Tuesday, June 16, 2009

FINALLY SOME TIME FOR AN UPDATE..........

Well, today is a little slower so I have time to post.
Orphan season is still in full swing. We have released several robins, our Meadowlark, the Red tree squirrels, Starlings, House finches and I'm sure I've missed something on the list!
It's pretty much all a blur without looking at records.
We now have 2 new hawks in our care, both of which were seized by the state of Utah, Department of Wildlife Resources. They had belonged to a local falconer that is pretty scary. One is a female Prairie falcon, the other is a male Harris hawk. My job is to evaluate them both and notify the state of my opinion. Hopefully we can get them both back into the wild where they belong!
Ivy, the female golden eagle, goes for surgery tomorrow. Her pins will be removed and then we can truly learn if she will be releasable, which of course, is our goal. This will be her third surgery.
Both the boys, Zuma and Fremont are still doing well, healing and hanging out together.
We now have two Magpie's in rehab. They are getting along great! I believe we have both a male and a female. The smaller of the two, which I believe is female, has an injury to her right hip area. The bones are not involved, but the is a huge hole looking down into her body. We're treating her for infection and trying to get that hole to close up. At least she has a buddy which is very important for any of the corvid family. They do not do well alone.
We also have a litter of orphaned Rock squirrels. They came in at deaths door. In fact, I'd bet the lady that brought them in to us probably thinks they have died. This little guy has no shame. How adorable!
They have done very well and look wonderful. They still have a couple of weeks in rehab to bulk up and then they will be released together, just like the tree squirrels.
I had some people from the states' wildlife department come to meet me and get my thoughts on rehabilitation here in Utah and what my concerns were.
Hopefully it wasn't just lip service, but supposedly things are suppose to get a little better, cooperation wise, between we rehabilitators and the DWR (wildlife department). I'll believe it when I see it. I know how these different offices work. They are all DWR, but you'd never know it. They all do whatever they want, enforce the laws they want, not enforce the laws they want and so on. It's ridiculous.
I'll include some squirrel pics's today, but the release pics, well, I'll save those for next time. I will include Bubble's release pic's today from Desert Lake in Emery County, Utah.
Thanks for checking in,
Debbie

1 comment:

Unknown said...

those babies are so cute! only Debbie could help them and bring them back to 100%!


Feathered brothers and sisters, you came to us broken and as you bled…….we saw you desperate, dehydrated, desiccated, diseased, distressed, emaciated, famished, frayed, frightened, helpless, hungry, ragged, ravenous, shaken, shocked, shot, sickly, stressed, stunned, tattered, thirsty, traumatized, torn, weary and wounded. Defiantly, you stood us off with your last breath as we tried to tend to you. We saw you come in as cute, naked, fuzzy, cuddly youth, as mischievous, defiant adolescents, as fierce, regal rulers of the sky and as cunning, maimed elders whose time on earth was almost done. You endeared yourselves to us, bit us, charmed us, footed us, delighted us, hissed at us, talked to us, mantled at us, and graced us with your presence.

Some of you mended and were able to go on your way, never looking back. Some of you were injured in ways that prevented you from going, so you stayed with us to teach us…….And we came to love you. Others were too far gone, and you went home - where you fly free from pain with the Great One. All of you have touched us, and we are changed because of you.

used with permission by Arlene Powers


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