it wasn't seen right away it healed with scar tissue so she can't fully extend that wing.

MAGIC will go back to the original rehabilitator so she can try and place this bird at a facility for use in educational work.

On point !

This lovely male Prairie Falcon is MIKHAIL. He's very light on his feet so I named him after the famous ballet dancer. He was found in a cow pasture on a ranch in Greybull suffering from a fractured right wing. This photo was taken just a few hours after his repair surgery on Wednesday.

Most of this species are very high strung, insane is one word for them. They are very "flighty" and hard to handle. Thank goodness MIKHAIL is a rather quiet bird for a Prairie and will hopefully stay that way all through his recovery.

Bird vs. vehicle

Oh dear, at this point the truck won but I'm not quitting and neither is SQUINT. He was hit by a truck on Monday night but luckily the person who was driving didn't just head down the road. Tod gathered him up and called me. As you can see from the photo, he's not a happy camper. His right leg is broken in two places, between his knee and ankle and between the ankle and the toes. You can see the beautiful chartreuse soft cast he's now wearing.

He also has some damage to his right eye and his lungs are bruised. He's breathing hard but has kept down the antibiotics and today I gave him fluids which has also stayed down. If his breathing is improved enough he'll have surgery to pin the fractures in his leg as soon as possible. His eye is also improving with the eye drops, we'll have to wait to see if his vision is impaired.

Tod did tell me that he has a mate, he hears them calling back and forth all the time. As they mate for life but this isn't breeding season, hopefully he'll be back in their territory in time for them to reconnect.

UPDATE: The surgery was done on Tuesday and at this point SQUINT is standing on his cast and looking great. The eye is still iffy but the drops are helping. The temperatures are rather cold so he's living inside the rodent room where it's kept warm. And it's handy to the food source I have to hand feed him a few times a day.

Gunned down

Yesterday I got a call from my rehabber friend, Janet Britt, in Riverton about a rough-legged hawk that had been brought to her by the game warden. The bad news is that this beautiful bird had been shot. The only bright spot is that it was done in front of a witness who supplied the warden with the make and color of the vehicle and a partial plate number. At this point I'm hoping the person who did this horrible thing will be caught and pay the penalty.

Roughies are a protected species and as such are not hunted. GUNNY is a baby of this year born above the Artic Circle in northern Canada. He survived his birth and fledging and the ardurous migration to WY only to be met with a bullet. He's had surgery to try and repair the damage but only time will tell if it works and GUNNY will be able to fly.

UPDATE: Horrible news, I found GUNNY dead in his cage this morning (Wednesday). He had eaten some of his mice earlier so I have absolutely no idea what caused this to happen. Unfortunatly there isn't enough evidence to find the guy who fired a dozen shots at this beautiful bird a week ago. Very sad day today.

Post Thanksgiving visitor

The day after Thanksgiving this beautiful female GHO arrived. PUNKIN came to IBR so she could have Dr. Blessing do surgery on her left wing. She was probably hit by a car and suffered a fracture in her wrist joint. The bad news is she was probably on the ground for a few weeks before being found. She was very thin and the wing tip could not be saved. It was removed and she is doing just fine, will hopefully become an educational bird in the near future.

Altho the main purpose of rehabilitating birds is to return them to the wild, those that can't do so, and have the right personality, are used in educational programs. These embassadors do more to inform the public about what they are, what they do, and how the impact from humans is usually to blame for their non-releasable state. Anyone can do a slide show (yawn!) about raptors but the minute you come into a room with a live bird on your fist you have the instant attention of everyone present. What's said is usually retained and is a great aid in preserving these magnificent birds.

More good news !

Today I received a photo of the newest addition to the bird and falconry world. Little Ashley Grace won't be donning a glove for a few years but you can bet she'll be out in the field one of these days. Celeste gave birth to this little bundle of joy just before Thanksgiving.

You see her dad, Nate, is the fellow who drove here from Cheney, KS to pick up a baby golden eagle, CHOOY. The trip was a long one but he was helped by his sister, Elizabeth. It made it so much easier on the bird as it was too hot to fly her there.

Hopefully the entire Matthews clan will be coming to this area next summer so I can meet this littest falconer, and her mom, in person. Congratulations you three!

Will she or won't she?

That's the question about the flying ability of this adult female kestrel. OLIVE arrived at IBR with a fractured left wing but as it was repairable, Dr. Pedersen did so. That was about two months ago and this morning I put her into a larger enclosure so she could exercise and get stronger. Even before the pin was removed she was almost flying in her smaller cage. The minute I put her in this room she flew to the side of the wall and hung there until I quickly slipped away. She has a bit of a droop in the wing but that should improve to about normal as she gains strength.

Black & white all over

This is WHISKY, a black-billed magpie. Oops, they're now called American magpie. I believe this is a young female that showed up in a yard with a broken wing. Luckily the owners found her and called me. She's since gone through repair surgery on her right humerus. Normally I leave the support bandage on for at least a week, WHISKY left hers on for approximately two hours. As she's a pretty quiet bird in the cage I opted to let her remain bandage free. In the photo it appears she has no tail but she does, it's just canted off to the side. Hopefully she'll be able to fly in a couple months and she can join all those other amazingly intelligent corvids in the wild.

Happy Thanksgiving ! ! !

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Right now it's very cold here, was -15 this morning when I got up. As I heat with wood, one of my cats and I spent the night sleeping, sort of, in my Lazyboy so I could get up every couple hours and add wood to the stove. At this point I'm thankful for having a large supply of wood stacked inside and easily accessable.

I've reached an age where I'm also very thankful for all the wonderful people I've met in my life including the best relatives in the world. It's at this time of year when I remember back to all the great Thanksgiving meals my mom cooked for our family and friends who came to the door.

