Amazing !

Here's a first for IBR. As many of you know, I raise cavys as a food source but most of them are sold as pets. I had one that has been pregnant for what seems like forever so I finally took her in and had her x-rayed to see if she was really carrying babies or it was some medical problem that made her so huge.

As you can see in the top photo, if you look carefully, she had lots of tiny skeletons showing and Dr. Blessing assured me that they were alive. Lo and behold about four days later she popped out five babies. One was stillborn but the others are thriving and she's being a super mom.

Updates

Good and bad news. The bad is that FROSTY had been unable to stand for more than a short time, he couldn't keep down any solid food and was having difficulties breathing. Apparently the damage to him was also internal and resulted in all these problems. He died just a short time ago.

The good is that PRISCILLA has made great strides. Even tho her mercury levels are the highest they've seen at the state lab, she is eating and flying to the corner window perch. With her counts, the vets at the lab said she should be either in a coma or dead. Guess that horrible disposition has seen her through the hard times. I no longer have to cut up her fish and rats, she's doing all the ripping and tearing on her own. I think she's also improving on the temperament side too. At least all she now does is chatter at me when I arrive with her meals and not dash away to the other side of the mew.

As soon as I feel she'll be able to find food in a larger area she'll be put into the eagle flight barn to see just how her wings are doing now.

Holly repeat

Here's the photo of HOLLY after her surgery. I took it this morning as she wasn't standing by the time I got her home from the vet and put to bed in the warm rodent house. Then this morning when I moved her to the cage room she wasn't using her right foot at all..... What else..... I physically opened her toes, placed her foot flat on the carpet and put a half quail in front of her. Apparently she decided it was worth making her foot work so she could eat. As you can see in this picture, she's standing on both feet and half of her quail is gone.

The surgery went well and Dr. Pedersen did a super job pinning both the radius and ulna of her left wing. Now all she has to do is get better.

Another Christmas bird

Today I met G&F biologist Bart Kroger just south of Meeteetse to transfer an immature female Richardson's Merlin to me. She'd been found in the middle of Thermopolis with a broken wing, most assuredly after being hit by a car. She weighs 7.33 ounces, not fat but in pretty good shape so the surgery was done to repair the fractures this afternoon. At this point she's awake but not standing so I put her in the warm rodent room for the night. I'll post a photo of her tomorrow after she's standing and I can get a good picture. Oh yes, her name is (what else) HOLLY.

He's come to life!

At least this FROSTY has. This four year old male golden eagle was hit by a car down in Rawlins, WY. Not only was he struck by the vehicle, he was repeatedly run over afterwards. Thank goodness he was between the tires and didn't have the tires going over his body. Amazingly he doesn't have any broken bones. The bad thing is that he can't stand for more than a couple seconds. He has improved since he arrived last night so I have high hopes he will make a full recovery.

In this photo he's propped up against a rolled carpet to put his body in a more natural position.

I also want to thank two very special people. Travis and Ann work for the USFWS, he in Rawlins and she here in Cody. Travis drove the bird to Shoshoni where Ann met him for the transfer and subsequent drive to deliver him to me. Rawlins is a many hour drive from here and at this time of year it's iffy at best. Luckily the snow didn't fall until late evening so all got home okay.

Frost has hit again

This morning we had some fog so when the sun came out the hoar frost covered everything. This is my huge Siberian elm and it's a picture postcard for winter. I just had to post a photo of it. It's only nine degrees outside right now but the sun is out, the sky is blue and all's right with my world so far today.

Wink! Wink!

Actually, she's not winking but she can't seem to open this eye. Thanks to some caring people, she was rescued from the side of the road near Deaver after probably being hit by a car. GRETCHEN doesn't seem to have any other injuries but at this point I'm almost afraid she's totally blind. She has an appointment with Dr. Blessing tomorrow to see just what's wrong.

I believe she's also a baby of this year so she'd be about 8-9 months old. I certainly hope this absolutely beautiful young bird will be all right and able to fly away soon.

NOTE: 12/20 - It was bad news for this baby owl. Her right eye was destroyed by the vehicle and her left eye had a detatched retina which cannot be repaired. Because her quality of life would not be good she was put to sleep. Thanks to Maggie she did not starve to death alongside a road, she died with dignity and the respect of the humans who took care of her.

Winter fairyland !

When I was driving up to my house after taking a bird to the vet I saw a beautiful sight. As the temperature is barely into the teens and we've been having a lot of fog, a hoar frost covered everything. Isn't it just a wonderful sight?

The hairy men of IBR

These three photos are of the main breeding boars in my cavy group. The top one is STRAUSS, son of ELVIS (seen in earlier memorial post), COCOA, son of STRAUSS and FUZZY, son of who knows as he was bought down in Riverton. The first two of these handsome boys are the fathers of many, many beautiful babies and were also born here. FUZZY hasn't sired any babies yet but his harem is all together and when they're old enough they will also be producing amazing cavys of all hair coats.

Broken baby

His name is SIMPSON. This baby Prairie Falcon came in this morning with a broken right wing. Bart Kroger, WGF biologist in Worland, found him in his yard unable to fly. He (the bird, not Bart) is also in a very starved condition weighing only 15 ounces. The x-rays taken this afternoon proved that his right wing radius/ulna are fractured but in a place that is very repairable. Because he is so very thin he won't have his surgery until next Wednesday so he can gain needed weight between now and then. He has a super attitude so should do well.

SAD NOTE: Baby SIMPSON made it through the surgery in fine shape but unfortunately died during recovery. He was about standing up when for some reason his body gave up. His spirit is with me, I still see him dancing on his toes when I put his food in the cage. That memory will brighten my thoughts for some time to come.

Diamonds all over

See them? I have a chicken pen full of diamonds! There are sparkles all over on this latest snowfall. I just love snow and when it comes down this beautiful it's better than ever.

It's a puffball ! ! !

No wait, it's a rabbit. This is BABY, a minilop that came out with a weird haircoat. She was used as a model at the Buffalo Bill Art Show quick draw by sculptor Pati Stajcar of CO. She was much younger then and not as hairy but still as cute. She isn't old enough to breed yet but when she is I'm sure she'll make a super mom.

Third times a charm?????

Yes, this is the third eagle I've received since PRISCILLA came in on Thanksgiving day. This is SPARKY, an immature Golden Eagle I believe is a male. He was found walking near the road in the Oregon Basin oil field. They called me but by the time I got there he'd wandered about a half mile from the first sighting. It took a bit of following but I finally caught up with him.

The bad news, and this may be fatal, is the wound on each of his wrists. Because of where he was found there is a strong possibility that he has been electrocuted. And that spells disaster. Because electrocutions kill from within, in a few weeks the tips of both his wings may die and fall off. Of course I'll have my fingers crossed that these may be road rash and he'll fully recover.

Another HBC

That means "hit by car", or in this case by a truck. This adult female Golden Eagle, JESSIE, was very fortunate two days ago. Certainly not in the fact that she was hit by a truck but because the person stopped and he was being followed by another vehicle belonging to Rick and Terri Johnson. On Thanksgiving day they are the ones who called about a baby bald eagle that couldn't fly. (See post below on PRISCILLA). Because they watched just how I gathered up that bird they were able to rescue this golden and bring her to me.

JESSIE was hit very hard and is suffering from a fractured left humerus, was bleeding from her nostril and left ear and she was unable to stand up for more than a couple seconds. I immediately called the Lifetime Animal Hospital and Dr. Pedersen told me to bring her in for x-rays. She is scheduled for surgery to repair that break this afternoon. And I was pleasantly surprised to find the eagle standing this morning and walking around her cage. She even ate a meal early in the day along with the "medi-mouse" holding her pills.

NOTE: JESSIE came through the surgery with flying colors and was already standing when I got to the hospital to pick her up. She's now in her large inside cage in a heated room.

Hi to an old friend

Today I deliverd a Rough-legged Hawk and a Saw-whet Owl to the Beartooth Nature Center in Red Lodge, MT. They are permanent residents now and will be used for educational programs or as static birds for visitors to see.

I also stopped by to say hello to a very old friend who came to me originally back in 1991 as a six month old baby. BUSTER was one of my first school birds and when I decided to give up my possession permit I placed him at BNC. He will be 21 years old in a few months and is looking just great. Red-tailed Hawks live about 10-15 years in the wild but usually much longer in captivity. He has a mate, PARKER, who also came from me but is just a young bird, probably only about six or seven years old.

The above photos show Buster when he and I were at our annual Powwow and just today in his mews. He was one of the best school birds and I miss not having him on my fist. He's totally retired now to a life with PARKER.

Updates

First of all for PRISCILLA, the baby bald eagle. She had a few x-rays this morning which show no lead anywhere in her body which is good. She does have a swollen right foot but x-rays show no damage there either so that may be just a poor landing on her part. We also took blood and have sent it to the state vet lab for testing to see if she does have lead or mercury in her system and to do a CBC and tox screen for anything else. She's now eating much better too.

Okay, on to DAISY, the duck. Her x-rays show a broken bone near her foot which will be put in a splint and hopefully healing will take place so she can be released in a local lake. If attitude means anything she will be back in the wild very soon.

Number three, so far

Last Saturday I received a call from Dr. Dave Pendray. He and a friend were up pheasant hunting near Lovell when they discovered a Rough-legged Hawk that was unable to fly. At first I couldn't see anything wrong with the bird but his right wing was obviously the weaker of the two. I settled him in and was able to take him to Dr. Pedersen this morning.

We were surprised that his right wing is broken, there is one section of his ulna that is in many small pieces. The good news is that they are all pretty much in the correct position so there will not be a surgical repair of this damage. The only other strange thing is the very small amount of shrapnel in his right wrist.

DAVE is a great eater and with time he will be ready to fly back to his northern home when the roughies migrate this coming March.

Wow!

I got a call this morning about an injured duck up near Bridger, MT, luckily Sean was willing to drive and meet me near Clark. I left Cody under sort of clear skys and dry pavement, got to the meeting place and chatted for a few minutes before heading back home. Imagine my surprise when I drove into a blizzard with visability to only a few hundred feet. It was, however, my favorite snow, large flakes gently falling to earth. I'm so glad that my 4WD was fixed three days ago as I needed it on the slippery roads.