Thank you everyone for being a part of my life and bringing such joy into it. Eat lots of turkey and fixings, enjoy the holiday.

Photo: (l-r) Dorothy Sr. on Sheik, Susan on ?, Dorf on Bluebell, Tommy on ?, Shafer on Lord Jeff. ca. 1949 or 50

Brrrrrr cont.

Okay, this morning it was 5 degrees out when I got up. I did chores and then put water out for the wild sparrows and pigeons. It took a while for them to come to the pan but they eventually found it. It's there all year around but they were shy this morning. What I want to know is????? Why don't their little bare feet stick to the side of the metal pan? As you can see in the shot of the pigeons, one of them is standing in that very cold water. Eeeeeeeek!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I started chores this morning and the temperature was a whopping 10. Later this morning I headed to town to take in our annual November craft fair so I could stock up on goodies for presents. This is also the Cody Turkey Day where there are lots of games and chances to win turkeys and cornish hens, fun for the kids in lots of ways.

I'm now back in the house after putting everything to bed and it's not quite 5:00pm. I checked the temperature and we're now at 9 so my truck is plugged in as I'm sure it'll be below zero tonight. With the wind and some snow it's really not a very pleasant time to be working outside. The chickens have unfrozen water in their pans but all the others are solid. I keep telling the birds when I refill the pans to drink while it's soft but then they never listen to me.

And this is a prelude to our cold days coming the beginning of next week. I'm sure glad I have my five cords of wood under cover and close to hand.

Happy Birtthday !

This is my mothers birthday, she would have been 99 years old today. This necklace is one she wore on special occasions. I don't know where she got it but I always remember seeing it in her jewelry box. The stone on the bottom is a topaz, her birthstone. I wear it almost every day now. I love you mom.

Opinion expressed!

Okay, some days my dog, Sophie, wants to let me know just what she thinks of things. On this occasion I had given her a large rawhide chewy and after a couple licks she looked up with this opinion..... Even dogs can stick their tongues out at people.

Then & now

THEN: My godson, Ian, on the day he was born, September 27, 1978.

SORT OF THEN: Susan and Ian's mom, Linda, in YNP. (Note the dark hair on both of us)

NOW: That same baby all grown up. Ian and his friend Annie.

I have known Linda since the early 70s when we were both boarding horses in the same stable in Boulder, CO. Shortly after Ian was born she moved back to her home town of Austin, TX. The last time I physically saw Ian was when he was eight years old and I went there for a visit. I just received the newest photo of Ian and wanted to post it. His mother and grandmother also celebrate their birthdays this month.

My new door

Quite some time ago I decided I wanted to replace my old front door to match the one on the sunroom. A friend of a friend had just the right board, a huge piece of oak. And she works for a man who builds cabinets for kitchens and bathrooms. In the past they built a wonderful small double mew for a couple of my school birds.

I decided on the design and I'm happy to say it's more beautiful than I ever imagined it would be. The bottom panel is a duplicate of one on a 100+ year old dry sink in my great room. Thanks Ken Rey for your work. Also thanks to Susan Osborne for giving me the glass, Stacey Huston for sandblasting the oval, Tiffany Olson for designing the lettering and silhouettes, Gerald and Grant Shippen for lugging it into the house from my truck and John McGee for installing it today. It's huge, weighs a ton and will last for the rest of my lifetime.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

I know, they're not black cats but these are very special to me. Both are gone now, TRAMP (l) when he was 16 and TARGET (r) at 10 1/2 years old. There have been a couple in between them and the two females I have now but these will always be in my heart and on my mind.

Happy Halloween to everyone, don't eat too many goodies. Well, a lot of chocolate is okay, right?

Recent photo of IBR

Thanks again to Dr. Lee Hermann I have an updated aerial photo of the Ironside Bird Rescue facility. This was taken just a few weeks ago and as you can see, the hay field and my lawn are still green. The former pond area is just weeds and dirt, I never did get around to mowing it when the weeds were short.

In this photo you can see the new mews that were added to the eagle and hawk flight barns. They have come in very handy when lots of birds arrived at the same time. Maybe one day I'll get a photo of the place when there's snow on the ground.

Finally found

If you look back to a post I did on August 1st you'll read that I went to the town of Burlington twice to look for an injured raptor. I never found him and was saddened to think he would not make it. Yesterday, late afternoon, I received a call from a gentleman I'd contacted during the original search saying he found a hawk with a broken wing and as he was coming to Cody would bring the bird to me.

My first comment, when I found out where he'd caught the bird was, "I certainly hope it's not the one I was looking for 12 weeks ago". Imagine my amazement when I saw the hawk and because of the healing that had taken place at the fracture site I decided that it's a good possibility it is that bird.

SUPERMAN is in amazing condition after all this time and is a quiet bird in his cage. I will take him in to Drs. Blessing and Pedersen tomorrow for x-rays that will tell us if the damage is repairable. Even if he can't fly again he would make an excellent ambassador for red-tailed hawks at another facility. He is only about six months old now and has a long life ahead of him if all works out in his favor.

Update: Good and bad news. Good; the birds wing was not broken. The bad is his elbow joint was pulled apart about 1/2" to 3/4". Both doctors were stunned at what they were seeing in the x-ray. As it was impossible to fix this damage, SUPERMAN was euthanized. And after examining him closer I decided he is the bird I couldn't find in August. It's a case of "if only" but the damage may not have been repairable even if he had been found that day.

Beautiful morning sky

Every morning when I first go outside it's pitch dark and I look up to the stars. I can only identify four of them; the big dipper, the little dipper, the North star and Orion's belt. The past week it's been so clear, absolutely beautiful and this morning there was a bonus. While I was watching there were four shooting stars overhead. Awesome ! ! ! !