Back to the duck....I think it's a female Redhead and she has some sort of wound to the joint of her right foot. She can move the leg just fine but the toes don't work right. Naturally it's a holiday weekend so I can't get her into the vet until Monday but this is not life threatening so she'll be fine til then. I suppose the logical name for her is DAISY.

Thanksgiving baby

I just got back from gathering up what I was told was a golden eagle. By the time I got out the Southfork near Castle Rock it turned into an immature bald eagle. As with all of that species, PRISCILLA has an attitude. She can't fly altho I don't see anything broken. She tries but her left wing isn't up to the task. And of course it's a holiday weekend so for now she's in an 8'x 8' pen until she can get to see Drs. Blessing or Pedersen the beginning of the week. Luckily I also just got in a shipment of whole trout from Albertson's so she won't lack for food.

She's not sure where she is so her pose in the photo is a bit defensive.

Sometimes it works....

And sometimes it doesn't. My handsome adult male red-tailed hawk, HARVEY, was euthanized today after a gallant fight against the odds. As mentioned in a previous post, he was found after being shot, probably with a shotgun. Some of the pellets were still in his body and his left wing was broken in many places.

Two weeks ago the pin in his ulna was removed and everything looked just fine, the breaks appeared to have healed beautifully. Today we removed the pin in his radius and that's when the new problem was noticed. He had, at some point in the intervening two weeks, rebroken his ulna at a previous site. Because the chances of those bones reattaching was very slim, and he would be hard to place as an educational bird, I made the horribly hard decision to put him to sleep.

He was a wonderful bird and I will miss seeing his alert expression greeting me every morning.

Sad news

Today I lost my beautiful immature dark phase Red-tailed Hawk, MOLLY BROWN. I have no idea what happened but for the past three days she'd been going downhill, refusing to eat and generally getting weaker. I was surprised as she started out eating everything I gave her and was active. I decided not to send her body in for an autopsy as it won't bring her back. I will remember her bright eyes and wonderful disposition. Sleep well my MOLLY.

Rememberance

The day is about over for me, the birds are all put to bed and the lights ready to be turned out. I spent many minutes throughout this day remembering my mother as this would have been, actually it is, her 100th birthday. She died in 2003 and I think of her often and miss our phone calls to each other every Sunday evening. Altho small in stature she was a strong lady and one I will always admire. Love you Mother....

Unusual patient

At this time of year all the cranes and herons have migrated south from our area. With the exception of STILTS. I got a call about him this morning and was shocked to find him in the middle of Juby's trailer court just standing around. Luckily a caring lady called me and even helped round him up. He can't fly but he can run. Thank goodness he went to a small fenced area so I was able to net him.

The most amazing thing is that after being x-rayed it was shown his radius/ulna had been fractured in his right wing about 5-6 weeks ago. Somehow this bird did all the right things and the bones have healed in perfect alignment. The bad news is that he is short of groceries and not strong enough now to fly away.

I've found a wonderful place, Rogers Wildlife in Hutchins, TX, who have supplied the information I needed to feed him and keep him alive long enough to get permission to send him south to a much warmer winter area. Penny gave me a variety of foods that herons eat and altho I don't have the fish I do have all else. I've put out a message to my fishing friends to help, they usually do.

First of the season

As noted in a few previous posts, Rough-legged Hawks are hatched above the Arctic Circle and then migrate south for the Winter. And because they have no concept of humans or vehicles, they become injured by one or the other after they arrive. This beautiful baby of this year was probably hit by a car just north of Cody. Luckily Teresa saw him and realized that all was not okay. She called me and I easily caught him with a net.

As you can see, his left wing doesn't sit quite right but the x-rays show nothing broken or dislocated. He does have, however, a wound to the back of his wing near his shoulder that may account for the slight droop. He will spend a while in this smaller inside cage until I feel he can go outside to a larger pen so he can exercise his wing. Hopefully all will go well and he'll fly again and make the return migration North next March.

Oh yes, his name is TEDDY because he's just had a rough ride.

New resident

Today I received a call from Bill Robertson, the Greybull WG&F warden, saying he had a hawk he'd picked up that day after it had been found just standing in an alley in the middle of town. He wasn't sure what it was and when I picked it up I was also not sure of the species.

After looking at books I've about decided it's an immature female dark phase Red-tailed Hawk. She's not starving but thin and quickly scarfed down the three mice I put near her feet on the perch. I can't seen anything wrong with her but perhaps she just gave up because she'd been finding it harder and harder to find food. Sort of a Catch-22 problem; she can't be strong unless she finds food and she can't find food unless she's strong.

She will stay here until she's fattened up and again ready for life in the wild. That may mean wintering over to insure she will be alive and well in the new year.

Oh yes, her name is MOLLY BROWN because this problem will not sink her. And the paper behind her is to make cage cleaning easier as they seem to make it a point to poop in the corners. That stuff is hard to get off that area.